The Sun. — 1841-08-10 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF THE KNARESBO ROUGH MURDERERS.  ' This day (Saturday) at noon, the last awful sentence of the law was carried into execution upon John Earlinson, Henry Nuttall, and Charles Gill, who were convicted at the torkshire assizes of the murder of Joseph Cocker, of Knaresborough. The trial took place, our readers may remember, on Monday, the 19th ult., before Mr. Justice Wightman. Ever since their condemnation, all the three men have conducted themselves in a most penitent manner, and have been attended in their devotions by the chaplain of the gaol,,the Rev. W. Flower, Rev. J. Shackley, Rev. Thomas Richardson, and the Rev. J. Rattenbury, Wesleyan minister. The unhappy convicts paid the most reverent attention to the instructions which were afforded them by the Reverend Gentlemen, and exhibited the utmost anxiety in making themselves prepared for entering upon eternity. The prisoner Gill has suffered considerably for several days from erysipelas, §o much so that for a length of time he was confined to his bed.  No reprieve having arrived on Friday evening, the necessary preparations were made for the execution. The condemned sermon was preached by the chaplain of the prison. At half-past five o'clock this morning the condemned were removed from their cells-to a room adjoining the scaffold, where they remained till their bodies were• demanded by the Under-Sheriff. Early in the morning the Rev. J. Shackley and the Rev. Mr. Richardson came to the castle and remained with them until the time arrived for their execution.  In walking across the yard from the condemned cell to the room .where they were pinioned, Burlinson. and Nuttall walked with a firm step ; Gill, who was weak from the effects of disease;was supported by two of the attendants. •  During the night great numbers of people travelled on foot from the adjoining towns and villages, especially from Knaresborough, where, as may be naturally expected, the murder and consequent fate of the men created the greatest interest. 'The crowd assembled in front of the scaffold so early as eleven o'clock was considerable, but after that hour, and up to twelve o'clock, great accessions of people swelled the numbers previously collected together. At twelve o'clock the procession was formed, and the men walked to the scaffold. They were quite resigned to their fate, and when.the Chaplain engaged in the usual service they were loud and earnest in their responses. After this the whole three were engaged in prayer for several minutes. Burlinson, who was the eldest of the three men, was placed in the position of the drop next Castlegate, Gill was in the centre, and Nuttall occupied the other extremity. Gill was more firm upon the scaffold than might have been expected from his previous suffering from erysipelas. The other two walked to the scaffold with a firm step ; but the demeanour of the whole three was_ that of the deepest contrition and penitence. After the usual preliminaries the bolt was drawn, and the men were launched into eternity. The sufferings undergone by Burlinson and Gill seemed to be great ; their bodies were very much convulsed, the other seemed to die soon after the executioner had done his work. After hanging the usual time the bodies were cut down and removed to the prison, previous to their being buried within its precincts. All the three were quite young men, Burlinson being 24 years of age, Nuttall 22, and Gill 19. Burlinson and Gill were the parties who inflicted the wounds upon the old man, Nuttall was present at the time, and assisted in the rifling of Cocker's pockets. They all belong to Knaresborough, where their families reside, some of whoni, we understand, are pious persons.—Yorkshire Gazette.