The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-08-06

nearly or quite an inch in diameter.
He further points out that the rope is
much shorter than that now in use.
Under the old regime it was an even
chance whether the criminal died by
strangling or by dislocation of the neck;
whereas, by the present more merciful
''long drop" the neck is invariably dis
located, and death is practically instan-
taneous. Together with the halter are
seen the cords-now replaced by a
leather strap-for pinioning the arms
of tie condemned man, and the cap
a tall conical affair like a large cotton
night-cap, but of double material-for
drawing over his head at the supreme
moment. These thresitems, the halter,
the pinioning gear and the cap, consti-
tute the complete ''hangman's kit"
Sergeant Bradshaw informs us, not with
out a touch of regret, that MI. Mar
wood, on paying his last visit to the
Museum, promised to present to it the
ropes with which the murderers of Lord
Frederick Cavendish and MI. Burke
were executed. but died without having
redeemed his promise.
From the appliances of the hangman,
we pass by an easy transition to the
last relics of the late Mr.. Charles Peace,
which rank among the chief lions of the
collection. Sergeant Bradshaw shows
US, handling them 'tenderly, as if he
loved Them" the working tools of the
venerable miscreant, the neat little
picklocks and skeleton-keys; the gimlet,
muffied in an India-rubber casing; the
handy little Jenny" the crucible for
melting down his spoils; and last, but
not least, his ladder" a simple wood
en continuance. folding into so small a
compass as to go into an ordinary
handbag. and yet, when extended, af-
fording ample foothold for the cat-like
prince OF burglars" as he is called, to
climb up to a first-f1oor window. So
original is the contrivance that until
Peace himself revealed its object, the
police were quite at a loss to imagine
its use. Here, too, are the inventors
blue spectacles and his artificial arm
a leather stump.with a hook in it
| worn for the purpose of disguise, the
real arm lying snugly within the coat.
The secret of Peace having so long kept
out of the hands of the police is that
he had no accomplices, but worked en-
tirely alone. Under cover of his dis
guise he collected the necessary infor-
" hlo OAplOlbo II oOl1O
daring burglary, wherein the activity of
a practiced gymnast had been displayed,
the last person to be suspected was the
little one-armed old man with the blue
| ~spectacles. Wonderful are the ways of
hero worshipers. Some eccentric
relic-hunter has actually cut a piece out
of the artificial arm, and in some OBJ
scure corner of the universe doubtless
l do0Dfac bic ISDef1I n.I Aa0rrnfona ao
by the exhibition of a veritable bit of
leather formerly belonging to a deceased
burglar and murderer. The reader may
remember that Peace, after having es-
capped the consequences OF many pre-
vious crimes, was convicted of attempt
ing the life of a policeman, and of the
actual murder Of a Mr.. Dyson, at Ban
nercross, near Sheffield, and after q de-
termined attempt to escape by jumping
from a railway train, was executed al
Leeds on the 25th of February, 1879. A
carte de Uisite of Peace, taken by the
Stereoscopic Company, is preserved in
the catalogue, and should be a valuable
example to the student of physiognomy'
the high forehead, deep-set eyes and
bulldog lower jaw indicating a singular
combination-fully verified in the life
of the man-of strong intellectual pow
er and force of will, unbalanced by cor.
responding moral qualities.
From the Peace collection we pass tc
the stock-in-trade of less notorious burg
lars. Here is a miniature dark-lantern
manufactured by some ingeniou.
scoundrel out of n of Bryant &
Mays three-penny tin match-boxes
ITO such base uses may WI
come at last!' The bulls eye is
mere bit of window-glass, ova
in shape, and SO small that the opera
tor can. when necessary. mask it witt
his thumb. no slide being used. TIL,
light-giving power of such a Lantern
must naturally be small, but it is prob
ably quite sufficient to enable the burg
lar to avoid stumbling over tables an
chairs Or to illuminate a key-hole.
Here are the working tools of Wrigh
and Wheatley, the Howton burglars
now undergoing penal servitude, Wrigh
being condemned for life, Wheatley TO
twenty years. Each carried a revolver
that belonged to Wright, with which b
shot at and wounded two of the police
being stamped British Constabulary,
q queer illustration of the irony of fate
and of the proverbial engineer hois
with his own petard." Each of thes
practitioners carried his tools in a sor
haversack slung at his side. A late
expert, captured in the act of an al
tempted burglary at the British MI
scum in 1884, took a holder course, an
carried his implements-also here pre-
served-in an ordinary carpenters toe
basket, wei his shoulder. This ger
, f1anoon ofTontoH tho oorlu nnorninrp Fl
his exploits, and unless caught in tn
very act, would naturally be taken fo
a harmless British workman goin
about his lawful vocation.
! AS might perhaps be anticipated, "
find here an ample collection of GROW
bars or 'jemmies" of various descril
lions. These formidable appliances al
made, it appears, in regular graduation
of size, the three largest being know
as the '.Lord Mayor" the alderman
and the Common Councilman" Th
Lord Mayor is four feet three inches j
length, and is only used on great occs
sions, say, the breaking open of a stron
, room or very heavy safe. The specime
here shown was used in what is know
as the Hatton Garden burglary in 1885,
by Smith and others. The Alderma
is three feet three inches in length; th
r Common Councilman about two inche
!, shorter, and, as BELTS its lower dignity
/ not quite SO stout. Whatever may b
SAID as to the projected reform of tn
city of London, our readers will agre
D with US that the sooner this corporate
< is abolished the better. Passing dow
e ward from the Common Councilman
t we come ultimately to the pocket
jemmy-James the less, in more r
spectful language-which is abo'
twelve inches in length. The Blac
Museum specimen is Of finely tempere
steel. and hinged so as to fold in hal
in which condition a curate might carr
n it in his breast-pocket without excitin
n suspicion. The larger sizes divide I'M
two or three lengths, which are screw
4o~a+lo. =ulaa -S.u;.ad e. -