EXECUTIONS.
The county has of late years been almost wholly spared the painful spectacle of justice proceeding to its direst extremity of taking away human life, though formerly capital punishments were but too common, and inflicted for what we should now esteem very inadequate causes of offence. Their policy and propriety in any case are now allowed to be fit matters for discussion; and it is probable that public opinion may, in a few years hence, demand their entire abolition.
1800—At the Lent Assizes this year, ten persons were sentenced to death, but seven of them were reprieved before the judges left the town. Richard and John Lane, brothel’s, were convicted of the murder of Thomas Goode, of Redmarley, in October, 1799. They were impatient to possess some property which would be theirs at his death, and having waylaid him, both shot him—one with a gun, the other with a pistol. They were executed on the 10th of March, and each died uttering execrations on the other.
1800—At the Summer Assizes, thirteen persons were sentenced to death, and three of them executed—one for burglary, and two for sheep stealing. They are said to have died “with the utmost resignation, and acknowledging the justice of their sentences.”
1801—At the Lent Assizes, five persons were sentenced to death for burglary, a woman for stealing two £10 notes, five men for highway robbery, three for horse stealing, one for stealing a cow, another for stealing two calves, four for sheep stealing, and two for escaping from prison after sentence of transportation—twenty-two in all! Six of these were left for execution; but great interest being made for some of them, only one was actually hung.
1803—March—Richard Colledge executed for horse stealing.
1803—June—Thomas Beach executed for uttering a forged £5 note.
1805—March 22—John Sanky, alias Young, convicted at the Assizes just concluded of uttering a forged bill of exchange, with intent to defraud Messrs. Knapp and Lee, glovers, of Worcester, was executed on a temporary gallows erected in Salt Lane. He addressed the spectators for a full half hour, acknowledging the justice of his sentence, and expressing his confident hope of pardon through the righteousness and atonement of our Saviour. He had attempted, in the interval between his sentence and condemnation, to escape from the gaol, but he now declared that he never entertained any idea of doing the gaoler or turnkey any personal injury. He then gave out three verses of a hymn, and was joined in singing them by many of the persons who surrounded the fatal tree; after this he prayed aloud in a very solemn manner for himself and the spectators. Several distressing mistakes were made by the executioner, but the unhappy sufferer retained his composure amidst all these blunders, and appeared to die with absolute cheerfulness. This young man was evidently possessed of considerable talents, but they had been miserably misapplied.
1805—August 16—W. Dalton, convicted before Lord Ellenborough at the Summer Assizes of two burglaries, one at Astley and the other at Kidderminster—executed at Red Hill. His demeanour was becoming.
1806—March 19—John Davenport and William Lashford hung at Red Hill for a burglary at Bellbroughton. They confessed their crime, and behaved in a becoming manner.