A CHAT WITH MARWOOD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1028, 22 August 1883, Page 4

A CHAT WITH MARWOOD.

Harwood recently “ officiated ” at a dQqble,e*ecution at Glasgow, and in ; an article about the dread functionary' alfocal jJape’r had th 6 following:—Epsj ■lt may therefore be stated that he is a. Stbutj 'strongly built, wiry man, about 'fjft 6ih high, 60, years of age, with small: eyes, an intelligent forehead,a.Wythe countenance, but with not a -tdbt|i;.in his head, stumps remaining •#life» f the‘teeth shbuld have been. He; was in a dark brown suit; sports'; W6l#,feU hat, and wears a ring ,on thfe ■ tS Mger of his left hand. ’ Hewasl exceedingly communicative, and doesj not hesitate ,tp. speak of his terrible call; ing. One,.cannot converse with him! five minutes without, being impressed l with the fajctAhat Jie isja,man of great nerve,.ahdiil nb more affected at the prospect of carrying- out the capital seritienfce than any other man would be*Afc‘ihat ; of ! writing a letter. 1 Hfe is not . by any meads ashamed of his profession,; |in^'wh^n!• interrogated on the subject, tH® servant of the just; as much as a judge ;ori we minister of religion. He. never thought when he was a young man andj a shoemaker that' he' would ever become as he delights to call' himself,' ‘•the executioner for Great Britain' and Ireland.” He does'not adrnitj any rival in his- profession, declaring' that he> arid he : alone is the Government executioner. He brought with him; ropes, drie of which he used in the execution of Joe Brady and Han . CurT&f. ' These, he says, ‘ are supplied; Jfiy tfife Home Office, and are used for : quiflerqus executions. They arp made) ‘of the'best Italian hemp, and the noafce, is formed of; a. brass ring through which the rope passes. He claims to be the' first to./pi3dduce-byv.means of the long! drop instantaneous death. He despises 1 *tse‘clumsy modes adopted by his preefliicefsis6r, Calcraft, and wilt have no-j "thing fo do with a stool on the platform of the gibbet, but prefers a bare platform., , I 'rbe,.pulprits are not.,furnished Df mm with a white handkerchief as the signal when they are ready, but he d«gtWgv# e oM t --tßi , Pffd|ately after, the convicts are properly placed and se--eured under the beam. He lik&s to talk of his Irish experiences, and professes to have great hostility to James Caiey, who, he thinks, if ever a man did, deserves to be hung. When asked ithe had any difficulty with Joe Brajdy, No; -I for the very - 'good reason that I brought what tamed that famous crirainal-rnamely, a good rope.” When Harwood journeyed through

in fessional career he was escorted by four detecftv&l «&&(-■ ■4s’tH revolvers, and felt quite comfortable and secure in that country with such an escort. The Government wished that he manner in England, but he rejected such protection altogether, as he declares there is no one in England or ,whp. .wishes to injure William Marwood. He consequently when travelling in both countries is alone. He has had some curious experiences, howej^r lTi jThe last, Jyne that he was in Edinburgh fo execute a Frenchman, he walked through the, streets of that j biit dftef the execution he had not gpne t one hundred yards when he was followed by a large crowd, and had to take rdfuge in a publichouse. He does not propose at this time*Jiqwever, tp see about Glasgow, out to return home in the course of the day. As : already mentioned he is exceedingly comtWunicative, and in ttyai jwayf is - totally .unlike his predecessor, Calcraft, who would never converse on the subject of executions, but was a singularly-reticent and uncommunicative man, both on that and other subjects. '1 he late Mr West Watson, City Chamberlain, who had in his official capacity to correspond with botfi ot jhese men, stated that.they showed Jtheir; difference of character in theirrCotrespondence, in a most marked street a letter; written by Calcraft on: the subject of a professional engageman would, from the ’torrespddddhce, have concluded if' had relerexitM .': r tp‘v--aa. execution; in and writing,, qse^,-,iye.rji,: direct language. . Finally, > Marfiood stated that he has improved tke>system of private executions in sufch' hiS successor will,' Arid; his, ta^K ,i mpcH ‘esisief than he did,/when his lugubrious! duties.