Promptly at eight o’clock on Wednesday morning in the execution chamber of HM Prison Gloucester, Herbert Burrows (23) a Probationary Police Constable at Worcester was executed for the murder of Ernest George Elton Laight (31) licensee of the Garibaldi Inn, Worcester, his wife Doris (30) and their infant child aged only two years.

Sentence was passed on Burrows at the Worcester Assizes by Mr Justice Sankey who described the murder as foul and brutal. The object of the murder was money, the sum being stolen between sixty and seventy pounds which was traced to Burrows, who was on the day of the murder on police duty in the vicinity. No more callous brute ever went to the gallows.

Burrows made no appeal against his conviction or sentence and is said to have been one of the most nonchalant and cheerful condemned men ever to have passed through Gloucester Prison on his way to the gallows. He did not have any visitors, thoroughly enjoyed his meals and spent most of his time in the condemned cell playing cards. Pierrepoint was engaged as the executioner, and he arrived at Gloucester with his assistant on Tuesday afternoon.

At eight o’clock Tuesday evening, 12 hours before the time of the execution, an official notice, as required by the regulations, was posted on one of the large entrance doors to the prison.

Very little public interest appeared to be manifested in the execution and the number outside the prison early on Wednesday morning never exceeded 150, many of whom were children. It is understood that Burrows maintained his callous attitude until the last. A few seconds before 8 o’clock the executioner entered his cell. He was quickly pinioned and in a few more seconds he had paid the penalty for his crime, the utmost celerity having been shown.

To the waiting crowd outside, the first intimation that the sentence was carried out was at 8.12 am when a Warder posted two further notices on the double doors declaring the execution had been completed. It is understood that Burrows left no written confession and throughout his confinement he made no reference to his ghastly work.

As required by the Capital Punishment Act 1868 the inquest on the body of Burrows was carried out at 11.00 am before the Divisional Coroner and a Jury of nine. After the Coroner and Jury had viewed the body the Coroner said that when sentence of death was carried out in any prison the Law required an inquest should be held.

The prison at Gloucester was within the County of Gloucester and not within the City of Gloucester and it therefore fell to his lot as Coroner for that jurisdiction to hold the inquest.

The first witness was Mr Harry Whyte, the Governor of the prison, who stated that the body which had been viewed was that of Herbert Burrows aged 23 years, a Probationary Police Constable in the City of Worcester force. Mr Whyte also stated that he was present at Worcester Assizes on January 27th when Burrows was indicted, tried and convicted of the murder of Ernest George Elton Leigh. Judgement of death was passed upon him and he (witness) produced the order of the Court that he was to be hanged by the neck until he was dead, and buried within the precincts of the prison.

LETTER DENYING RUMOUR

Burrows, in a letter from Gloucester Prison on Monday to Mrs Harrison, Mother of Mrs Laight, wrote:— For yours and Joan’s sake I wish to deny the rumour that has been circulated through Worcester, and elsewhere, to the effect that there was any intimacy between Mrs Laight and me. She was a good and respectable woman and was respected by myself as well as others who knew her. There is absolutely no truth whatever in the rumour and in my opinion it was circulated by people who had nothing better to do. If you wish to publish this denial, please do so. If you can, forgive me, for l am sorry.

Excerpts from The Gloucester Chronicle 1926

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