The Sun. — 1862-09-01 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF THE COLNE MURDERER.  At an early hour on Saturday morning Walker Moore, upon whom sentence of death was passed at the Lancaster assizes for the murder of his wife, at Colne, in April last, committed suicide in Lancaster Castle. The murder, it Will be recollected, was committed with great coolness and determination, and the prisoner, during his trial and at the time sentence of death was passed upon him, showed no signs whatever of compunction, and heard his fate with the utmost composure and hardisaturday was the day fixed for his execution pronouncedhood. Calcraft. After Moore received his sentence and when removed from the court, he did not seem t io b y to care the least about his impending fate; indeed, he laughed, and at times joked; and it was shought by many that the jealous passion to which he had given way when he cut his wife's throat would buoy him up and delude him to the end. At the beginning of last week, however, a consciousness of his sad career began to show itself, and Moore more than once regretted what he had done, and devoted his time to religion. On Monday last he was visited by some of his relatives. The interview was painfully affecting, and Moore was moved to tears. On Tuesday he was visited by the high sheriff of the county. Moore, it is said, was much affected by this interview. At times the criminal complained of not being provided with counsel on his trial. On Friday night Calcraft arrived in Lancaster, and the gallows was erected at the northwestern sine of the Castle, ready for the business of the following day. One of the local newspapers in speaking of Moore at this time, says :—" As the last hours of this unhappy man draw near his mind has become more open to the soothing consolations of religion, and his demeanour more befitting the terrible position in which he is placed." On Saturday morning at six o'clock Moore awoke, after passing a tolerable night. Shortly afterwards he went to the watercloset, where, strange to say, it seems he was allowed to go alone. As, however, he did not make his appearance again in a reasonable time, one of the turnkeys who had been in charge of him went to the closet, and there to his horror found Moore lying with his head in the pan, quite dead. He had evidently first inserted his head into the closet, and then with one hand opened the watervalve. Moore up to the time had been regularly attended by two gaol officials, and why they permitted him to go alone to the closet is a mystery. Their conduct will form the subject of, a magisterial inquiry. Moore, if he had not thus put an end to his life, would have received the sacrament at eight on Saturday morning and have been hanged at noon. A large number of persons had got to Lancaster in anticipation of the execution before the suicide became known, and in consequence of the event, both they and Calcraft were deprived of the foul and horrible scene of a public strangulation, and had to return home totally "disappointed."  Conundrum by our p '7-Why is a good wifG like a printer's roller, composou of molasses and glue ? Because she is as sweet as the former article, and sticks to her husband like the latter.