The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1879-08-02 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE INQUEST.  The inquest was held at noon upon the body by Mr. G. H. Hull, one of her Majesty's coroners for the county of Surrey, in the Board Room of the Gaol. The jury who were empannelled viewed the body of the convict. It was in a shell under the fatal beam upon which the Prisoner had been executed. The gallows, which was in a shed in a court-yard, was a cross beam over a spring floor, and the floor, upon the touch of a switch, opened, so as to give the body a fall of eight feet. The prisoner had walked to the place of execution in a resigned manner, and with perfect composure. The body was unquestionably that of the prisoner, who was tried as Catherine Webster. A prison dress was upon it, even to the stockings and shoes, and a crucifix was placed, with a few flowers, upon her breast. It was apparent that the woman had died a violent death. Outside the shed was a grass plot, where a grave had been dug. After being viewed by the jury the coffin was to be filled with quick lime.  _ Captain Colville, the governor of the gaol, was the first witness called. He deposed :—" The bodywhich the jury have seen is that of Catherine Webster, whom I received into my custody the Bth of 7uly, 1879. bhe was about 30 years of age. The warrant upon which I received her was from the Central Criminal Court. She was convicted of the murder of Mrs. Julia Martha Thomas, and was sentenced to be executed in this prison. That sentence was carried out at nine o'clock this morning, in the presence of Mr. C. J. Abbott, the Under Sheriff, the Rev. Mr. M'Ennery, the chaplain, other officers, and myself." The Coroner asked if the woman had made any confession of the crime of which she was convicted.  Captain Colville relied: "She did, sir. It was intimated to me by the Rev. Mr. M'Ennery, on his leaving the prison at ten minutes to ten o'clock last night, that the prisoner said to him, 'I alone committed the murder of Mrs. Thomas. I was slightly excited by having taken some drink, and when my mistress came home I was aggravated by her manner. I pushed her downstairs and then strangled her.' I followed this confession up, sir, this morning by speaking to her about statements which you, sir, perhaps have seen published of late as coming from her in this gaol, in which the names of certain men are given as being concerned in the murder pf Mrs. Thomas. I asked her if I might say from her that those statements were not true. She replied that the statements were not true—that the man whom she had last charged with the crime had had nothing to do with it—that she alone did it. She was remarkably submissive and docile hare. Great attention was paid to her by a Sister of Mercy, who has been made an additional assistant in the prison for the purpose of waiting upon the Prisoner. The Prisoner has been visited by the Rev. Dr. Withers, the coadjutor (Roman Catholic) bishop, who was formerly chaplain of Woking when the Prisoner was under sentence for previous convictions, and she was very grateful for this. She expressed herself as pleased when she first came, at being sent to thiE prison instead of to any other, as she had formerly been kindly treated here, when before here under a sentence of felony. Before her death she expressed herself extremely grateful for the kindness and attention she received from the matron, other officers, and myself. She was keenly sensible that she was kindly treated." Dr. Hugh B. Wynber2 the surgeon of the gaol, deposed that he had examined the body of the convict and could attest that she was dead, the cause of death being dislocation of the neck. The Coroner remarked that the Act required the Jury to be satisfied that the body seen was the body of the person sentenced to be executed,  Dr. Wynter replied that he knew the prisoner when she was in the gaol before, and could say that the body seen was that of the prisoner Catherine Webster. The Coroner said this would be sufficient evidence. The Jury returned as their verdict " That Catherine Webster, who was sentenced to death, was in due form executed, and that the said jurors had neen the body of the Prisoner after execution."