Mr. Sergeant Byles replied, showing that the prisoner had only strengthened the case against him.
The learned judge summed up in a lucid manner, the jury soon returned a verdict of guilty of wilful murder, the prisoner was sentenced to be hung, and the dread sentence was executed on the bridge in front of Norwich Castle on the morning of Saturday, April 21st, in the presence of many thousands of spectators. The unhappy man remained impenitent to the last.
CHAPTER XXI.
Leading Events (continued).
About this time the two parties in the council became nearly equal in numbers, and the Liberals found a difficulty in selecting a mayor and sheriff every year from their own party. They accordingly proposed that each party should nominate a mayor and sheriff alternately. In 1848 S. Bignold, Esq., was nominated a second time, and elected unanimously to serve the office of mayor. From that time to the present the chief magistrate and the sheriff have been selected from each party alternately. This has also led to the members of the various committees being selected so as to represent all parties fairly, and the former exclusive system has been discontinued.
1850. In 1850, in consequence of a memorial to the General Board of Health, established under the (1848) Public Health Act, Mr. Lee, a civil engineer and government inspector, came to Norwich and commenced an inquiry respecting the sanitary state of the city. The inquiry lasted a fortnight, and Mr. Lee heard evidence given by all the officials and other parties. He afterwards prepared a very elaborate report, showing that the supply of water was insufficient, that the drainage was defective, and that many causes of preventible disease existed. He advised the application of the Public Health Act, which was ultimately done. A company had been previously formed with a large capital, and had constructed works for the supply of water from the river Wensum to all parts of the city. The abundant supply of pure water proved very beneficial to the health of the inhabitants, and entirely relieved the Local Board of Health from all trouble on that point, and they had only to contract for the supply of water to water the roads and streets during the summer months.
In January of this year Jenny Lind gave two concerts in St. Andrew’s Hall, which was quite filled, at high prices, by fashionable audiences, more than 2000 being present at each concert. The proceeds, amounting to £1253, were generously given by the celebrated songstress for the foundation of the Jenny Lind Infirmary for Children in Pottergate Street. It was established in 1853, and visited by the Queen of Song in 1856, when she was so much pleased with the management that she added £50 to her former gifts.
1851. The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was opened in May, attracted thousands of the citizens to London, where many of them spent weeks in viewing the wonders at the Crystal Palace. Norwich manufacturers sent many specimens of their shawls and textile fabrics. Amongst the exhibitors were Messrs C. and F. Bolingbroke and Jones; Messrs. Middleton and Answorth; Messrs. Towler, Rowling, and Allen; Messrs. Willett and Nephew; Messrs. Clabburn, Sons, and Crisp; and Messrs. Grout and Co.; all of whose productions were much admired and commended. A very large number of our operatives were conveyed by special train free to London to see the Exhibition, where they had an opportunity of inspecting the best productions of art of the whole world. This wonderful exhibition was supposed to be the harbinger of universal peace, but it was soon followed by the Russian war, which greatly depressed the trade of the city and of the whole country. It cost about a hundred millions of money, destroyed thousands of brave soldiers, and spread a general gloom over the minds of men. It ended in the fall of Sebastopol, and the triumph of the allied armies. Russian aggression was stopped for a time; but was the rotten Turkish empire worth the waste of men and money?
The census, which was taken in this year, showed that the population of Norwich had increased to 68,713 persons who were in a comparatively prosperous condition, for trade was good and provisions were cheap.
1853. On November 1st, S. Bignold, Esq., was elected mayor of Norwich for the third time, and he filled the office with great approbation throughout the year. He lent the money required in the first instance for the new building erected for the Free Library and the School of Art, and which afforded additional accommodation for the Museum and Literary Institution.
1854. At a meeting of the corporation held on May 4th, the mayor, S. Bignold, Esq., in the chair, he announced that Her Majesty had been graciously pleased on the previous day to confer the honour of knighthood upon him, on the occasion of his presenting the addresses, voted by the council on the 20th of April last, pledging their loyalty to the Queen when Her Majesty declared war against Russia. It was thereupon resolved unanimously, on the motion of A. A. H. Beckwith, Esq.