THE PENGE MURDER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLVIII, Issue 5228, 21 November 1877, Page 3

THE PENGE MURDER.

The following account of the sentencing of the Penge murderer* to death iegivcn by tha Pali Mall Oasetie.-. — , The trial of Lewis and Patrick Stans ton, Mr*. Patrick Htasutop, and Alice Rhodes for the alleged murder of Mr* Lewi# B'aunton 'at Pengo, *a» oontii.i\«l at the « Criminal Court on yridaj, Sept «*• ”r Justice Hawfeine began, hie eummm* up at 20 minutes to 11 «>look on Wcdue.d.y morning. E6s commenci-d by pomung out to the jurr tfee.iiiiiiiition between murder .and maneJaugbter, and then proceeded to comment minutely upon the whole of the omdenoa. It ««< a quarter to ten at night before ha finished hie adorer*, and the Jury then reti-et to consider their verdict Oo their r. turn, after an absence of an boar and a quart, r, they found all too prisoners, Lewis Staunton, Patrick BUisibsth Ann Staunton, and Alice 'Rhvde*, guilty ol wilful murder Sirs Staunton w»# recommended to merer, and Alice Rhode* etrongly repemmendfd to mercy. Although it wae • cola and foggy night the street* aiijnwnt be the o urs were crowded, and when the verdict was made known there »»» a burst.of cheering from the crowd. The judge, in pairing nentenoa of death io the usual form, laid, " Pou have been found guilty by a jury ol journo sontr/ of o crime oldftk ood hideout that I believe in all Ike record* of crime it would 6 find ijoparallel. With.

H barbarity almost* incredible you plotted together to; taka by cruel torture the life of & poor, innocent, end , outraged women t »n«e although you do not etand to-day convicted oC, the crime of having murdered her helplen child, I cannot help feeling satisfied within my own mind that yon are guilty of the crime of contemplating, and plotting, and haring brought about hie death. It it a eaS thing to ceefonr young people, aa. you are, standing there bonyiotsd of so cruel a murder' ae that of this unhappy lady. Terrible to my mind it is to think how yon could hare entered into to barbarous a plot. It i* even more incredible to think how cruet was jour conduct in relation to her, death, day by day, and hour by hoar, gradually sinking into her grave, that poor unhappy creature whom yea sent to her rest." Sentence haring been pasted, the Olerk of Arraigns formally asked the prisoners whether they had anything to say why there should be a stay of execution of the judgment. All the prisoners replied in the negative, and Alice Bhodes said, ,*■ No, I am perfectly innocent.” Toe prisoners were then removed from the dock. They were all terribly agitated while the verdict was being taken and the sentence pronounced.