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therefore remained in the custody of the prison where they had been executed. Because the prison cemetery was located inside the prison walls, there was no access for the general public. Smith's body remained in the prison cemetery until many years later, when (in 1991 and again in 1993) the remains of all the executed prisoners were
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and assistant John
Underhill. A few hours later, on the same day that he was executed, Smith's body was buried in an unmarked grave in Manchester prison cemetery. This practice was standard procedure because bodies of executed prisoners were regarded as property of the British government, and
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on a door frame which had been painted two days earlier by Cross's husband, a factory worker, and was still slightly tacky. Smith's fingerprints were already on file because of a previous conviction. As a result, Smith was quickly arrested at his home on Corfe Street,
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and a jury. The hearing lasted three days and it took the jury just 20 minutes to find Smith guilty of murder. This verdict automatically resulted in him being sentenced to death because under the terms of the
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Smith, born in
Edinburgh in 1936, had entered the shop on Friday 4 May 1962 and battered 58-year-old Cross to death in order to rob her of around £6 from the till. A total of 5 glass screw-top
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for the murder of Sarah
Isabella Cross in her sweetshop at the corner of Hulme Hall Lane and Iron Street,
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and cremated and the ashes interred in plots C2710 and C2711 at
Blackley Cemetery, Manchester.
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152:"SMITH, James: murder of Sarah Isabella CROSS on 4 May 1962 in Manchester, Lancashire by..."
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This article is about the murderer born in 1936. For the murderer born in 1948, see
43:(1936 – 28 November 1962) was the sixth-to-last criminal to be executed in a
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The 26-year-old father of two, who worked as a £15-per-week rubber moulder at
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Greater
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of Smith, taken in 1962 after his arrest for murder
301:People convicted of murder by England and Wales
20:. For the American murderer born in 1952, see
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276:20th-century executions by England and Wales
222:"Manchester-family-history-research.co.uk"
101:, went on trial on 15 October 1962 before
281:20th-century executions of British people
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206:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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77:Forensic experts discovered Smith's
291:British people convicted of robbery
296:1962 murders in the United Kingdom
286:British people executed for murder
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70:bottles (made by Wild Bros of
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22:James Edward Smith (murderer)
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18:Murder of Kelly Anne Bates
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113:Smith was subsequently
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155:The National Archives
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271:1962 deaths
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127:Harry Allen
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41:James Smith
260:Categories
138:References
123:Manchester
99:Failsworth
57:Manchester
232:20 August
192:8 January
68:cherryade
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202:cite web
132:exhumed
88:Preston
84:Beswick
72:Heywood
45:British
34:Mugshot
115:hanged
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