AN EXTRAORDINARY CRIMINAL.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 85, 17 May 1879, Page 2

AN EXTRAORDINARY CRIMINAL.

(From tho S. M. Herald's Correspondent.) London, Feb. 13. Charles Peace, alias Ward, whose conviction for a series of burglaries at Blackhealth, committal for the murder of Mr. Dyson near Sheffield two years ago, and desperate attempt to escape, or commit suicide by jumping from an express train going at the rate of 40 miles an hour have been recorded in the Herald, is a criminal of nu ordinary type. For a fortnight previous to the departure of this mail this man and his doings occupied the almost exclusive attention of the British public. Leading articles on the career of Peace have appeared in all tho London daily papers, and in some of the weekly and provincial journals pamphlets, containing his life, trial for burglaries, and embellished with his portrait, have been sold in thousands all over London ; and the scoundrel is the topic of conversation everywhere, even to the exclusion of the many other exciting events that for the past few months have furnished food for comment. The preliminary investigati in i lto the charge of murder was :io: only reported by telegraph in the London dailies, but the Daily News, Telegraph, and Morning Post gave question and answer, just as evidence is recorded in the report of Parliamentary committee, extending over pages of those papers. After the attempt of Peace to escape and his capture, "bulletins" appeared in the morning journals relative to the state of the criminal's health—how he had passed the previous 24 hours, what he bod eaten and drunk, with reports of his mutterings during sleep, and in fact every iota connected with him. With a strange inconsistency, several of the newspapers that had gone into these minute particulars of the burglar came out with leading articles denouncing tho system of thus elevating a " vulgar criminal" to the position of a hero, which to some extent has been done. Immediately after Peace was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to death, fault with what some journals thought tho hurried manner of tho trial; and it was asserted that the evidence was not sufficient to justify a verdict of guilty; or, which is the same thing, had the prisoner been an ordinary man, at most he would only have been found guilty of manslaughter, if not acquitted altogether. One circumstance has tended to inoreaso this feeling in favour of the convict. A woman (Mrs. Thompson) who lived with Peaco, and knew about the alleged murder, a sharer of the products of Iris burglaries, gave tho necessary inform: - tiou to the police, which has resulted in the conviction of hor paramour, and she now claims, and will recoivo, the £IOO reward offered by the Government for the apprehension and conviction of tho murderer!

The Spectator thus graphically describes Peace:—" Ho lind somethiug of the artist organisation aliout him, wuich is n suiilly acenmpaniod by sensitivenoss and is often supposed to bo inconsistent with the callousness which is tho most marked characteristio of Peace. lie was a very fair musician making biraself a local ronown as a ' village Paguniui,' who played woll upon ono strong. He was a good carver and gilder, and very proud of his prolicieuey in those arts, which ho

displeyed even in prison, once carving the wood pulpit for the prison, indeed, for obtaining lenient treatment was to exhibit a kind of universal ' nandiness,' which conciliated the officials, until, though he had once headed a mutiny, ,he twice obtained remissions of his sentences. He was ingenious, too, as well laa artistic. He was a mechanician ol some skill, having himself invented and I made the false ami on which he greatly I relied to conceal his crimes, as no one would suspect a one-armed burglar, and if advertised he would be described as a one armed man. ■ When father told us ' (continued Willie, the son) ' where he was stopping, we asked him if he was not afraid of the sergeant's seeing his hand. He said he could not see it, as hocoveiedit up. We asked him how he did it, and ho took from his pocket the guttapercha, and had made it himself and certainly he is very clever at making tilings. He had got a piece of fine gutta percha, and had made it into a tube large enough to allow his arm to pass down it. Secured to the bottom of the gutta-percha was a thin steel-plate, in the middle of which was a whole with a screw thread. Into the hole he screwed a small hook and screwed into tho hole a fork which ho had made for the purpose, and with it he used to eat his meals. At the top of the gutta-percha was a sti ap winch he used to fasten over his shoulder, and in that way keep the thing in its place. No one who saw it covld have told that it was not a false arm.' Ho made his own tools, which were at once exceedingly simple and exceedingly effective, and once made a sawout of a piece of tinplate. He had, moreover, very considcr.iblo histrionic faculty, acting all sorts of characters to the police, whom he specially liked to deceive, and ' changing his face' in a way which astonished those who knew him best, and made them declare that even they could not recognize him as he passed in the street. He certainly could effect a remarkable change in a moment, and the one which most disguises dark faces, by bringing the blood into his face till he looked bloated, instead of thin, and this without holding his breath or any preparation."

