SPEECH ON THE GALLOWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21772, 11 October 1932, Page 10

SPEECH ON THE GALLOWS

DOOMED MAN TALKS A DRAMATIC SCENE. (From Our Own Cobbcsi’ondent. ) SYDNEY, September 29., Am auing coolness on the gallows was displayed by David Beniwjtt just before he was lizecuted at the Metropolitan Gapl. Melbourne, on Monday morning. Nor nine minutes he delivered a speed* in which lie discussed various aspects of his cane. AH the time there was not a trace of tremor in his voice. The. fact that tb 3 hangman wad assistant Rtobd at his elbow did not seem to concern Kim in the least, and be was true to' his promise, made to Canon Davies the day, [before, that he would, “die game.” A strange circumstance was that a ■ week ago Bennett made an almost Identical , statement of his case to the gaol officials, and on Sunday ho appealed to the officials to destroy that statement, >a - fuu note of which had been taken, ,The offiicUls assumed that the last, had been heard ef it, and they were surprised when Beunet:, without warning, began to traverse a\ the points again iis he atood in the shadow of death. He left no written confefsion. , * j -Vi Bennett bad been condemned to death for a criminal assault on a l;our-y«ar-oH girl in' a‘house at North Carlton. For more than a week he had Bpoke«rto no one hm: Canon Davies and his tewnvea ijWho was ha iged. When he stoodon the scaffold on Monday morning the sheriff.addressed him in the usual terns:— David Bennett, have you anything to say.,. Bennett at once stood erect and replied; “Yes, I have never done anything in mr life to deserve this. I have done wrongs. I will admit. Anyone I have Injured I ask to forgive me, as I forgive those who. have injured roe.” Bennett paused, and the hangman stepped closer to him, but he hM by, no means finished what be wanted to sayThe noose was already around bis neck, but in a voice that was firm and calm he begun to analyse«|d dtow*. which the Crown had brought . him. He still contended, he said, that : Mb ease was never properly or adequately put before the various tribunals, injth® trial court false evidence was: sworn against Mm. Ho made-an ‘f get counsel to obtain certain information, but he failed. After the jury trial he tried again to get certain informationbut he failed. .. .• ■ “I i till say that false .evidence was given to the jury.” Bennett without the trace of a tremble. Tbe alternate I had was to out an application for an later I had to give n st f * to the Crown covering my caß l groundi i for appeal. This I to the proper channel. Later I for legt.l aid, but it did not give me satisfaction in the Appeal Gout . court the Crown had a typed statement covering the points in my case and ho , Bench also had a copy. The P^sidm* [ chairman of the Appeal Court Leo Cuason) asked whether counßel r ™"j like to read the statement. _ Counsel decided to outline the statement instead ° f Bennett went on to discuss, certain bloodstains which the Crown had been found on his clotbmf after ha was arrested. He contended that facts concerning those .bloototainii had not been presented to the Court of peal either correctlyoradequatMy. He disputed the .Crown’. r right, to iW that his shirt was saturated with blood, xne Crown had argued that there were 18 blood litains -on his trousers, and. it eought to prove to the_ court that this supported the broad stetementthat they were saturated. He had one blood stain on his shirt and others on his other clothing, but .these were duo .to an assault the constablejvho arrested him. Nmtber the Appea! Court nor the Executive Council,to his mind, had considered the .case properly —not As ho would have liked and/ as he deserved. He wanted hia statement to appear in the press because some o:i the papers had made dns record blacker than it was. by stating falsehoods. He was never condemned to death when he was arrested im Western Australia for a criminal assault, which was unfounded. When ho was found guilty the judge said that if he had many friends he would not be long m Bennett spoke for nine minutes, and after he had finished he permitted the hangman to adjust, the white cap oyer his head. The hangman stood back, and the execution proceeded.