The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-01 00:00:00

shoot Mr. Dyson: My blood was up, sad having bed One BANQUET TO LORD DUFFERIN.
shot I knew if I was captured it would mean transporta-
tion for life. That made me more determined to get off.
I fired again I told you but with no intention of killug hint In London, on Saturday evening, a banquet was
I saw Mr. Dyson fall. I did no,t know where he was, but Oren at the Reform Club to the Earl of Dufferin,
that his wound was one which tvould peeve fatal. All that 1.P,, K.C.8., G.C.M.G. on the occasion of his
wasfwo a struggled
a a i ns
• u
time my
I htDoesyha das should
ni
a:? the
had
*turn from Canada. The gathering derived additional
et hthderait itvahleme.egbwloe :est
etllto
awaygoleatt,
.w
jawwiarbyhoi away, and
Intl i_
317fis
ci f.r
en f
ae
vhoeai
ved 1
whateverlrnodit i n .
terest from the -fact-tbat Lord Dufferin is about to
proceed to St.
Peterebtirg as her Majesty's Ambas-
could have shot him dead at the first, but I did not do so, sador. Earl Granville occupied the chair, the guest
and when I fired the second time I cou:d not calculate my of the evening sitting on hisright and Lord Harting-
(
aim, owing to the excitement, If I could have done so • ton on his left. Earl Granville spoke at great length,
should simply have disabled him and got away. After Dyson
fell I rushed WO dig middle of the road and stood there for in roposing the principal toast of the evening.
I should do. Eord Dufferin, in reply, said that if his administra-
some moments. I hesitated as to .what .'
I felt disposed at first to go back and help Dyson up, not tion in CAnada had been in any degree successful that
thinking that he was wounded fatally. But people began result was to be attributed as much to his singular
to gather, I was greatly agitated, and I decided on escape. good fortune as any other circumstance. He re-
I jumped over the wall on the other side of the road and got garded that demonstration as a proof of the in.
away. As I did so the packtt ot letters fell from my pocket
I call God to witness, sir, I tid not 1.11 Mr. Dyson inten- • • ' •
terest affection, and goodwill of some of the most
' distinguished public men in England for the future
tionally, and I most solemnly bwear that in shooting at him
I did not intend to murder hir. if any one thinks for a destinies not only of Canada hut also of every other
moment, be will see that I nevet intendel murder when I colony of Great Britain. With reference to his
went to Bannercross. If I bad meals to murder Mr. and Mrs. appointment as Ambassador to St. Petersburg, the
Dyson, or either of them, I knot the place well enough. noble Earl said that the offer of !hat post was not ex-
All I had got to do was to so to the door, walk in, meted, but it did not surprise him, for during the
and shoot them both as they weresltting, and do you think, • ,
sir, if I had gone there to murdei Mr. Dy len I should have P estfour or five years he had received continual
allowed myself to be seen by so uany people. Of course 1 assurances that her Majesty's Government approved of
do not deny that I took Mr. Dysen's life, as it turned out, the manner in which he had discharged his duties. He
but I did not go there with the Irtention of doing it. It was did not contemplate the prospect before him without
as unintentional a thing as ever vat done, and it would pot
have been done if I had not hem interrupted in trying to anxiety, but he knew the generous way in which the
get Mrs. Dyson to Induce her husband to withdraw the people of England judged of the conduct of their ser-
warrant; and if Mr. Dyson hadnot been so determined to yards.
get me into trouble, and prevent my iiettirg away.