On tlio 4th February, Peace was indietod at the L'eds Assize-i, before Mr. Justice Lopes, for the murder of Arthur Dyson, on tlio 20th November, 1576. The principal witness was Mrs. Dyson, who had been brought o\e f . m Ame c i to give evidence. The circumstance of the ease as disclosed in the evidence are briefly these : —Peace and the Dysons were neighbours, and became for a time acquaintances, and as Peace paid marked attention to Mrs. Dyson her husband wished to break off the intimacy altogether ; at this time the Dysons and Peace were living at Dartnall, near Sheffield. In order to warn the prisoner, Dyson throw a card over into Peace's garden, on which was written "Charles Peace is requested not to interfere in my family." That card seemed to have created a bad feeling in the breast of Peace against the Dysons. When they removed to Banner-cn s; Peace followed them, and expressed a determination never to lose sight of them, but between the 20th October and the 20th Novombnr he appeared to have been absent. On the latter date, which was that of the murder, he was seen in the evening by several persons. A Mrs. Holgreaves mot him in the road about 7.30, and he asked her, with a coarse expression to take a message to Mrs. Dyson, and tel! her to come out. She declined, and lie then entered a shop next door to Dyson's house. He was seen loitering about in the road for tome time and also walking up and down. Accosting ono person, a Dr. Drjsscnler, he spoke in depreciatory terms of some strangers named Dyson, who had come to live at Banner-cross, and sought to give a bad impression concerning them. That witness deposed that this occurred between 8 o'clock and 8.10, and about latter time Mrs. Dyson entered the outhouse behind her dwelling. She mot Peace, who presented a revolver and threatened to fire, ami she went back and shut the door. In less than two minutes after a neighbour heard Mrs. Dyson shriek and call Mr. Dyson to her assistance. On hearing her husbands footsteps. Mrs. Dyson came out of the outhouse, and Peace was then leaving tlio front passage Mr. Dyson went after him, and Peace turned round and fired at him. The shot struck tho doorwav, and Mr. Dyson continued to alvanco but had not got to tho end of the passage when Peaco, who was then in the road, fired at him. Tho shot struck the doorway, and Mr. Dyson fell. Mrs. Dyson shouted, " You villain, you have killed my husband," and called for help A witness named Wilson saw Poaoe escape into a neighbouring garden. There was other corroboratory evidence as to the shota. Dr. Dyson diedathalf--10 that night, and a bullet was found in the left lobe of his brain. Mrs. Dyson gave a very accurate description of the alleged murderer and his footsteps were traced for some distance. Peace bowever, escaped, but a parcel was found containing among other papers which had been dropped by tho criminal in his flight, tho identical card which Mrs. Dyson threw over the wall to him, and which created so much ill blood between Peuoo and his viotiin. Pcaoo disappeared and nothing was heard of him until his apprehension, after a severe etrugglo at lilaokhcath, where ho was engaged in a burglary two years afterwards. Tho defence substantially was that the death of Mr. Dyson was caused by the accidental dischai-go of a pistol duriug a struggle. Tho jury retired to consider their verdict ut a quarter-post 7, and,

after an absence of leas than a quarter of an hour, returned into court with a verdict of guilty. The prisoner, on being asked why sentence of death should not be passed upon him, replied in a feoble tone, which the Judge did not hear, "Would it be any use f* His lordship hen passed sentence of death uikju him .u the usual way.

