7.40
a.m.
Palmer was joined in the condemned cell by the High Sheriff Lt. Col.
Dyott, the Under Sheriff R.W. Hand and the Prison Governor. They told
him that the time had come to carry out the sentence and he was quietly
led to the press room. Here they were joined by George Smith the hangman
who was introduced to Palmer who showed no emotion. Smith tied Palmers
hands and Palmer asked that Smith did not draw the cord (rope) too
tight before the drop. It is said that Palmer was extremely calm at
this point. He was then taken to the Chapel where he received the
'Sacrament'.
The Chaplain made another visit. He asked Palmer if he was satisfied
with the justice of his sentence. Palmer replied emphatically "No!".
The chaplain left and Palmer told the officers that he had never changed
his version of the events and asked them to pray for his child. The
chaplain came again and tried unsuccessfully to get Palmer to confess
his guilt. he then said "Then your blood be on your own head".
7.53
a.m.
At seven minutes to eight the prison's death bell tolled which marked
the start of the procession to the gallows. Palmer had a 'jaunty
stride' and even a smile on his face. The party included the Reverend
H. Goodacre who read the extracts from the burial service, the High
sheriff and Under Sheriff Mr. T. D. Atkinson, the Chief Constable
J. H. Hatton, the Governor and Deputy Governor, the Head Turnkey
Mr. Chidley and warders George Plimmer and George Roberts as well
as members of the press. Palmer, dressed in a prison suit, was paraded
in front of the other prisoner's as a warning to them. They had
to walk across the crescent yard past the prison hospital to the
lodge and out into the road and all the time the 'horrid twang'
of the death bell sounded.
They
were greeted by cries of "Murderer" and "Poisoner"
as he came out of the prison gates, and a "powerful and indescribable
sensation agitated the vast crowd". Palmer seemed to be the
one least affected by the occasion. When he came out of the prison
he was tripping along between the guards trying to avoid the puddles
of water. Many people started to laugh at this because in only a
few minutes time he would not be in any condition to worry whether
his shoes were dirty or not.
As
he was led to the gallows there were great roars of 'Murderer' but
as he neared the scaffold there were cries of 'Hats off' and the
noise died down to be replaced by by a breathless silence apart
from some nervous laughter amongst the crowd.
The
Crowd:
In spite of heavy rain throughout the proceeding night the crowd
was estimated to be between 30,000 and 35,000, the majority of which
was made up of men. Many of them walked the ten miles from Rugeley.
Special trains came from Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent and London.
By dawn hundreds had already taken their stand in the most favourable
positions.
In
Stafford the heavy drizzle did not stop the atmosphere of anticipation
and excitement. The public houses had stayed open all night as did
many of the Non-conformist chapels.
From
mid-night onwards the Wolverhampton Road had been packed with people
and carriages
There
was much jostling to get a better view of the gallows. There were
gangs of miners from local pits hell bent on trying to force their
way to the front with no respect for anyone else. The Greyhound
Inn in County Road opposite the prison did a roaring trade.
The
Scene:
They erected the portable gallows in the street just outside the
gates of the gaol at 4.00 a.m. in the morning and people took this
as a sign that there was to be no last minute pardon. At least twenty
platforms had been built near the prison to give good views of the
execution, with people being charged up to a guinea for a good view
and the area around the prison had been packed from 5 a.m. as the
crowd jostled to get a good view. There were even some platforms
erected on roof-tops to give people, willing to pay, a good view
of the hanging.
One
hundred and sixty men from the local constabulary with a further
one hundred and fifty specially sworn constables were on duty to
control the crowd. The Staffordshire Advertiser at the time commented
upon the good behaviour of the crowd generally compared to some
of the unruly behaviour seen at hangings in London.
The
'Drop':
A pale faced Palmer climbed the ladder of the gallows with a 'firm
step'. Smith the Hangman placed him in the centre of 'the drop'.
A noose was placed around his neck and Smith drew a a long white
cap from his pocket and, amidst a murmur of horror from the crowd,
drew it over Palmer's head. The crowd was disappointed because Palmer
did not make a 'death speech'. He shook hands with the hangman and
there was silence. The hangman swiftly descended the ladder whilst
there was almost universal silence except for the chaplain reading
aloud. A noise of a bolt being slipped was heard and the crowd gasped,
the body fell and after a very brief struggle, it was all over.
Palmer had not put up a struggle and it was all over very quickly,
so quickly that many of the crowd felt that they had been cheated
and cried out 'Cheat!' or 'Twister!'. The body was left to hang
for the usual time, namely one hour, before being cut down and taken
back inside the gaol for burial.
Palmer's
was not the last public hanging in England. That awful distinction
goes to Michael Barrett hanged outside Newgate Prison, London on
26th May 1868 for his part in the Fenian bomb outrage on December
13, 1867, which killed twelve people outside Clerkenwell Prison.
George Smith was the hangman for the last public hanging outside
Stafford Gaol which was a rather bungled affair on July 5th 1866
when an eighteen year old William Collier was hanged for murder.
The first attempt to hang Collier went wrong when the rope failed
to remain tied to the beam and the poor man had to go through the
ordeal a second time. Executions from then on were carried out within
the prison up until 1914.
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Introduction
