The Sun. — 1844-08-09 (London, England)

EXECUTION OF A MURDERER. DREADFUL OCCURRENCE. NOTTINGHAM, WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST 7.-The awful sentence of the law upon William Saville, aged 29, for the- murder of his wife and three children at Colwick, received this morning its fearful consummation at the drop erected in front of the County-hall. The crowd on the occasion was unprecedentedly large, and, in consequence, a most shocking accident occurred. The place Where the execution took place is in a street called High Pavement, between 20 and 30 feet wide, and at the distance of about 100 yards is an avenue, called Garner's-hill, a very steep descent, with five or six steps at the top. As soon as the drop fell, the crowd rushed violently along High Pavement, and hurled a number of persons down the steps. Eight were taken up dead from suffocation, four have died since, and a large number of others are seriously injured. The offence fur which the prisoner has suffered the dreadful penalty was one of unexampled horror and atrocity. The full particulars having already appeared in The Sun, it will not be necessary again to detail the circumstances of the case ; but it will suffice merely to state, that the prisoner having attempted to form an adulterous connexion with another young woman, was dismissed by her as soon as she knew that he had already a wife and family ; and that, in order to rid himself of the obstacle to the successful prosecution of his suit, he decoyed his unfortunate victims into a wood at Colwick, and cut their throats, placing the bloody razor in his wife's hand, to induce the belief that she had slain her offspring and then committed suicide. This device, however, proved unsuccessful ; and, suspicion having alighted upon Saville, he was apprehended, tried, convicted, and condemned to be hanged for the crime. The prisoner's conduct during the whole affair has been characterised by a total want of feeling, and by an appearance of indifference which he maintained with a wonderful uniformity. It is said, that after leaving the dock he observed a number of persons on the way to his cell, to whom he telegraphed his fate by pointing to his neck, and by giving an expressive shrug. Since then he has attempted to feign madness, but, as little attention was paid to him, he soon left it off, and evinced a better frame of mind in a serious application to the religious instructions of the chaplain, the Rev. 'S. Butler, who has been unremitting in his attention to the prisoner. On Sunday he expressed a wish to speak with a magistrate, and was accordingly visited by Mr. T. Nixon, of Nuthall, to whom he stated that he first intended to tie his wife and children together and drown them in the Trent at Colwick Weir, but that he relinquished his purpose, because he feared he should be seen byTersons fishing in the neighbourhood ; that when he entered Colwick Wood, he had no settled plan, and that while there he quarrelled with his wife by telling her that he believed she was pregnant in consequence of intercourse with another man ; that he left her in'a great passion, but that before he had gone many yards he heard her call two of the children, one after the other, to her, and the third say, " Don't do me so, mother." Ile immediately suspected something was amiss, and ran up to the spot. where he found the babes with their throats cut. lie then cried out, "I)—n you, you b—, I'll serve you the same," and murdered her. Ile also said that he t sok the razor with which he committed the bloody deed and cleaned it, and that the instrument found in his wife's hand was an old one, which she kept to cut her corns with. The night before his execution he appeared to be in good spirits, and his hardihood seemed to be little reduced. Next morning he was called up, by his own desire, at five o'clock, and listened with great earnestness to the advice of the chaplain until seven o'clock, when he was brought into the grand jury room to be pinioned. The usual prayers having been offered up by the chaplain, he was pinioned by the hangman and his assistants. The Rev. Mr. Butler then (said to the persons present, " The prisoner acknowledges the justice of his sentence, and deeires your prayers." Other devotions were then gone through, and at a few minutes-before eight o'clock (the hour appointed for the execution) he inquired with great earnestness, " Is it time ?" Shortly after the governor of the gaol asked him if he was ready. The prisoner answered, " Yes," and rose with great alacrity to take his place in the mournful procession to the gallows. On reaching the drop he was greeted with the groans and execrations of the large mob assembled in front of the county gaol. The prisoner, however, stood quite firm, the ropo was adjusted with unusual quickness, the bolt was withdrawn, the murderer gave a few convulsive throes, and in a short time, life was extinct. After hanging the usual time, the body was cut down. It presented no particular appearance, except that an expression of great serenity, almost amounting to a smile, reigned upon his features. (From a Correspondent).