Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolitionGriffiths, Arthur
History
Chronicles of Newgate, Vol. 2: From the eighteenth century to its demolition
Griffiths, Arthur
Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England); Prisons -- England; Punishment -- Great Britain
Duly impressed with the weight of evidence in favour of abolition,
the commission recommended that death sentences should be carried
out within the gaol, "under such regulations as might be considered
necessary to prevent abuses and satisfy the public that the law had
been complied with." But it is curious to note that there were several
dissentients among the commissioners to this paragraph of the report.
The judge of the Admiralty Court, the Right Hon. Stephen Lushington,
the Right Hon. James Moncrieff, Lord Advocate, Mr. Charles Neate,
Mr. William Ewart, and last, but not least, Mr. John Bright declared
that they were not prepared to agree to the resolution respecting
private executions. Nevertheless, in the very next session a bill was
introduced by Mr. Hibbert, M. P., and accepted by the Government,
providing for the future carrying out of executions within prisons. It
was read for the first time in March, 1866, but did not become law till
1868.
The last public execution in front of Newgate was that of the Fenian
Michael Barrett, who was convicted of complicity in the Clerkenwell
explosion, intended to effect the release of Burke and Casey from
Clerkenwell prison, by which many persons lost their lives. Unusual
precautions were taken upon this occasion, as some fresh outrage
was apprehended. There was no interference with the crowd, which
collected as usual, although not to the customary extent. But Newgate
and its neighbourhood were carefully held by the police, both city and
metropolitan. In the houses opposite the prison numbers of detectives
mixed with the spectators; inside the gaol was Colonel Frazer, the
chief commissioner of the city police, and at no great distance,
although in the background, troops were held in readiness to act if
required. Everything passed off quietly, however, and Calcraft, who
had been threatened with summary retribution if he executed Barrett,
carried out the sentence without mishap. The sufferer was stolid and
reticent to the last.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account