The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1881-11-29 00:00:00

THE BRIGHTON MURDER.

The following characteristic letter bas been received by
I..3froy's cousin. Mr. F. W. S. Seale, from the convict :
" Her Majesty's Prison. !AWN Sussex.
"My vary dearest Frank,—How ti write to you I
nmrcely know. It seems but yesterday that, a baby child.
I was tilting your dear kindly hand and rambling with
you by the their old Sorrey hills, plucking the flowers as I
pissed. It seems but yesterday that I, still but a fragile
child, was staucUng clothed in gloomy mourning by
your ,di at an open grave, watching with frightened
curiooity the last sad interment ot my own dear
mother. All the past years, from childhood to
youth, from youth to nisultood.this bast attained hut nine
months ago, are m.irked as some long weary road might he
with mile-4 in.', ant on each stone I see, esen in this
tad. memory-haunted place, but one inscription, A
cousin's sacrilice—a cousin's love.' When I look book
through the vista of rears, on I think of the thonsand and
one proofs of your love I have bad and never r quested,
I wonder sincerely why God has not punished me for
my vile ingratitude to you long, long ago. But the peat
is gone; that, at all eventr, can never he recalled.
But the future, the glorious future, is by God's mercy
in our own hands. I may, nav, I shall die an
ignominious death in the eyes of what is called the world,
and poor earthly life may he for the future he dull
and cheerle.s, th.aich God know.! hope this last will not
be so. But when linth our short lives on eat th are ended,
what a glorious, nay, even an awful, thought, through
Its grandeur that you and I, together with all we love,
may meet once more never to part again. Gh
darling, 04 knows I have no right ti speak like this to
you. hut I cannot, cannot help it. Until I came here this
last time. I had never properly un&rstood what this
Mee*, this wonderful promise of future IBA but now,
when my days are numbered, and the shsdo., rather
should say the glorious light of death is falling softly on
me, I seem to see it. Perhaps with nit this awl ul chasten.
log, I might never in the ordinary course of life have
seen it all until too late. And if this indeed be so. I
thank God Almighty for Hie goo Ineos in letting tue he an
I now am, rather than a free man, weed ti all the
temptations and trials of this world. Hope on, Inv dearest
brother. Nay, rather pray on Give all the loving "de
and deed, you can to darling Anna, who, God knows, will
need them. Ui your duty on truth. a. 10.1 always have
done it, bravely and fearlessly, etel iiettete an i.e as you
can the life of my I ingdoet hut much.loved mother. With
God's help you rim to all this, And incr.. And then,
feel such PAO., of UMW. such rest. al you nsvcr feltli, fore.
dearest, when your life is as nearly closed asinine icyou will
That you niay feel thug shall be one of my last prayers to
God.

your. ever,
ri/AGT,"

In looking over Lefroy's papers has friends have found a
number or poetical etf usious, several of which show, iii.
geld, the peculiar morbid character of his mind. One of
toe.% an incomplete and tauter crude ',Uwe. entitled
" Waat is lifer au Its concludiag steam in highly lug-
gestive under existing circumstances. It Mas tollows :
What is lifel the murderer cries.
As he sits in his prison cell.
Chained like • dog, his Iset hops,
A speedy death by nsogman's rope,
Mocking echo, I. this life?
On Monday a steward who had been on board the Pen
Insular arid Oriental boat Peshawur. called upon Mr
Dutton Liftoff solicitor, and gave • succinct account of
his extraordinary conduct oa board that steamer on hie
return from Amaral's. He embarked at Galls. and ar-
rived at, SJutheinpurn on the Mk or itilidt July last year,
and was so erratic that he had to be guarded duriar the
whole time he was on bawd the versel,and gave the officers
• great deal of trouble. At that time, although he was in
• very impecunious conditioc, he was accepted as •
passenger, and the inane statement has been verified by
subsequent Inquiry at the steamship compaay's aloe with
which bell now connected. It would also appear that
Lelroy was lest wider the will of his mother • legacy on
attaining his Slat birthday. lie managed by some means 1
to secure about £l5O of this, with which be made his visit ,
to Austratie, and when be Attained his majority in Fab- '
ruary„ aster hi a return to Englend, he received Um balance '
of LUnd ; slid how he could have expended it in tag short
time, tiring is the quiet way be apparently did, Is •
matter of puzzle to his relatives. It is not &nought at all
probable that any reply to the memorial will be received
'iota the lAA moment; but it ie said teat Sir William
liarcourt hes elreeoy arranged that tnquume abound be
...le as to tare menial ounultion of lastruy. No loniser
conunuoicatioas nave barn received 'row um condemned
man by either h a eoticitor or hut relatives.
Toe prisoner stiil coaticous writing to bra Iriends. Mn.
Clanton nail soother letter from him on Monday couched
in much similar farms to those which have already been
pu blis mid. Tlu lollu vriug extract from a letter of Lei rim's,
eritten whikt he was lying at Mai latrine during the
course or tare trial, gives • strange insight into his mind at
teat time. It in adoreesed to has Knauer :—" Maidstone
Odrober 31, 188 L —My dearest- M.—Your loving tette;
tecsived on Saturday. I need hardly say what pleasure it
gave nue to receive it, or that I was equally sorry you were
unable to see me on the above day. About tars other
matter (taking the sacrament). I can say nothing at
present. It Ido bassi; you shall know when- I have no
tear wilatever of the trial, whatever the restut way be.
I feel sell I were goiug into • great battle from which by
God's grace I may return unrutroied. Arid hers in any
suture county of Haut (he wiui burn in Peckham -rye
Surrey). I am isaivag the . iIINUNI of ble end death. I
'
have every confidence in my counsel. The evidence I
simll be aisle to produce will do eau* mid believe me,
deareet., or not, tears is s yoseibstily ot the reel rusurdsrer
using &created, or at less& sdentijled before the souk is out,
Mention this to no one, not even Dation, for reasou.
which he will expluo when be woes you.—With fondest
love, Your loving PSKOV."
Tars quotation menu and underlining (italics) are sa
they appear in the original. Toe itutruction not to
urination the matter last referred to is rather bewildering.
Al that time, however, he was posit.ve in his assertions
[ that • certain individual, whom he named, and who could
not possibly have had anything to do with the &Mar,
actually got off toe train and would come torw&rd and
mite's, clearing him (balmy/ 'row the accusation-
- ---

