Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-06
a MURDEEER's WARNING.
Extraordinary Biography Of Condemned
British Ruffian.

oi4t46u AsuIudus
The English papers publish long and
curious statement made by one Thomas
Fury, alias Wright, alias Cort, after being
found guilty at Durham asaizes OF the will
full murder of a woman of ill-fame, named
Maria Fitzsimmons, at Sunderland, in 1869.
Sentenced to fifteen years penal servitude
for robbery and attempted murder in Nor
wich, in 1879, he voluntarily accused him
self of the murder of the woman Fitz.
simmons. He was put on his trial and
found guilty. Fury manifested the keen
est desire to be convicted, and received the
sentence of death with the utmost satisfac-
tion. His autobiographical statement is a
psychological curiosity and not without
public interest as a contribution to the
study of crime causes" The following
extracts give the main part of his history.
He says
Although my past career, as both a
thief aud a liar, would NOT, under ordi-
nary circumstances, entit.e me to receive
any credit in regard to my statements, yet,
as now | stand before you for the last time
as dying, or rather dead man, | beg
your attention to the few words now ad-
dress to you-not for my own benefit, but
for your own. Every cause must have an
effect, and every effect an antecedent cause,
or series of causes. ] stand before you
now as the resultant of the forces Of per-
suasion, example and cornpulsion and
Maria Fitzsimmons, whom | murdered
thirteen years ago, was another of those
terrific results. The injustice of the land
laws in Ireland caused my relatives to join
Rbbonmen, and leave their country, and
then induced ny I8other to come to
England to reet my father. Per-
haps crime 80 hereditary IN my
case-another fact 80 strengthen Dar-
wins and HDtlay's theories. do
not know nor have | heard of but one
member on either side OF our family that
was not strongly addicted to drinking My
father was Grunkard-my mother was
forced to become one-held down by her
nearest relatives while they poured rum
down her throat until she promised to be
sociable. As regards myself, know that
| was Taying drunk before l was eight
years Of age. One OF the reasons for giving
myself up is to get rid of that craving for
drink for which, in my case at least, ex-
tiuction is the only cure. | shall be quite
recouciled TO die a thamef ful and dishonor-
a0le death-in fact, feel happy If by my
fearful doom some, few at least, may be
warned by the dreadful example | have
become to avoid that habit while they have
yet strength to resist it.
'' was early initiated into the accursed
habit, aud it was more fully developed
during four years spent among seamen,
who seemed TO think that drink IS the
sumnum bonum of human life. After this
it was my fate to have to spend more
Than four years in prison. Upon my dig
charge, and obtaining another ship, | de-
termined rot to drink Upon the mate
offering me my share Of the beer | ciyilly
declined it, receiving a storm of abuse in
return, accompanied with on order to
leave the ship and 20 ashore if did not
like to drink Thirty miles from home,
without a penny in my pocket, what was
/ to do? I saw the good, the evil | had to
follow. | drank the beer, was praised for
being q man, and the result thereirom, as
if human blood had been given TO tame
tiger, was, that drink was all that lived
for; for this only did | work for it
neglected my duty to myself, my mother
and my employers for 1t / again became
a thief by using money intrusted to mo
by shipmates for, by and through it
now stand before you as the murderer OF a
woman.
ait would only be waste Of time TO
detail all the other crimes | have been
guilty of since February, 1863. while under
the Influence Of drink mostly crimes of
violence. One Of the effects Of drink upon
me is an Irresistible desire to do injury,
even though they may have given me no
provocation Ouce l threatened my mother
with knife, shame being the only cause OF
not executing the threat. ! have been in
prison more than thirteen years, extending
over period Of eighteen years. During
that time have spoken to many hundreds
of prisoners, and only met one who had
been an abstainer previous 20 his convic.
tion. And il any of you have the slightest
feeling OF pity or COMMUNICATION for that
poor unfortunate woman whom | killed in
my stupid, mad, drunken fury, and for
others-not only oil her class, but Of every
other ciass-let me beg OF you who call
yourselves Englishmen TO try, by will,
word, act and Influence, to Danish those
habits, tastes and customs which are the
sources OF so much misery, vice and crime.
Upon my return from China in 1868 |
was reduced to a state Of the most extreme
poverty / fell in with some habitusl
criminals, who, perceiying my necessities
and inexperience, easily persuaded me to
join them. With them 1 was concerned in
several burglsries, each of which was
marked out previously by man in the
employ OF an officer in the police, com
monty called putter-up and mark
This man induced me to bring part Of the
proceeds of one Of the burglaries upon me
into -- district. When the officer ap-
pretended me, by threats Of imprisonment
and promises Of obtaining employment for
me that l might live honestly, he induced
me to entice my companions with their
tools upon them into his district, where
they were apprehended He did not fulfill
his promises to me, but gave me every in.
duoement to draw other criminals into bis
district in order to profit by their crimes
! avoided them and tried to obtain work,
but unsuccessfully, and at last took TO
burglary on my own account. Being at last
detected, and sentenced TO penal servttude,
when my time expired, to avoid the
police | again went to sea, and thus was
led to Sunderland, to meet and murder