There was nothing very extraordinary about the crime, and Peace's popularity rests on the fact that he possessed considerable natural abilities, though illiterate, and some refinement. He hud been a thief for many years, and reduced burglary to a " tine art." He never had been any companion in his nocturnal raids. His house was found to be comfortably, and even elegantly, furnished. He was fond of music, performed himself on tho violin and piano, and was not a bad judge of pictures. In the neighbourhood in which ho resided Peace was regarded as a man of quiet and respectable habits, and it is said wus a regular attendant at church.

His method of tho procedure was to drive out in the daytime and select the houso he intended to rob at night—often as many as four or five. He had a wonderful power over dogs ; and so extraordinary was his art in this criminal direction that on one occasion, when trying to extract a watch from under a pillow on which a young lady was slecpiug, he moved the head to do so, without waking the lady. He always carried narcotics with him, aud probably by a skilful use of them rendered the sleepers almost insensible. Among the papers seized by the polico at Peace's house v;hen arrested for the Blackheath burglaries, was found a complete plan of (Jamdeu-place Chislehurst, the residence of the Empress Eugenie" and the Prince Imperial. This he obtained by his marvellous imprudeuce. He wrote last autumnto tie proprietor of Camden place to be permitted to inspect it " with his architect," as he represented that he was about to build a largo villa, and that he understood that Oamdeu-place was admirably designed. He would uot have taken this liberty but that he knew that the Empress and Prince were abroad, and he therefore presumed to trespass on tho kindness of the proprietor. The favour was at once accorded ; and Mr. Peace and his " architect," on driving over and presenting the proprietor's permissiou, were allowed to view the premises and take a plan. Of this, no doubt, the ingenious burglar wold have speedily availed himself had not his career been cut short by his arrest.

On the day of Peace's trial at Leeds, Mr. Harvey sold by auction a pianoforte and three violins, the property of the convict. One fiddle was bought by Mr. Millward, provision merchant, York, for 20i guineas: the other violin, which was a small model of the larger one, was sold to Mr. Lofthouse, of the (ieorgo Inn, Bridlington, for £0 10s. ; the third one, which had been made by the prisoner, was bought by Mr. John Stranstield, of the Varieties Music Hall, Leeds for £6 10s. A short grand pianoforte realized 241 guineas.

An important fact has just eomo to light with regard to the letters said to have been dropped by Peace in his escape from Bannercross after the murder, and which bears out the evidence of Mrs. Dyson, who denied having writtou them. In IS7G a warrant was issued against the convict for annoying Mr. Dyson and his family, and these very letters, it has now been ascertaiued, were seen in the possession of Peace at that time. Mr. Dyson also saw them, and expressed his firm belief that they were impudent forgeries.

The following, from a barrister in court during the trial of Peace, appears in the Globe : —Perhaps a few observations with regard to the demoanour and appearance of the convicted man. and of one of the witnesses, made in court during the progress of the caso may he of interest. Peace is one of the most re-markable-looking men I have ever seen " Ijot Charles Peace stand up," said .the Clerk of Assize. But Charles Peace could not, or would not, stand up. He was carried up by two powerful warders and placed in a wooden arm-ohair. These two sat on either side of him. Another sat immediately behind, and three others stood about the dock and on the stairs of it. His [immediate attendants never loosened their hold upon him, even when he leaned forward to consult his counsel; and whenever a tin pannikin containing liquid was handed to him he was never allowed the entire control over it. The man whom it was thought necessary to guard in this way was, as appeared to me, one who would anywhere attract remark. His face was that of a negro bleached white. The brow was high but retreating and rather bald; the eyes were deep set but exceedingly brilliant; the nose flat; enormous mouth, with a a thick, swollen-looking upper lip, and powerful protruding lower jaw; the hair close-cut and white: skin dark though clear. The frame of his shoulders looked large enough; his general appearance was that of a small, lean shruken man. When asked whether he was guilty or not guilty, he shook slowly from side to side, but said nothing thot was audible to the Court during the whole trial, but occasionally muttered comments on the evidence. At first he began to cough violontly, and seemed to wish to be thought much exhausted. But I think people felt more sympathetic after they had seen him, for ho looked so gray and little old and quiet, so subdued, in faot, that almost against your will you pitied him. He only once looked round tho side gallery, and norer

