FAMOUS ACTOR’S STORIES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXI, Issue 9853, 4 November 1924, Page 3

FAMOUS ACTOR’S STORIES

GREAT CRIMINALS LAST MOMENTS. | Many are Air. Seymour Hick’s numerous admirers, who know him oniy j as a famous comedian, will learn with j surprise that he is a keen student ox ■ criminoligy. He lias studied this subject to good purpose, and in'his new hook, “Chestnuts Re-Roasted” is a mine of anecdotes dealing with the careers of notorious murderers. Hero is one of Burch ill, who killed a fellow undergraduate whom he-took out to Canada- with him. j -lie made a grim reply to the hangman! on the morning of his execution, j It was a hitter winter morning, avid as he had to walk some distance in the open to the scaffold lie was asked by the man who was shortly to place tlio knot under liis ear if he would [ like a. coat to keep him warm. “No,” .said Burcliili, “it's very kind of you, but d don’t think that I will catch | cold.” j LESSER DANGERS FEARED. This reminds tlio author of two fe- j luffs in Australia, who, having been t convicted of murder, were sentenced to death and had to pay the extreme penalty on Hit same morning. \ There was only one scaffold, and they tossed who should go to it first. The one who lost, on leaving his friend turned round, and without meaning j to be funny in the least hit,said: “Well, good-bye, Bill, old boy. Do j you mind holding my hat lor a moment.” Evert in the most tragic moments men' have thought subconsciously of lesser dangers when the greater was at hand. This was the case with Dr. Palmer, the poisoner, on the morning of his execution. 'Without any sign of fear he foil- | owed tho prison cliaplin to the cxe- j cation shed, knowing that the mom- { cut lie set his foot on the trap before him, he would be hurled into eternity. The structure he was led into was only a. temporary one, and as he I stepped onto the newly laid planks, . one of them croaked under his weight, j Startled slightly, he stopped hack and said to the warder at iiis side: “Good I heavens! is this safe?’'’ j GILBERT'S BOX MOT [ Then there is a story of Deeming, j but this derives its main interest from f Sir W. S. Gilbert’s comment on the c crime and tho criminal. Deeming was E was the horrible man who married f wife after wife and for the sake oi tlieir money murdered them in cold blood and "buried the bodies in the basement of h:s house under a thick layer of cement. When Sir 'William read of tins wretch's modus opcrar.di lie looked up from his morning paper and observed. “Dear, dear I A strange man this Deeming. He seems- to have made a hobby of marrying in haste and cementing at leisure.” Seymour Hicks knew the xamoiis advocate. Montagu "Williams, very veil, and heard from ids own bps the E story of an acquittal lie obtained for | a prisoner who was undoubtedly guil- j tv of murder. The case for the prose- j> cation depended on the proving of <; the fact that a bonier hat found near i the body of the victim belonged to £ the mao in the dock, flliis the de- f fence strongly denied, and the battle | for two days raged round this vital g piece of evidence. . Williams, in his final address, toon the bat in his hand, and so convinced tlie jury there was no shadow of evidence that could be brought to prove that it belonged to the accused that they brought in a verdict of “Not guilty.”' The judge ordered the man's discharge, and he was told that he | was free. He was leaving the dock ij when he turned hack and said, “Thank you very much, Air. "Williams. I'm much obliged. And oh, by the way. do yen mind handing me my lvat ?”