THE HANGING OF THE JOYCE MURDERERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1068, 8 February 1883, Page 3

THE HANGING OF THE JOYCE MURDERERS.

The convicts rose at six o’clock, none of them having slept continuously during the night. At seven they were visited by Father Grevan, who remained with them till the end. None of the men would eat breakfast. About eight o’clock Maiwood entered the cells for the purpose of pinioning the arms of the convicts. To this operation Patrick Joyce and Patrick Casey submitted quietly, but Miles Joyce protested with groat vehemence his innocence of the crime for which he was to suffer, aud resisted Marwood slightly. At eight o’clock Miles Joyce emerged from the prison supported by warders and uttering a number of exe’amations in protest of his innocence. He was followed by Patrick Casey, and he again by Patrick Joyce, both of whom were also supported. As each of the convicts emerged from the prison he seemed, from his hurried glance around, to expect to recognise someone among those present. As the procession proceeded the service of the Roman Catholic Ciiurch for the dying was read by Father Grevan, but only one of the prisoners, Patrick Joyce, made a response. With the exception of Casey, the condemned men ascended the iteps of the scaffold without assistance, and when they had been placed under the ropes, which were dangling from the cross beam, Miles Joyce, turning to the spectators, made a number of exclamations in Irish, to the effect that he was innocent. When Marwood sp preached to adjust the rope on his neck he resisted slightly. Father Grevan then approached aud spoke to him, but he nevertheless continued to speak loudly while the noose was being adjusted on bis neck and the necks ot the other two men, who submitted quietly. After the white cap had been drawn over his face he moved his head, so that Marwood had again to arrange the noose. Even then he did not stop speaking, exclaiming— ‘ lam going before my God, and lam as innocent as a child unborn, I neither raised hand or foot against the people. I had neither hand, act, nor part in the murder.’ When the bolt was drawn and the men disappeared from view there was scarcely a quiver of the ropes by which P. Joyce and P. Casey were suspended, but there was apparently severe struggling on the part of Miles Joyce, for the rope oscillated violently, and Marwood could be seen for several minutes afterwards pushing down the body with his foot and stooping down and endeavoring to do something (b could not be seen what) with the noore, Marwood afterwards explained that Miles Joyce had by some means or other got his arm or his head entangled by the rope, and he had been trying to push it- down. Death, he was positive, was instantaneous, and nothing could have been wrong with the rope, as be had used it for execution before. Besides, he gave all the men a drop of equallength, viz., nine feet. The scaffold, it may be mentioned, was erected by workmen from Dublin, a local tradesman having refused to Jo the work. The prison was surrounded by sentries all night, and a body of police was on duty outside to quell any disturbance whicli might arise, but scarcely a dozen persons assembled at the gale even after the black flag had been run up to show that the sentence of the law had been carried out. 0 _________