The Sun. — 1860-08-02 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF TORN FENTOA.  NOTTINGHAM, Wednesday.—The execution of Fenton for the murder of Charles Spencer, at Walkeringham, took place this morning in front of the county gaol, Nottingham. At an early hour in the morning a great number of people assembled in front of the scaffold, and by the time the condemned man arrived with the gaol officials on the scaffold a vast crowd of men, women, and boys had got together. The street is narrow in front of the scaffold, and the greatest precaution was used in erecting the barricades, in order to prevent a similar catastrophe taking place to that which occurred at the last execution 16 years ago, when 11 persons were crushed or trampled to death. Some of the windows commanding a view of the place of execution were let at high rates. Many people took their places early on the previous night, staying within the barricades the whole of the time until the execution took place; many came from the neighbourhood of Walkeringham, the scene of the tragedy, and the crowd generally was formed of people of the lowest class. Previous to the execution the culprit was watched night and day, and the Rev. W. Butler, the chaplain, devoted considerable time and energy in attending upon the unfortunate man, with the view of preparing him for the awful ordeal through which he had to paSs. These exhortations were  listened to with the coolness and indifference which characterised his conduct throughout. The great aim of the chaplain was to urge upon him to confess his crime. He frequently conversed about the death of Spencer, but up to yesterday had made no direct confession ; his manner and tone of conversation, however, were those of a guilty man. He wrote two or three letters to his wife, inviting the whole of the family to visit him. His wife and mother have had two interviews with him ' • upon the latter occasion they were accompanied by his three children. This interview was most agonising, both upon the part of the unfortunate man and the afflicted family. He was visited on Monday by three men from Walkeringham, with whom he conversed for some minutes on various topics. At halfpast 7 this morning the wretched man, after partaking of a slight breakfast, was removed from the condemned cell to the robing-room of the Countyhall, where the executioner pinioned him in the presence of the chaplain and governor of the gaol. Prayers suitable to the occasion were read by the chaplain. Fenton took leave of the chaplain and governor of the gaol. He then moved with a firm step to the scaffold. He advanced firmly with a steady step on to the trapdoor, placing himself, without assistance, immediately under the roof; then, without appearing to glance at the people at all, who at this moment were solemnly silent, he gazed upwards at the sky, as if in prayer, and his eyelids quivered faintly. The hangman immediately advanced to do his office, and at once drew the white cap over his face. While his legs were being tied the prisoner trembled slightly ; the chaplain then advanced and whispered some parting words in the dying-man's ear. The hangman slipped the fatal noose over the prisoner's head, and the next instant the drop fell. A few shrieks from the crowd, a quivering of the wretched culprit's legs, and ail was over • he scarcely seemed to live half a minute after the drop fell. The crowd, which during the whole of the execution could not be termed disorderly, then dispersed.