at anv time but once took any eager interest in the proceedings, and that was when Catheriue Dyson appeared in the witness-box. She is a woman apparently about 35 3 ears of age, and may bo called very handsomo, She has a low forehead and, wavy dark brown hair, almost black, fine eyes of a darkish colour, and beautifully arched eyebrows; face .somewhat broad and Meshy ; niouth well-shaped and firm chin very determined ; and so Mr. Lockwood found the lady herself. She was dressed entirely in block, with the exception of a white frill inside her bonnet. Her manner was very quiet, her voice low. Peace now leaned forward with his elbow on the edge of the dock, for some moments looked at her intently, then, after tueso few moments had passed, timk v back in his [chair, and contented himself with muttering and shaking his lean gray head. W hen crass-examined Mrs. Dyson was a little more detemiiued and emphatic. She is an Irishwoman, whoso youth may, perhaps, have not been well educated, and who, I am informed, owed a somewhat superior station to her marriage. " I'll swear my husband did not. get hold of him. He never touched um," she said, relapsing in her excitement into the pure broguo of her native land. The longer she was cross-ex-amined the more Irish did her tongue become. When asked whether Peace had not struck her Jhusbaud in the face, she denied it quietly. "He never was struck in the face" "except" —after a pause —" by the bullet which killed 'um.' When taxed with being photographed with Peace, she answered quietly as before, without any eagerness, ueat or emotion, and with no seeming hesitation, as though it were a matter which had never struck her in a serious light, that she had been at the fair with two children, that he had suggested it, and that she had complied. When she was confronted with various persons produced in court by the defence, Peace fur the first time showed symptoms of amusement, uud made some comments on each, which appeared to delight the attendant warders extremely. Mrs Dyson was never disturbed in manner, even when confessing that upon ono occasion she was, as she put it" slightlyinebriated." During the whole of the very able speech which Mr. Lockwood made in his behalf, Peace remained sunk in his arm-chair, motionless, except that he now and then raised his eyes to. Heaven; especially he did so when his counsel remarked that " the prisoner had led a wild and reckless life," when ho muttered "Oh God 1 I have, I have." When he was carried up to hear the verdict he seemed dreadfully dejected and broken in spirit, and almost powerless as to his limbs. It was as though a living head were joined to a dead trunk. He gave no sign of a wish to speak either then or after his sentence. One little bow he gave towards the place where his counsel had been, the warders took him in their strong arms, and so was borne away one of the most determined and reckless criminals this world has ever seen.

