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EXECUTIONOF THEWHOLESALE MURDERER BURGLAR PEACE.On Tuesday morning there died at the hands of the common hangman one of the greatest villains who ever plagued this earth. Charles Peace was a man who possessed talents and energy, an adaptability to circumstances, a knowledge of two or three honest trades, and an enterprise, which might have won him respect and fortune. Bad company, a love of depraved female society, and he says drink caused him to become a daring and a successful burglar. In this occupation he showed skill and effrontery, and these kept him free from the law for some time. To theft was at last added murder. With contemptible meanness he allowed punishment to fall on the innocent. Murder succeeded murder, until at last a brave constable arrested him, a confederate betrayed him, and he was sentenced,—first to penal servitude for life and finally to the well-merited death punishment he suffered this morning.The main facts in the career of this notorious criminal (except as to the murders which we shall speak of directly ) have been so fully detailed in The Cortmhman that we need not go into them again.Briefly, the crime for which the law forfeited his life was committed on the night of the 26th of November, 1876. Charles Peace, alias John Ward, had thrust his attentions on a Mrs. Dyson, the wife since 1866 of Mr. Dyson, an engineer, who changed his residence from Darnall, near Sheffield, to Banner-cross.Peace tracked their footsteps, and followed their every action. At a quarter-past seven o’clock at night Mrs. Dyson, who had been sitting with her husband, had occasion to go outside the house, and on returning was terrified at observing Peace confronting her, with a revolver pointed towards her face. She screamed out at the top of her voice. Mr. Dyson at-once rushed out. Just as he emerged from the shelter of the wall Peace fired twice, and shot Mr. Dyson in the left temple. He then made his escape over the wall and through the fields.On the 6th of November, 1878, Peace was apprehended in the act of committing a burglary at Black heath. Before he was secured he fired five shots at Police-constable Robinson from a revolver, the last of which severely wounded the constable in the left arm. Robinson, however, manfully stuck to his prisoner, although the latter was armed with a sheath knife, and used all but superhuman efforts to stab the plucky officer.On the arrival of assistance he was speedily secured, when he gave the name of “John Ward.” His face was dyed with walnut juice, giving him the appearance of a half-caste. He was found to be five feet three or our inches, thin, and altogether an unlikely-looking man for deeds of such desperate enterprise. He occupied a large and elegantly-furnished house. He also indulged in two lady “ housekeepers,” and kept one servant. He passed himself off “as Mr. Johnson, a 1 gentleman of independent means.”He was a talented musician and a clever carver in ' wood, and in both occupations his taste seemed1 peculiar ( for a burglar and murderer,) for he playednothing but sacred music, and carved little besides [ models of churches. He had also some pretensions tobe considered a man of science, for he was the inventor and patentee of a contrivance for raising sunkenAt one time an honest working man, he abandoned ■ his trade for the music-hall stage, upon which heappeared as “the Ethiopian Paganini, and, subsequently sinking into crime, he was caught and sentenced to five years’ penal servitude. Ever since his release he has carried on an elaborate system of robbery and murder, as we will now show.He had undergone three terms of penal servitude. After serving a portion of his time, and by playing the “ meek and mild ” role, he was liberated on a ticket-i of-leave. Returning to Sheffield he resumed his oldhabits, which eventuated at last in the deliberate murder above mentioned.TERRIBLE REVELATIONS.PEACE THE MURDERER OF SEVERAL PERSONS.An Innocent Man Suffering Penial Servitude.Peace has committed many murders; he has done more than two, yes many ! A statement like the foregoing is startling, but we have good grounds for saying that subsequent events will prove the truthfulness of them. More than one person is in prison suffering for 1 the misdeeds of this man. He has told his family that [ one young man had already served seven years in penal , servitude, having been respited after being condemned to death for wilful murder. We are told that Peace* still holds to the statement, and says he will give such ; evidence as will clear the man. lie gives further a* strong intimation that he himself did the deed. The i murder was committed either at the close of 1871 orin 1872.Murder of a Chelsea Jeweller.We are also informed that on one occasion Peace premeditated a jewellery robbery in Chelsea, and that in order to carry it out