"Peace afterwards repeated o'er and over again that both
at Manchester and at Sheffield tie struggle to get away was
the real cause of his missing hisalm, and accidentally cern
witting murder. He closed the isterview, asking Mr. Little.
wood to hear him pray, and fortwenty minutes ha poured
out fervent petitions tor matey, and prayed especially for
Mr. Dyson and the policeman, triose souls he had launched
Into eternity without a moment'l war/line-it 7.0$
- .
r
• tin tis.lrT.ll..eriD
' tha•shcoyld Decay Telegrapit styes, uleferail‘i.aft*lbalC
inteiview'cd Peace with his friell's tm-.satl4o6l7*.tift •
'the subject of ids death was mertions4Ae;i.arssAtn,o fi‘viktiY -
-Amiens demeanour, and the 'quettion waaptietrilitml:•mow
,dO piR feel with regard .to your depsitnywyrani:Ahp, usel.
anssvpied in thiskilloiring wolds':,4'ittel that the Ana I
have committed are realty tcio moyftetane to aspect that I- '
shall receive forgiveisessf,or them I 4,,,n *linos; afraid to think
of. this, that God Witl, ektend forgiveness to me, • re,
'Mambering the y'-'aiut. grienenst.sint Lhavo committed.
Brd,lhOpe obe convinced by thi day of my death. I wean
I hope to feel sure thaltlAM fPrveri I hall been a'great
sinner, and saaralittr.'date,to beliere•tishaft be fore/
_,ers but
'clothe mirth* of theixeetitiOill hope co feel sure thiruzisPk.
going to a place of happiness .and
,rnst."
minutes afterwards ho'facintlElle.d •, n 8in244,r
and said, Could .1
Ant'. IthertY
feel as I now feel" ft l'effard-ici. ray future, with
the hope' that there -'iff•;;Witliktr.lne, I fibOlild be
one of the happiest man on use „face of the earth.
I wish if I were at Itherty.thei.p Might feet ofGod'
as I regard Him at the present believe He hector-
' given Mte, but before my death I hope to feel Inta.7. Het,
spoke Abase words, under much catation, and -it Nylif,ltle
opinion of those who heard him that he was perfectly sincere
in his utterances. The convict never seemed tired of Irefer.-=
ring to Tuesday. fie said, I have prayed to be able to .wailr
to the scaffold without any bravado, hilt With courage.
I want to impress upon those. *ha see me thee'l he
given up all ,*oughts of this world, ad that I am going
to the scaffold with the firm conviction on my mind that I
am going to a better place.' A little later he added, ''''l:
neither want to go with a grin or a smile, as that wouldbe
a sin. I want to be calm, and to go to ray death like, A.
man who has changed his mind "Don't think,' be
added, that I dread the comiug of Tuesday. Ido
not fear cle4th, I prefez death- to penal servitude.
kenal servitude under the prison discipline of this.
day is a matter of slavery—doivaright slavery—to ' what
It used to be some years ago. Supposing I had been able
to stand it twenty years, do you imagine I could be able to
go through it ? No; I would ratlwr die."' - -

It is said that in political circles in St. Petersburg
the arrival of Lord Dufferin is looked forward to
with the greatest interest. It is thoueht that the
arrival of the new ambassador 'may lead to a renewal
possibly in an improved and extended form of the
Anglo-Russian Pact for a mutuandelimitation of the
lne dividing the spheres of the two_Powers in Central
..sia which served its purpose up to the middle of last
;ear, , Ibis also hoped in Russian 'political circles
that 'E. ugland.way be gradually drawn towards the
'Milian What of, view in the-questtons at issue con-
cerning V* "Oh-eastern parts of Europe.

201
1'624,
he,

A movement has been set on foot In Manchester to obtain
the release of the young man Hebron, who is undergoing
sentence of penal servitude for the Whalley Amp murder,
of which Peace vowed himself to be the perpetrator. at
first the confession was received with some incredulity
particularly by the police; but the more circumstantial
confession published on Tuesday has created a general con-
viction of its genuineness. The Horne Secretary has been com-
municated with; and what is described as a heartrending letter
from his brother, John Hebron, solemnly and emphatically as-
serting the convict's innocence, has been forwarded, and, in
reply, Mr. Cross states that the matter will be fully con-
sidered. Further pressure will be put spon the lio me Secretary
wiLhin the next few days to induce him to release Hebron.
The- verdict of the jury gave a good deal of dissatisfaction
at the time, and the justice of it was publicly questioned,
although the circumstantial chain of evidence was ad-
mittedly strong, Great hopes are now entertained that
the Home Secretary will accede to the representations
made to him to set the man at liberty.—Wedseaday's Daily
News.