The Sun. — 1851-04-24 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF THE NEMPNETT MURDERERS. TAUNTON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23.—The execution of John Wiles end John Smith, convicted at the last assizes of the murder of an aged man named Wilkins, a shopkeeper at Nempnett, under circumstances of great atrocii), and in which, it will be remembered, his aged wile was left for dead by the murderers, but fortunately recovered so as to be the means of bringing them to justice, took place this morning at nine o'clock, at the north corner of the gaol. The t xecution was originally fixed for eleven o'clock, but nut of deference to,the wishes of the inhabitants of 'Taunton, who represented the injury it w. uld be to the busihess of the town, the hour was changed to nine o'clock. From the moment of their conviction the culprits have manifested a becoming manner, and listened patiently to the exhortations of the chaplain, the Rev. Mr. Gatten,_who was unremitting in his exertions, and who has declared that he believed their repentance to be sincere. At the time of the trial there appeared to be some doubt as to which of the two was the actual murderer, but since their condemnation they both freely confessed that they each participated in the crime, and were both equally guilty, although they stated that they had no intention of perpetrating a murder when they went into the shop. Wiles was about 56 years of age, a blacksmith by trade, and, at one period of his life, in the service of the late Richard Hart Davis, M.P.;' father of the present Chairman of the Board of Excise. Smith was a much younger man, and evidently a person of respectable connexions;• indeed, he stated freely that his name was not Smith, but objected to communicate to any person who be really was, urging as his reason that he did not wish his relatious,.who were most respectable, to be marked out to the world as persons related to a man who had suffered death as a murderer. At five o'clock this morning the prisuners arose, and, after being engaged in prayer, partook of some tea and bread and butter, and at eight o'clock they were taken to' the chapel, where Divine service was performed, and the sacrament administered to them. At nine o'clock the prison bell began to toll, and the whole of the prisoners in the gaol, who were under sentence of transportation, or who had been convicted of felony, were mustered in the yard to witness the execution. The culprits having been pinioned by Calcraft, the mournful procession commenced, and in a few minutes, having walked firmly up the stairs of the gaol, they appeared upon the platform; they then ascended the ladder with the same firm step, and having prayed with the chaplain 'for several minutes, and shaken hands with the reverend gentleman, the bolt was drawn, and they were launched into eternity. Smith struggled for a minute or so, but with Wiles death appeared to ba instanteneous. After hanging the usual time, the bodies were cut down and immediately buried in their clothes as they were, in the yard of the gaol. In a quarter of an hour afterwards the drop was removed.  GRAY'S INN, Aram, 23.—At a Pension of the Honourable Soei-ty of Gray's Inn, holden this day, William Simons, Esq., and Heury Callingwood Selby: E3.ein Were called to the de;r6e of batrister'at4aw.