Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-07-31

bill. The watch had been taken, and was
never traced the sovereigns had also. dis
lappeared but the bank notes had been
exchanged at the Bank of England on the
day after the murder, and before I, as /
fully proved had any communication
whatever with any one in London. OF
this last point my counsel made the most,
but It did not help me mnch, if anything,
The Jury retired and after celebrating
about half an hour, returned into court,
and declared, through their foremalr that
l was guilty Of tho wilhul murder Of Ed.
ward Strange.
AtGentlemen, a man who has gone
through that ordeal-who has heard the
jury pronounce him guilty Of capital crime,
and heard the judge pass sentence of death
upon him-a man, l say, gentlemen, who
has gone through that ordeal, andstill lives
to tell the tale, may (or am presumptu-
Gus y be looked upon as man who has
really gone through what, In these days,
would be called sensational time. /
heard every word the foreman of the Jury
said, and found myself wondering what
the judges black cap--of which every one
has heard, but few have seen--would be
like. Then / was in kind of dream for
time, until heard the words condemn
ing me TO be hanged by the neck until |
was dead. A sensational effect upon me,
gentlemen, or am presumptuous And
will you favor me, sir, with a lightg
~" spite of appearances, said this little
old gentleman, smoking with exceeding
relish, "my friends did not believe me to
be guilty of the fearful crime for which
was to be hanged by the neck until was
dead, in ten days after, the trial They
moved heaven and earth to obtain com
mutation of my sentence, and, after q
great deal of trouble, they succeeded. At
the time of which speak, there was in
England a'temporary butstrong, reaction
against capital punishment. cannot
recollect all the circumstances of the case,
but in a trial for murder two men had been
condemned to death and duly executed
and shortly after they had been hanged by
the neck until they were dead their sup
posed victim made his appearance, well
and hearty. The public press took up the
question of not hanging upon circumstan-
tial evidence, and benefited to the extent
of my life by the temporary excitement.
was respited and condemned to trans
afterwartls-for in those days transporta-
tion was in full .swing-found Imysolf on
my way out to Van Diemen's Land, q con-
vict 'lifer.' a0~
For seven long years, gentlemen, did
undergo this punishment fora crime for
which I was perfectly innocent Curiously
enough, the man who really had murdered
poor Strange, as he afterwards confessed,
went out in the same ship with me, con-
demned to seven years transportation for
burglary. He must have heard me tell
my story and declare my innocence over
and over again; for in the colony we
worked together in the same gang. He
was afterwards assigned to master who
lived near the prison where had to slave
out my time, as in those days 'lifers,'
whose sentence had been commuted for
capital punishment, were never allowed
to leave the chain gangs. But after
three years in Van Diemen's Land, this
real murderer took his old trade of bur
glary. To avoid being captured, he fled
to the bush, and on a party of police being
sent after the band to which he belonged,
he shot constable in cold blood He was
captured, sentenced to be hanged by the
neck until he was dead, and two days be-
fore his execution confessed that he had
murdered, at Southampton, a person
called Strange, for which offense another
man had been sentenced to death. His
statement was taken down, and 1t was
exact, 1t appeared that he had been hid
den for several hours in the inn, intend
ing to steal whatever he could lay his
hands on. Early in the morning he had
found his way into poor Strange's room,
hoping to pick UP something before the
house was astlr. But bis entrance awoke
Strange, who struggled for a few minutes
with him, and kept hold Of him. The
razor which I had lent Strange being still
lying on the bed, he murdered his victim
with it, and then put it into StFange's
hand, in order to make it appear that he
had, committed suicidey He secured the
watch, the purse, and the bank-notes, Of
the murdered man, and stole out of the
house, locking the door of the bedroom
on the outside and hiding the key. He
declared that he had got into Strange's
room before left the house, and that
for some time after his fear was lest l
should come back. Had 1 done so, the
murder would, in all probability, have
been prevented.
"When the statement made by this
convict had been duly verified, and when
certain references had been made to the
home authorities, l was duly liberated.
That is to say gentlemen, obtained the
royal pardon for having committed o
crime which never committed. And
very sensible l anu, gentlemen, Of the
royal clemencv. Though it seems odd"
"All tickets, gentlemen, all tickets
readyp 7h - Va" 'fI rU
The train had reached the ticket plat
form at Vauxhall ins WI Lg-rttE@
"Ah Yesi" said the little old gentle
man, producing his; "mine's Return
Ticket but it had very nearly been other
wise W-AH the Year Round.