The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1883-12-08 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

EXECUTION AT LIVERPOOL.  ALLEGED "BUNGLING" BY THE EXECUTIONER.  Henry Patton, aged twenty-two, an ironmoulder, who was sentenced to death at the last Liverpool Assizes for the murder of Hannah flamehaw, an old woman and the grandmother of his wife, was executed at Kirkdale Gaol, Liverpool, on Monday morning, by the new hangman, Bartholomew Binns. After his conviction Dutton paid earnest attention to the ministrations of the Rev. Mr. Pigot, the Protestant chaplain of tbe gaol, and appeared quite resigned to his fate, admitting at OA same time the justice of his sentence. The culprit, who had passed an unquiet night, rose at half-past four o'clock on Monday morning, and after spending some little time in his cell, partook of the Holy Communion, after which he breakfasted. Shortly before eight o'clock the procession was formed to the scaffold, the culprit walking firmly, and with but little appearance of nervousness. While the chaplain was reciting the prayers Binns quickly strapped the legs of the culprit, adjusted the white cap, and fixed the rope; the eyelet being placed at the hack of the neck instead of as heretofore under the chin or ear. Binns then retired as if to draw the bolt, but he came forward again, and looked anxiously at the culprit, and it was aherwards explained that Binns had to wait about eight seconds, until the clock struck eight. Directly the hour struck Binns stepped back and drew the bolt. The body fell heavily, and was seen to move convulsively for two minutes, and it afterwards turned out that the pulse did not cease to beat until eight minutes after the drop. Dutton was a small man, only sft. 2in. in height, and 9 stone 21b. in weight. The rope was lem. in diameter, and the drop given was 7ft. sin. After the body had hung the usual time it was out down, and subsequently an inquest was held by Mr. T. W. Barker, the county coroner. Major Leggett, the governor of the gaol, was first called, and gave formal evidence of the execution. All was regular so far as be could iudge, but life was not extinot for seven or eight minutes. In reply to a juryman, the witness said that nothing was done after the drop to hasten the extinction of life.—Dr. James Barr, the gaol surgeon, said that the cause of death was strangulation. There was no breaking of the spinal cord. There was a slight separation between the first and second cervical vertebra, but no dislocation. The man struggled for two minutes after the drop, and the pulse did not (settee beating for eight minutes. He was of opinion that the rope was too thick, and that the drop was too short, considering the height of the man; and, further, that the noose was placed in the wrong position. It should have been under the ear or under the jaw.— Major Leggett, in reply to various questions, said he would not like to speak as to the sobriety of the executioner, though he had no reason to think that he was not sober. He thought the execution was clumsily and inefficiently performed. In adjusting the rope Binns seemed to do it in a very bungling way, which witness did not like at all.—Dr. Barr, in reply to the Coroner, said he was of the same opinion as the governor, that the execution was performed clumsily. The jury, after a brief summing up from the coroner, returned a verdict to the effect that death had resulted from strangulation. Biwa, it appeared, left the gaol immediately after the execution. It is understood that he expressed his opinion that the failure in the proper notion of the rope was not due in any way to its thickness, but to the feet that it was a new one.