EXECUTION OF CLEMENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 26

EXECUTION OF CLEMENTS.

Charles Clements, who was sentenced to death at the Iftte criminal sittings of tbe Supreme Court for the murder of hia wife, kuth Ann Clements, in November of last year. ,was hanged at the Dunedin Gaol on Tuesday morning. The condemned man retired on tbe previous night ab about half-past 8, and seemed somewhat restless for about an hour, after which he fell asleep, and slept soundly until awakened about 5 o'clock in the morning. He subsequently ale a hearty breakfast, but took nothing beyond the ordinary prison faro. At 7 o'clock he was visited by the Yen. ArchBeacon Robinson, who has been tendering him spiritual ministrations eiuca his incarceration. A.n hour later Clements, with arras piuioaed in the ordinary manner, was brought from his cell bo the 6 mall prison yard adjoining the women's ■quarters ia the old gaol. Here, on the selfsame spot that two previous murderer* had suffered the last dread penalty of their crime, h large scaffold, which had served for cxcDution purposes on other occasions, had .been .erected. Clements bad so altered in appearance since his trial in the Police Courl that he was'hurdly recognisable by those who had not teen him during the interval. Formerly he was rather thin, ia the face and wore very little ■whisker. On Tuesday he appeared ou the jsc&ffold with a fairly-lengthy beard and had grown much stouter in the face thin he w&« nt the trial. His demeanour was that of s man who eeemed not - thoroughly to realise the gravity of his position. On the con'rary, up to the very last momenb he manifested a remark-" able amount of indifference as to what w&a taking- place, betraying no emotion of any kind whatever. Archdeacon Jlobinicn, ttanding near 1 -the condemned man on the scaffold, read a . short prayer, but w&s interrupted two or three timtts by Clements, who said on one occasion, *• God bless Maggie and WiUie," these worda being followed by »n imprecation. Later on he observed, "A policeman said I told him I killed my wife. I deny using those words." Everything being in readiness the Sheriff asked Clements if he would like to say anything further. He thereupon said, in a voice inaudible to most of the bystanders, " God bless Maggie and Willie ; God bless Willisms and his family." He then addressed the hangman in these words :—" Don't let me drop all at once." No sooner had the words been uttered than the wretched man disappeared from the eight of those around the scaffold, death being instantaneoiis.. Dr Burn*, the gaol surgeon, examined the body three minutes after the drop, ai»d f ouud life to be quite extinct..

The execution was witnessed by Mr Phillips (the'gaoler), Mr Christopher (visiting justice), Sir O. M'K. Gordon (sheriff), Sergeant O'Neill, Dr Barn?, Archdeacon Robinson, two acting warders, and the press representatives. '

.After the execution An inquest was held before Mr Coroner Carew on the body of the deadjuan, when tho usual formal verdict was returned. In the afternoon the deceased was buried in the Southern Cemetery. '

The Maggie and Willie referred to by Clements before his death are his two children, and Williams is the name of his brother-in-law, who has had charge of the children.^ > ■* On Tuesday morning Clements made a slafceknent'to Archdeacon Robinson, but this has'to .be forwarded to' the Government before it ca» 'fee available to the prets^ >

More candid than politic may perhaps be said of the small grazing ranhqlder who in a letter read at the meeting of the Land ' Board yesterday informed this body that its decision not to accept a surrender of his .laass was " most absurd." His rent, the writer said, was abouh 65 per cent, too high and he had simply been holding on in the expectation that a Fair Rent Bill or Revaluation Bill would be placed on the Statute Book, .and be submitted that the fact that the run had been offered several time?, without inducing a, bid from* anyone but a member .of his ' family, was, in view of the" hanger for land in Central Ofcago, a proof that the rent was too high. Id this assertion the received "support; from members of the board itself, for, when it had be«n elicited that the rectal of the run was 6d per acre, Mr Kirkjpatrick said it was not worth 2d. There is apparently also a worse case in the same district — between Ida Valley and Blacks — for one of, the rapgers present at' the meeiiDg stated that the holder of another small grazing run wag- also paying- 6d per acre and had not such * good run. The board, nevertheless, decided to refer its complaining tenant to a former letter in which he was recommended to apply , in October or November nexb for leave to lurrender the run. J?or some time, past a good deal of pilfering ct goods his .been going on on the Otago Central railway, and on Saturday last Detective fii'Grath arrested two men "named. William Simpson and .William Lowen at Koponga in connection with the theft of come flour in transit ' on tKs railway. The men were remanded to »ppear ( at Hyde yesterday, when they\were each sentenced to 14- dayt>' imprisonment — Simpson for the theft of the* flour, and Lowen, , who was a guard on ~ the railway, for receiving

The members of. the Land Board in calling npon five of their tenants yesterday to 6how cause why their leases should not be forfeited for non-com plia,nce with the conditions upon which their land was held perpetrated what they -themselves mast have regarded as farcical. Mr Clark, in fact, declared that the whole thing was a farce. The leiceos were a family party of five, who had taken up land near the Bio* Flat station in what had been set aside as a village settlement. The land was at one time ft reserve for a bullock camp for the Teviot, and It was described at the meeting of tho Land Board as sour, swampy land which was not .fit fco live on. The five lesseos themselves evidently held the opinion that the land, was not fib to live on, for it wu reported to the board that they had caref ally abstained from fulfilling the condition of residence which the leasea contained. The Chief Commissioner questioned whether, . if the land was not fib to live on, the board , ought to make the lessees live on it. The ranger suggested that the- sections should be grouped and allowed to go as one farm, to ( which the objection w*s pointed out by one 'shrewd member of the board that the land would then produce less revenue than tinder present circumstances. Eventually it> wss agreed to require the lessees to show cause irby their leases should nob be forfeited. There are 50 manufactories in Germany engaged in making imitation butter. Gold came in freely on the West Coast from the Easter washings.