Murder, Magic, Madness: The Victorian Trials of Dove and the Wizard by Owen Davies

Author:Owen Davies [Davies, Owen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History
ISBN: 9780582894136
Goodreads: 562823
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2005-12-01T00:00:00+00:00

The verdict

Following Bliss’s ‘remarkable speech’ the Leeds Times reported that it confidently expected that the jury would deliver a ‘not guilty’ verdict on the grounds of insanity. At five minutes past ten the jury left the courtroom to deliberate. One or two of the members suggested they all engage in a prayer to God to direct them to a just conclusion, the rest of the jurors assented. No lengthy discussion ensued because, as one juror later explained, ‘There was but one opinion as to his guilt … a more unanimous jury it is hardly possible to conceive.’90 They returned to court after thirty-five minutes and the clerk of arraigns asked: ‘Gentlemen of the Jury, have you agreed upon your verdict?’ The Foreman Edward Hewitt replied, ‘We have.’ ‘How say you, guilty, or not guilty?’ ‘Guilty,’ he replied, ‘but we recommend him to mercy on the ground of defective intellect.’ The clerk now turned to William and said, ‘William Dove, you have been convicted of the crime of murder; have you anything to say why the sentence of death should not be passed upon you, according to law?’ William began to speak but only had time to utter ‘I have only to say …’ before the proclamation of ‘Silence’ was called in preparation for Judge Bramwell’s final act.

It was the first time that Bramwell had undertaken the solemn duty of sentencing someone to death and, as he placed the black cap on his head and began to address William, he was visibly affected with emotion and his voice reduced to a whisper at times. ‘You have been found guilty of murder’, he intoned, ‘the most dreadful of all crimes, and it is in your case one of the worst possible description.’ The jury, he said, had

shown a firm determination to do their duty, though, at the same time, they have yielded to their natural impulses in recommending to mercy one upon the state of whose mind there has been so much said. That recommendation shall be forwarded to the proper quarter, and, if acquiesced in, mercy will be extended to you; but be prepared to find it rejected.

He then concluded with the customary words when delivering the death sentence:

that, for the crime of wilful murder, you be taken hence to the prison from whence you came, and thence to the place of execution, and there hanged by the neck till your body be dead, and that your body be afterwards taken down and buried within the precincts of the prison in which you have been confined after this your conviction. And may the Lord have mercy upon your soul.

For the first time William’s face quivered with emotion. It seemed as though he was about to speak out, but after a moment’s hesitation he stepped out of the dock and was escorted from the court.

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