The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1879-01-25 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE BANNER CROSS MURDER.  DARING ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.  Charles Peace, the Black'leath burglar, was to have been brought before the magistrates at Sheffield on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mr. Dyson at Banner Cross two years ago, but on his way from Pentonville to Sheffield in the morning he jumped from the window of the railway carriage in which be was travelling. A warder caught his foot, and for upwards of a mile held him struggling, hanging head downwards. At last the convict fell, and when the train was stopped he was found insensible on the line. He has been attended by medical men, and is now recovering, but being unable to go before the magistrates he was remanded.  Another account says: Peace showed great forethought. He selected as the scene of his fresh exploit, the district of Shireoaks and Kiveton Park, every inch of which is familiar to him. He for years travelled that country as a hawker. While the train was running between Biveton Park and Worksop, the window was let down, and Peace stopped in front of it. Suddenly with the agility of a cat, Peace took a " header " and threw himself out of window. The under-warder sprang forward and was just in time to catch him by the left foot. Then he held Peace, head downwards, dangling out of the window, an extraordinary sight to those who happened to be passing at the time. Peace, with his other foot kicked the warder's hands, and struggled most determinedly to get free from the warder's grasp. The chief warder, finding the space too narrow to help his associate in the struggle, seized the rope communicating with the guard's van, and endeavoured to stop the train. Peace, knowing that the window was too narrow to let the other officer get forward, go; more savage and ferocious still, and kicked with great violence. Still the warder clung to him, and for a distance of two miles Peace was hanging head downwards by the carriage side. At last by a supreme effort he managed to wriggle off his boot, which was left in the warder's hands, and the convict fell on the stepboard of the carriage, from which he bounded upon the ends of the sleepers. The train was still travelling very rapidly. The communication cord, however failed to work until a gentleman in the next Aompartmen t, hearing a noise and suspecting something was wrong, managed to pull the rope, and the warders had the satisfaction of hearing the deep " boom " of the gong. The train slackened speed, and the warders got out and ran back up the line for nearly a mile, where they found Peace lying as he had fallen, having evidently received injuries sufficient to prevent his getting away. He was conscious, however, and gave the warders a smile of satisfaction as they came up to him. They found him in the act of trying to wriggle the handcuffs off his wrists. Blood was flowing from a wound in his head. They picked him up, and as the slow train which arrives at Sheffield at 20 minutes past nine was coming up, they signalled it to stop. The convict was put into the guard's van, where for the rest of the journey the warders kept a sharp look out. He asked to be wrapped in a rug, as it was a very cold morning, exclaiming " Oh, my head, oh, my poor head," precisely the same observation he made when he was brought to Greenwich Police-station after his encounter with Police-constable Robinson the morning he was caught. On his arrival at Sheffield an immense crowd awaited the train, but Peace was promptly seized by four officers, conveyed to the van, and was soon at the Police office, where he looked a piteous spectacle.