Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16


| this charge Of murder 1 therefore charge
thee once again: Art thou guilty OF this
crime whereof thou art indicted. yea or
nay?'
| land l have confessed"
by whem wilt thou be tried?'
by my Gcd and by my peers"
Before we proceed" continued the ser
geant. what sayest thou. Robert. Duke
Of Wessex. is that which thou hast con-
fessed true?'
And didst thou confess it willingly
and freely OF myself. or was there any
extortion or unfair means to draw it from
thee?'
Surely 1 made that confession freely -
replied the prisoner. without any con-
strant. and that is all true
And hast thou read the dispositions OF
| those who were witness OF thy crime.
and who have added their testimony 10
that which thine accusers. the queen s
commissioners, already know
Il have not read these dispositions. az
there was no one present when Don Mig
| uel died save Ibis murderer-and God!'
AS Wessex made this last bold declara-
ton the queens sergeant turned toward
from that direction, but as nothing came
he continued:
II would have thee weigh we'll what
thou sayest. Thine answers and con-
LESSONS. If spoken truthfuly. will do
much to mitigate the severity of the pun
ishment which thy crime hath called
forth"
IT will make mine own confession re-
torted Wessex with a sudden quick re-
turn to his own naughty manner. Il pray
you teach me not no VITO answer on con-
fess. But because l was not cognizant
whet her my peers did know it all or not,
I have made a short declaration OF my
doings with Don Miguel That is the
truth. my lords he added. addressing mis-
triers and judges on the bench: every
thing else which hath been added con-
trary to mine own confession is a lie and
a perjury, as God is here my witness"
THY confession is but a brief record
Of the fact as the clerk OF the crown will
presently read There is neither circum-
stance nor detail"
And is it for circumstance or detail
that I am being tried?' reioined Wessex.
''or for the murder OF Don Miguel de
suarez to which I hereby plead guilty..
The queens serge ant looked to Sir
Robert Catline for guidance. the lord
chief justice. however. was OF opinion
that the prisoners confession must be
read first. before any further argument
about it could be allowed.
The clerk Of the crown then rose and
began to read
Duke Of Wessex. now prisoner in the
Tower and accused of murder. treason
and felony: made at the Tower OF Lon
don on the 18th day Of October. 1853.
hereby acknowledge and confess that on
the 14th day Of October / did unlawfully
kill Don Miguel. Marquis de Suarez, by
stabbing him in the back with my dag
ger For this murder I plead neither ex
cuse nor Justification. and submit myself
to trial by my peers and to the justice
Of this realm. So help me Cod
The bench. the entire hall. was crowded
with the dukes friends: with the excep-
ton OF the very small faction who
for reasons they deemed good and ade-
the death OF the man at the bar. not
single man or woman present believed
that that confession was an expose OF the
truth. The sergeant himself, the clerk OF
tine crown. the attorney and solicitor gen.
eral who represented the prosecution,
knew that some mystery lurked behind
that mOnstrous self-accusatiCn. But it
was so straightforward. SO categorical.
that unless some extraordinary event oc-
CURED. unless Wessex himself recanted
that confession. nothing could save him
from its dire consequences.
Oh. il IWesseX would but recant. No
one would have disbeieved him then, not
that Tickle, motley crowd surely. who
with its own characteristic inconseQuences
h hea S00oen'S taken the accused 10 us
It's not true, Wessex." shouted a
manly voice from the body Of the hall.
Deny II. deny it, came in a regular
hubbub from the compact mass OF threats
in the rear.
The duke smiled, but did not move.
Lord Rich in his memoirs here points out
that his grace. seemed all unconscious
of his surroundings and like unto a wan
derer In the land Of dreams"
But the confession had aroused the op-
position of the crowd. ii was truly past
honest mems belief: every one murmured.
and some chroniclers aver that there was
a regular tumult, more than encouraged
by the dukes friends. and not checked
even by the lord high steward himself.