The Express. — 1868-08-13 (London, England)

EXECUTION AT MAIDSTONE. (THIS DAT)  The extreme sentence of the law was carried into effect this morning at half-past 10 o'clock upan Thomas Wells, a culprit, who only attained his eighteenth year in March last, and the occasion wan rendered more remarkable from the fact that it was the first execution that had taksit place in private, or, in accordance with the terms of the act of parliament, " within the prison wa11,,," and in the presence of such functionaries of the law as are referred to in the statute. The crime for which the prisoner suffered was murder of a very aggravated character. lie was employed as a porter at the Priory Station of the London, Chatham, cud Dover Railway Company at Dover, and, in consequenoeof Mr. Walsh, the unfortunate gentleman who lost his life by his hands, and who occupied the position of stationmaster at the Priory, reprimanding him for some ait of misconduct, the prisoner deliberately took a gun from his father's house, carried it a considerable distance to the station, and, without any provocation, shot him dead. There was also the additional aggravation in the case that the prisoner threatened, several days before the occurrence, that he would kill the deceased if he interfered with him.  After his trial, the culprit seemed to have been fully aware that there was no hope for him, anal he appeared quite prepared for the inevitable result, but he expressed remorse for the act he had committed, and wrote a very penitent letter to Mrs. Walsh, the widow of the deceased, entreating her forgiveness. No efforts appear to have been made in any quarter to obtain a re17168'013 of the capital sentence.  • Au interview that took place between the culprit and his father, an aged man, who gains his livelihood us a fiAerman at Deal, was of a very distresring character. When the time for parting arrived, the poor old man fell down in a fit, and was rallied away by the warders. His wretched son bore up pretty well until this occurred, and he then fell into a violent pamxybm of grief. An almost equally distressing interview took place between the prisoner and a young woman who occupied a very respectable position at Dover, and to whom he was about to be married.  The scaffold was erected in a small yard adjoining the debtors' portion of the gaol, which had at one time been used as an exercising yard for the prisoners. It is en. cloaca by four high walls. The apparatus is the same that was formerly made nee of, with some slight alterations. The drop is on • perfect level with the stone paving of the yard, and the executioner has to descend several stone steps to remove the bolt which supporta the platform, and the latter then drops into a recess prepared for it. This apparatus is intended to be a permanent fixture in this portion of the prison, but when not required it is intended to screen it from eight by having it closed in with moveable shutters.  It was, of course, generally known that the execution was to take place to-day, but as it was also known that it would be conducted in private, and that the only sign of the dreadful proceeding would be the hoisting of a black flag outside the prison wall, at the moment of the falling of the drop, there were very few, if any, strangers in the vicinity of the prison, and the town presented quite its ordinary appearance. Small parties of the inhabitants were observed conversing together, apparently upon the spectacle that was passing within the walls of the prison ; but the town generally presented a marked and extraordinary contrast to that which it has exhibited upon previous occasions when executions have taken place in public. No one was present at the execution but the under-, sheriff, governor, sergeant, chaplain, and tho representatives of the press. The culprit prayed fervently with the Rev. Mr. Frazer, the chaplain, for a few seconds, and as the drop fell, he was singing, with a loud clear voice, the 486th hymn. He appeared to die after two or three convulsive struggles.