The Sun. — 1859-01-08 (London, England)

EXECUTION AT TAUNTON.  Yesterday morning William Burgess was hung m front of the county gaol of Somerset for the mmder of his infant daughter in Exmoor Forest. Subsequently to his conviction, Burgess, who was deplorably ignorant, received unremitting attention from the Rev. F. House, the chaplain, and he was also visited at his own request once by the Rev. Thornton, clergyman of • the parish in which he lived, and several times by the Rev. W. R. Clarke, curate of St. Mary Magdalene, Taunton. He freely acknowledged his guilt to these rev. gentlemen, but seemed perversely to believe that he should atone for his crime by self-destruction. To prevent him from committing suicide he was constantly watched, but the idea seemed to have been entertained by him almost to the last moment of his life.  At various times he had interviews with his brother and with two of his daughters, which were necessarily deeply distressing to the relatives, and which seemed to have a depressing effect on the mind of the wretched man himself.  On retiring to rest on the evening before his execution, Burgess declined to take off his clothes. The turnkeys who had charge of him report that he slept but little, and that he got up between two and three o'clock and engaged in prhyer. He subsequently took off the prison dress which he had worn since his conviction, and put on the clothes in which he was attired when apprehended. A breakfast t of the ordinary gaol dietary was provided for him, which he ate, and was 'shortly afterwards visited by the governor and chaplain. At eight o'clock the convict and the other prisoners were taken to the chapel of the gaol, where divine service was performed, but the Eucharist was not administered to the condemned criminal. Caleraft received the prisoner at the ter. mination of the service, and having pinioned his arms, to which operation he submitted with a fortitude that had not been anticipated, the procession proceeded to the scaffold.  A deep silence pervaded the multitude as the toiling of the chapel bell gave signal that the funeral procession of the yet living culprit had started, and the boldest of their numbers held their breath as the gaol warder, followed by the chaplain, the criminal, and the executioner mounted the scafibld. Burgess walked firmly up, and was placed under the fatal beam. The chaplain concluded the reading of the burial service, Calcnift performed his functions as the hangman, and the preparations for carrying the sentence of the law into effect having been completed, the officials descended, leaving the culprit alone. The bolt was almost immediately withdrawn, and, after a few throes of mortal agony, Burgess yielded up his life. In an hour afterwards the body was cut down and'touried within the pre. eincts o,l' the gaol. The crowd dispersed almost as soon as the criminal was no more.  M. Emile de Girardin has , accepted, without salary, the post of manager of the unfortunate Napoleon Docks, which he hopes to resuscitate. He proposes to buy the old shares of 125 f., which have lately been fetching only 40f. in the market, at .65f. for money, or to give shares in the newly-organised company at the rate of 85f.