DEATH SENTENCES

Taranaki Daily News, 23 June 1920, Page 5

DEATH SENTENCES

THE EXECUTION OF GOT THE LAST SCENES, "i By Telegraph.—Press Aiioc^tim Auckland, Last $ Dennis Gunn, convicted on a ; | of murdering Mr. A. Braithwait I postmaster at Ponsonby, was «j | this inoroing at eight o'clock \ritJ i Mt. Eden gaol. The. hanging was witnessed by' a dozen persona, all official*, 1 | representatives of the ciseJy at tho hour Gunn was led \ his cell, and took his place in th| ' procession which had to traverse (W paces to the yard on the easteS '. of the main gaol building, whew scaffold had been erected. In fif] the condemned man walked FataeS ring, reading the "burial serviceTg wore his prison clothes, withori coat and was bareheaded, and ub arms pinioned at his side wjthffl straps. _ ( The scaffold was the same ttij used at various gaols of the Dom and was erected alongside the | wall, and was covered over with m porary canvas roof while the hud tho same man who acted at theJ tion of Eggers and Rothman, mij ing final arrangements while tue 1 aervioe was continued. At the end made responses to several in m calmly, with his eyes closed. Hi pale and never opened his eye*; show'ed no feeding Whatever, before the end, his body swayed elij as though he were in a faint. After tho last of the responses i burial service, Gunn held out the fix which hk had been carrying handing it to the priest, said, in I voice; "Give' this to my mother «ay good-bye, please 1" Then the i stepped forward, and asked the pr it he had anything to say. Gun plied clearly and evenly, "I am pr< to meet my God, and my Creator, 'The hangman then quickly dnl white cap over the man's head, fix] rope, and drew the bolt. Deati instantaneous. i jl Among those who witnessed thra cution this morning was Detectivil Cumraings, police officer, who w gaged on the trial, and a few u9 before Gunn was led out from SB a message was brought to the jJM by Father Herring to the eftuffl Gunn wished to say that he ill-will against those who had nj9J gaged in the prosecution. QuOtS specially that the message be ckH personally to Detective Cummtanftj In former executions it was c<UM to toll the gaol bell as the atari HH oell, and until he was hanged.' IB also usual to fly the black fltgH some part of the gaol. A sumM people in the vicinity of the g*§B morning waited along time for W to go up, but both this cu»tofl| that of tolling the bell have bdfl continued. .3 The inquest required by the (■ Act was held at the gaol this aftS before Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M.,andflj of four. Evidence was given bw Vincent (the gaoler), the sheriff (jj§ Stubbs), and gaol surgeon (Dr. Kan Tho jury found that death was dtt hanging, and that the sentence of, Supreme Court had been carried <ri Wellington, Just] Tha Minister of Justice (the Hog P. Lee) has informed the Press tfl the statement made by Dennis Gui| signed by him in the presence/ Magistrate, Gunn admitted that hi mitted the burglary at the Pol | Post Office. ~ "His story," said the Minister,""} he and two other men took dfl parts in the crime, that one of, i followed the postmaster and subm ly returned to the other two wil keys of the Post Office, that thai (Dennis Gunn being one of i robbed the Post Office, and that leaving the Post Office Dennis Gum the man who had been at the pes; ter's house that it was decided to the revolvers. j "This man showed three rew>lvertf Dennis Gunn hid them in' tie «| berries. * '. '-M "The police made full investigifi before the trial as to the movement the two men referred to by Gunnd satisfied themselves by the statexH of a number of creditable neither of these men was in the loo*; where the crime was committed on* evening, of March 13, and further i their movements on that evening". fully accounted for" 1