The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-08-06

heavy head, ticketed as that of "JohT
Platts "-executed in 1S47 for the muir
der of one George Coils. of Chesterfield
acquires factitious interest from the
fact that the identical rope which
hanged the original is looped over the
gas pendant in the center of the room
The halters connected with the othel
casts are also preserved in the museum
but this one chances to have the place
of honor. The curator calls our atten
ton to the thinness of the rope-abou
FIVE eighths of an inch only-in compar
ison with that at present used, which j:
nearly or quite an inch in diameter
He further points out that the rope i;
much shorter than that now in use
Under the old regime it was an ever
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 the condemned man, and the cap
tall conical affair like a large cotton
night-cap, but of double material-for
drawing over his heal at the supreme
moment. These three items, the halter,
the pinioning gear and the cap, consti-
tute the complete ''hangman' kit. "
Sergeant Bradshaw informs us, not with
out touch of regret, that Mr.. 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 Mr.. 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
Dicklocks and skeleton-keys; the gimlet,
muffied in an India-rubber casing; the
handy little Jenny" the crucble for
melting down his spoils; and last, but
not least, his ladder" a simple wood
en- cOntrivance. 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-floor window. So
original is the cOntrivance that until
Peace himself revealed its object, the
police were quite at loss to imagine
its use. Here. too, are the inventors
blue spectacles and his artificial arm
n anf cft
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-
nation for his exploits; and after some
daring burglary, wherein the activity of
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 piece out
of the artificial arm, and in some OBJ
scure corner of the universe doubtless
dazzles his kinsfolk and acquaintances
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 Mr.. Dyson, at Ban
nercrOSS. near Sheffield, and after de-
termined attempt to escape by jumping
from a railway train, was executed at
Leeds on the 25th of February, 1879. A
carte de Uistte of Peace, taken by the
StereoScopic Company, is preserved in
the catalogue, and should be valuable
example to the student of physiognomy;
the high forehead, deep-set eyes and
bulldog lower jaw indicating a singular
combiRatiOn-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 to
the stock-in-trade ofleSs notorious burg
lars. Here is miniature dark lantern,
manufactured by some ingenious
scoundrel out of one of BRYANT &
Mays three-penny tin match-boxes.
''To such base uses may we
come at lastr' The bulls eye is
mere bit of window-gIass, oval
in shape, and so small that the opera
tor can, when necessary, mask it with
his thumb, no slide being used. The
light-giving power of such lantern
must naturally be small, but it is prob
ably quite sufficient to enable the burg
lar to avoid stumbling over tables and
chairs or to illuminate key-hole.
Here are the working tools of Wright
and Wheatley, the Howton burglars,
now undergoing penal servitude, Wright
being condemned for life. Wheatley for
twenty years. Each carried revolver;
that belonged to Wright, with which he
shot at and wounded two of the police.
being stamped British COnStabulary.
a queer illustration of the irony of fate,
and of the proverb, al engineer hoist
with his own petard." Each of these
practitioners carried his tools in q sort
haversack slung at his side. A later
expert, captured in the act of an at
tempted burglary at the British Mu-
scum in 1884, took bolder course, and
carried his implements-also here pre-
served-in an ordinary carpenters tool
basket, over his shoulder. This gem
tleman affected the early morning for
his exploits, and unless caught in the
very act, would naturally be taken for
a harmless British workman going
about his lawful vocation.
As might perhaps be anticipated, we
find here an ample collection of crow
bars or 'jemmies" of various descr,p-
tons. These formidable appliances are
made, it appears, in regular gradations