he associated himself with a female paramour, who obeyed his instructions. This woman of set purpose sought the friedship of the jeweller, and became intimate with him, and on the night of the burglary assisted the chief actor in it—[ Peace. The jeweller offered a resistance, and was. murdered, no person ever being convicted of the crime.A searching investigation into this matter will, of course, result.He Stabbed Some of His Victims.The authorities are already using every means at their disposal for the discovery of Peace’s principal movements during the past three years, and the recovery of some of the property stolen might lead to results of enormous consequence as affecting this revelation. There is now proof in hand that it was not with the bullet alone that Peace sent some of his victims on their last journey. Though he was a “ clever shot ” at close quarters and a most dangerous opponent, he did not rely alone on his revolver when } driven to extremities. When he was finally captured,\ a large knife was found iD his possession, but on that* occasion he never had the opportunity of using it.I However, information has been given that on another , occasion, whilst he was engaged in committing a robbery, he was surprised by a man—we are unable to say whether he was the tenant of the house, but it was one of the occupants of it—when he drew a knife from ther pocket where he always kept it, and stabbed his ’ would-be capturer. After that he gave the poor fellow a heavy downward blow with the weapon, and r inflicted a wound from which the bowels protruded,I and which ultimately caused the death of the victim., The details of this crime will no doubt be made public- when other matters of a similar character are- divulged.* The Thames Received Some of His Victims.i We have ground for stating also that more than one of his victims have been thrown into Hie Thames, f although the murders have not taken place on its banks,* it near to them.The convict has made use of certain expressions which leave no doubt that the worst part of his criminal ‘ career dates more than ten years back, probably fifteen;” and though he is reticent on this point, it is believed that one of the greatest reasons for his disquietude of . mind is the knowledge that more than one has suffered innocently because of his misdeeds. He has yet to state, should he carry out the intentions he has- expressed, whether or not any one has suffered on the ’ gallows for murder done by him, and from the peculiar ! manner in which he has dealt with this subject it is : feared that such is the case.The‘Accomplices of Peace.Allusion is made in the above statement to the fact ! that Peace hail accomplices in his crimes, and that they had a guilty knowledge of murder and of rob-’ beries which he committed. He has, however, gone I even further and uttered a momentous declaration. i This week he made use of these extraordinary words, “Yes it was known what I was doing- and what I have done, and before I d.e I will ? I tell something and prove it too, which will showwho knew. Before I die I will make a revelationwhich will show what one man is, anti it will place in 1 the dock a man who occupies a far higher post than 1 ever Micklejohn or Druscoviteh did. Palmer never ’ told anything like it.”i Peace the Murderer of a French Lady.4 Peace was concerned in the Portland-street murder,' London, when it will be remembered that a French* lady, Madane Riel, was found lying in a cupboard in her, house, having hail her brains half knocked out. Theunfortunate woman also had a thick rope entwined s round her neck.t The murder had been committed in the coal-cellar,t and the lady had been dragged upstairs to the cupboard 3 where her body lay all day, until it was found by her* daughter and others.; The cook, a Frenchwoman, absconded to Paris, withJ some of Madame Riel’s diamonds, and was apprehended j in St. Denis, by Druscoviteh, the London detective,,. and some of the French gendarmerie. It then tran-f spired that she had not committed the murder of her r mistress alone, but was helped by more than one. i We are assured that in this—which occurred in the spring of 1872---Peace played apart, and that his share , iu it will become known.THE MURDER OF A CORNISHMAN.ALLEGED CONFESSION.lt; Peace confessed to having murdered Police-constable1 Cock at Wballey Range, Manchester. His plans,* describing the locality of the murder, uj»on which he , worked for some days, are forwarded to the Home o Secretary. Peace states that he was at WhalleyRange in August, 1876, for the purpose of committing
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Cornwall Cornishman
Cornwall, South West England, GB
Thu, Feb 27, 1879
Page 6
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Clipped by
University O.
IA, USA 26 Jan 2025
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Cornwall Cornishman
