Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
S Missteps of Justce-Puppet to Lord of Crime

vi 1lllO
the next beat, Girling, to help him In
vestigate. Police Sergt. Brown happened
along. He sent Robson and Girling
to keep watch in the garden in back
of the house. Brown himself went up
to the front door and rang the bell.
In the garden the two policemen
heard the bell and at once the light
in the house went out. A window IN
the dark dining room which was on
the ground floor, opened and a man
stepped into the garden, bundle I'M
der his arm.
Policeman Robinson had a single
track mind. He started after the man
with the bundle and kept going. The
two were about to close IN when the
man turned and, pointing revolver at
Robinson, called out:
stop or I'll shoot"
Robinson did not stop and the man
did shoot. He fired once, twice, three
times. fourth, and still Robinson kept
after him. He fired fifth shot, which
shattered Robinson's elbow, but did not
stop the policeman.
BY this time Robinson had his
clutches on the other. One hand he
Their mischief. The other was busy
warding off a long knife which his
prisoner tried to bring into play. Then
he took a chance with his right hand,
released his hold on the knife ana
brought large, bony fist against the
prisoners jaw.
It was a punch worthy of the spirit
of the man behind 1t. His prisoner
suddenly lost interest in the proceed
ings and by the time the other police
men came up. Robinson also mad LOST
consciousness from loss Of blood.
At the station the bundle was found
to contain valuableS stolen from the
house, The prisoner, who refused to
give his name, was put down as a
mulatto, but it was soon found tnat
his complexion was due to walnut STAIN
used as disguise.
AS if by magic, the epidemic OF bur-
glaries ceased and the authorities put
two and two together. John sWaro
was tried for several burglarles-tney
did not connect him as yet with any.
thing more serious--and was sentenced
to life imprisonment.
Then one day a woman ne mao mis-
treated when he was free man ana
insolent with success decided that she
would no longer live with that rank
ling hatred of him which she had kept
locked up in her heart. She went TO
the police and told them something
they did not already know.
Whereupon Charles Peace was TAKEN
in chains back to a courtroom ano
put on trial again. This time IL wa
for the murder OF Dyson. his stal
was setting fast and Judge pro-
nounced his doom. He was to be
hanged. w !. ,;,,o &, +b,s
world. Peace methodically prepared
himself for the next For his churcn
piety was not merely a mask. he
reaIiv believed in a hereafter and was
afraid of it. If confessing would
TIGHTEN his punishment in the life 10
come he would confess.
He sent for the Rev. Littlewood, the
prison chaplain.
"You will want to take down IN
writing what am about to tell you,
he said to the clergyman. some
years ago I was wandering aoout OUT
side of Manchester when ! spotted a
house that looked as If there were
things in it should like to possess.
studied the grounds and the house and
one night set out to enter IT, had
my revolver ready.
1.-THE night was dark, but on the
gatepost lamp was lit. had lodged
through it, I thought, unseen. But
from the road I heard a voice call
out to me to halt. guessed it must
be the policeman I had observed some
time before. I thought he was safely
elsewhere. but now heard him run
ming after me.
st ran along the wall on the inside
of the grounds, then, jumping over,
landed in the road. It was almost in
the policeman's open arms I found my
self. We grappled but I managed to
tear myself out, of his grasp. I warned
him I would shoot if he moved. He
came fired wide, hoping to brighten
him. But he was nobody'S coward
and plunged after me. fired again.
This time he fell.
"a few days later I read that 1t was
Policeman Cock I had killed and that
william Habron and his brother would
be tried as the men that killed him.
When the trial came ] travelled from
Hull to Manchester to be present.
saw and heard William E2bron SEN
fenced to death.
Fortunately for hinl--and I hope
for me-he is still alive and in prison.
To prove his innocence, go to the Town
Hall at Leeds, where my Heley revol-
yer Is being kept. You will find that
1t used the same No. pinfire car
fridge that was taken from the breast
of Policeman Cock"
For five years william Habron had
been toiling in Portland Prison, brood
ing over injustice, his heart laden with
hopeleSsness and hatred of men and
God. And In the midst Of one of his
blacklist hours the warden came to him
with the news that he was free, a
pardoned man.
William had borne up under adver-
sity, but he collapsed now. It took
him months before he recovered his
health and spirits. The government,
in an effort to make up for the mis-
carriage Of justice in his case, paid
him $500. He was still young. and in
time resumed life in quiet way.
What Charles Peace got out Of his
confession Is, Of course, unknown. He
was hanged soon after.
The End