The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-10-12 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

EXECUTION OF THE BATTERSEA MURDERER.  On Tuesday morning, at nine o'clock, within the precincts of Wandsworth Prison, London, Thos. Smithere, aged 31, described as a cook, was hanged for the murder of Amy Jails°. The culprit was tried at the last session of the Central Criminal Court, before Mr. Justice Denman, and condemned to death. It appeared that the deceased woman was the wife of a person named Judge, who was a notorious dealer in improper hooks and prints, and, being convicted of this offence, he was sentenced to be kept in prison for two years. During his incarceration the deceased cohabited with a man named Hunt, who, after a time, went to Australia. She then took up with Smithers, and lived with him happily until Hunt, unfortunately, returned from Australia, , and went to see his quondam paramour at her mother's residence in Battersea. She obtained leave to accompany Hunt on his visit to a sister in Paddington, it being agreed that she should return the same evening, but she failed to do so, and came back on the following morning. When in the bedroom with Smithers, screams were beard, and the convict went out soon afterwards. Amy Judge screamed again, and her mother went upstairs to ascertain the cause. She was met by her daughter, who fell into her arms, crying, "He haa killed me; he has killed me." The medical evidence showed that several wounds had been inflicted, andthat a severe one on the forearm and one in the peritoneum were the cause of dente. &kaisers eeems to have wandered about for a few days, and then gave himself up to the police. Such were the undisputed facts, and Mr. St. Aubyn, who defended the accused, net up a plea of insanity, but witheat avail, and, in sentencing the prisoner, the learned judge did not hold out the slightest hope of mercy. Since he had been in Wandsworth Smithern has behaved in a very quiet manner, and listened with attention to the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Gilbert, the chaplain. Daring the time that has elapsed since his trial he has, by order of the Home Secretary, been examined by two medical men on two separate days, but they failed to discover that he was other than sane. It was then felt that his doom wag certain. He has slept well, except on one occasion, when he was seen by Dr. Jones, but it is believed that his restlessness was more occasioned by a etomachic complaint than by • disturbed mind. On Saturday he was visited by Isis mother, sister, brother, and brother.imlaw, and, as may be imagined, the scene was a very distressing one. On Monday night he slept well, especially at the earlier part of the night, and early on Tuesday morning he partook of breakfast, and was visited by the chaplain. About half.past eight the Under-Sheriff of Surrey, Mr. Howard Vincent, the newly.appointed investigator of criminal prosecutions, and a few members of the Press, were admitted into the inside of the gaol, and at a quarter to nine the bell of the institutien began to slang. A few minutes before the appointed hour Smithers was brought, with his neck bare, from the condemned cell, surrounded by warders, and followed by the chaplain mid other gaol officials. He was taken to the place for pinioning, which is just by the side of what proved to be the place of execution. He sub. mitted to this trying process with something very much akin to firmness, but a slight twitching at the arms and keees showed that he felt that the leather thongs bad been tightly placed around him. hlarwood was the executioner, and gave the culprit a tremendous drop, and it appeared ou if, after the fall, there was little be. tween his feet and the ground. Whilst the white cap was being placed on his head he responded to the chaplain's invocations, and seemed to die at once after the halt was draws. An inquest was held in the course of the day. This was the first execution of a Surrey murderer at Wandsworth instead of Horeemonger-lane Gaol, according to the new Prisons Act. Over 1,000 persons assembled to seethe black fleg hoisted, and there ass a feren of police present, but their services were not called for,