On the 7th February a Mrs. Thompson scut tho followiug application to the Treasury : —" February 5, 187!). To % Mr. Pollard, So'i i'or to the Treasury.—Sir —I hereby apply for the reward of £IOO offered by the Government on conviction of Charles Peace for shooting and killing Arthur Dyson at Baunercross, Sheffield November 22, which information I ga\ c to inspectors Bcri ig and Phillips of the R Division of Police on November 5,1878. —(Signed) Susanah Bailev, alies Sue Thompson." This woman went down to Leeds on tho 7th February to the condemned man, but was very properly refused admittance, but before leaving Loeds she wrote the letter, which was entrusted to a friend to deliver at tho gaol for Peace:—"February 7, 1879. My dear John, —I have had niyj weary journey from London to tins place only to be disappointed. It is so cruel, moro almost than I can bear. They told me at the gaol I would have to go to the Visit'ng Committee, at the Town Hall, as they would give me a pass to see you. I did so, ualled at tho otfhe three times. They said only your relations would be allowed to see you, as if I were not nearer to you than any one elie. I said I wanted to see yon on important business, but they thought my going would disturb you. Oh, dear Jack, would it be so ? for, if it be true, th.-n I won't ask you any more. I knew, dear, that my visit would do us both good. I should like to see you once more. This letter will be left at th» gaol by a friend. Oh, do write me, and address ' S. Thomson, Post office (to be called for), Leeds.' I as much, or more, wish for mercy for your unhappy soul. Bl«»ss you.—l am your most unliappy Sex." Mr. Brion, Peck ham, with whom Peace is said to have been associated in the endeavour to perfect some mechanical invention, has stated that on his becoming acquainted with Ponce, and informing him of his want of pecuniarry resources to bring his designs to a success, he was, told by the convict," I have cot money at my command j I am an independent gentleman, and can get money whenever I like. There are places in the city whore i need only send a note, and I could have any amount I chose to name. My handwriting is good enough for thousands." The invention spoken of was for the raising of sunken snips, and for the purpose of having it patented specifications were deposited in tho names of Henry Brion, geographer and Henry Thompson, gentleman. Becoming bold ovor their invention, thoy offered to tho Admiralty to raiso tho Eurydice and Vanguard, and a similar

proposal iu made to the Ueraau Uoveiumcnt iu respect to the Grosser Km f uist. Peace was told by the Admiralty that outside assistance was unnecessary aud that the naval authorities could do their own work. Briou's couuection with Peace ended iu ■an estrangement One day Brion had fetched from Peace's house one of the fittings which they had decided to uso in their plan of operations, as ha required it iu order to satisfy a gentleman who was ready to advance £.'>oo to carry out tho esperiuieut. While doing this Peace eaiue into tho liouso, and was very angry at what Brion bad dono, and on his going away said that he would settle the inattor iu a way Brion did not dream of. Mrs. Thompson told Brion afterwards that as he had put him out so tlie wonder was that Peace had not shot him. The couvict had also told her that he could get into Brions hou.se aud dispatch the whole of them, Brion saw nothing more of Peaco until ho received a letter from Newgate. On the 10th February no fewer than ■eleven of the convict's relatives and friends arrived inLeods from Uarnall

The party repaired to tho Town Hull, where five of them succeeded in pro•curing permits from the Visiting Committee to visit the condemned man. The

party proceeded to Aruiley gaol, where Mrs. liolsover and her husband (Peace's daughter and son-in-law), his brother Daniel Peace and his wife, and Johu

Peace, one of his nephews, were admitted to see him. The others (Ellen

Tyler and Mary Ann Neil, hi* nieces ■and two other women and two men) remained outside. The appearance of the party in the vicinity of the gaol attracted considerabo attention and a crowd soon

collected. There was an affecting scone between Peace and his daughter, who •carried her child in her arms, The woman sobbed bitterly, and even Feace himself cried. He inquired affectionately after her mother, and seemed disappointed at her not being among the parly, Mrs. liolsover told him that she would tell her mothor of his desire to see her, and that in .'ll likelihood she would visit him. Although lie seemed depressed, he chatted ■freely, a d showed no roluetaiico to talk •on any subject lie complained lie had no received ji'stice, and that several of the witnesses against him had perjured themselves. After an interview of mole than an hour the party took an affectionate good-bye of liiiu, some of them promising to come back again if they could get admission.

Peace was visited on February 12 at

Aruiley gaol, Leeds, by Mrs. Peace, his -wife, Willie Ward, his stepson, and Thomas Neil, a nephew. The interview lasted two bom's. Peace was exceedingly calm and collected, and promised his wife that he would not see Mr*. Thompson uny more. Peace handed to her two documents —one a deed of gif c by which he disposes of his eti'eots m her Ifavous with the exception of a watch and his patent for raising sunken ships, which he makes ■over to Willie Ward, in the hope that he will make some use of the patent. He .gave his wife another document, his fast will and testament duly signed ! -and attested by the Governor of Arinley .gaol.