_ A
WILIEV6 i11.F1.186D.
The following letter ham been addressed to Mr.
Longman. the dustman of toe meeting had on behalf of
Les roy :

" Whitehall, November Se&
••Nir.—Referring to your application on behalf of Lwroy
Mapleto now lying under sentenoe of death in the
proton at n,
L,ww, I am directed by toe Secretary of Stet.
to ecqualut you that. af tor caret ul consideration of all Me
circumstanose, he has bean unable to dad ant adamant
ground to Justify him in advising Her Alt•J•011 to interfere
swab the due course of the law. —1 am. Mc..
'• A. F. 0. LIDDILLI..."

The final interview between Lefroy and his relatives
took place on Saturday in Lewes
_onion, weer. he was
visited by his merrier! Sister, Mrs. Briolowood, and
Cmizain Simpson, • cousin ot Lefroy's mother. lc wee
originally arranged tnat Mrs. Brookwood should be
accompanied by her sister, Miss 114ptstoo, but at the
last mom at the latter wrote suiting that anti was so uo•
well that it would be impoesible for her to bear the
strain of an interview. Mrs. Brickwood was not aware
teat she would be accompanied by Captain Simpson
omit sue met DIM on UI. railway platform at Croydoo,
from Vll.6oaCtl they travelled in company to Lasses. On
arriving there they at once proceeded to the prison, and
were coaducted to the apartment in which prisoners are
permitted to eon their mends. The arrangements tor
toe int,r•iew were precisely th• WOO as those made at
the previous ones between Leroy and his friends. It
took place in the presence ot the deputy-governor and
two wanders, and iron bars ssparated the convict trout
liii relatives. Leroy when conducted from the
condemned oell was looking very pale, but in
the opinion of his sister he appeared to be more
robust and tees sexton+ than during toe Kiel at Maid-
stone. On eaten iug Me room, Lefroy grasped his sisters
hand most affectionately, and thaneed her for the visit.
He said he owed • debt of gratitude to his friends tor all
they bad dose for him, but had not the sligmest hope
any effort they could make on Ws behalf would save him
from bis impending fate. He told Mrs. Ilticawood that
be telt perfectly happy and at rest in his own mind, and
assured his cousin he was thoroughly prepared to meet kis
doom. He exp,essel sorrow and dOmppointment when
informed that Mies Mapletoit's health would not permit
her to ViAlit him. Hs also alluded to the visit of Mr. and
Mrs. Clayton on in. previom day. Not a single word
was said throughm: the interview upon the subject of the
murder, the condemned man speaking entirely of his
friends and his approaching fate. fits relatives still
entertain the bellef mat he will make some written coon.
umuicatoon at tbe last moineat, probably containing an
adult...lon of his guilt. Toe interview, whicn lasted about
minutes, wm towards the close of a most painful
character. Subiequeutly Mrs. Brekwood returned to
London. Numerous applications bare been received tor
adusis.ion to the execution, but have been in all PAY
rammed,