DID HE CONFESS ?

Grey River Argus, 24 April 1925, Page 5

DID HE CONFESS ?

THORNE HANGED GDI'S' OCT GAMELY. (Aus. .nd N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, April 22. Norman ITorne (convicted of th. muio'.-r (T 1 betrothed. Elsi e Gamer oil. London typistc). was executed :it W.-iml>woHh G: o'. i A. -mile on his feature- wlii 1 .-' the warders were pinioning his arms. I! walked to lie scalt-dd quietly and t rmlv. RAPID EXECUTION. ovi:i: ix ti:?; skcoxi>s. i I■! < "i ycd A 1 1riI I'3 at ■». • > p.m.) I.< )N DON . A pril 22 . 11, s morning o; Wandsworth •*) -on. 11. faltered mo-. • .tardy whoa iicaught sight of Ihe cxe.-iiti- n shed. Tli ‘a lu walked r d 1,, the scat The cxccul it n - ; -he most rapid ! (hl,, in the nil'll:.H-V I,l' the nliii-ials, i: being completed i iiten seconds. — DID HE CONFESS? G AOL gov lll,‘Noh’ s SILENCF. ( Rc< ci ved \pi i I 23 a t ”>. •’• p.m.' Ihecr \\ a - an unusual incident al (li ■ forma! iiiqm-l after Thorne's e.xecu.. lion. A juror asked whether Thorne had made any confession on the scait’.dd. The Govornor of the prison re I pl’ed: ‘‘l l>a\c no aulhoritv to answer th-' <] nest ion. 'The Coroner: ‘‘ That means you are I forbidden to answer.’ There is no (p:estioii - f authority to answer question'-; put bv a < ’oroncr s jury. The Govu'rnor: “1 received instructions aut in.rising me to say that I was not in a position 1 i answer.’’ The Coroner: ‘‘So the public, represented by the jury, are md know whether Thorne made a ('oiifessinn ?' ’ The Governor: “1 am only able to | repeat that I am not authorised to reply. " I Th<’ jury returni'.l Ih,. usual vrr.lirl . REASON FOR SECRECY. HOME OFFICE EXPLAINS. (Received April ."3 at S.IS pm.; LONDON April 23 Appropos of the question at the inquest on Thorne, Sir Wm. Joynson Hicks (Homo Minister), in on Intervicw with the “Daily Express,” explained why the Home Office does not publish confessions by those convicted i murder. He said: “Son.e ir.al:c n full written confession, which' Comes 1 o the Home Secretary. Others tn »ke statements to the Prison Governor, stipulating that the confidence must in- observed. Others confess to a clergyman. which is a sacred matter, about which nothing can be said. Regarding vlie eases of the first-mentioned persons. the statement might contain only half of the facts. Often condemned persons make statements in order to relieve their feelings, but they wish to keep the truth from their relatives. There was one case recently where a married man made a statement on the explicit understanding that his wife should never know. The Home Offiei? I ' icw is that, a man having been eonvicted, ihis is the right course.”