Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1879-02-22 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE CONVICT PEACE.  A statement has been circulated to the effect that Peace, who is incarcerated in Artaley Gaol under sentence of death, was engaged preparing a written confession of another murder perpetrated by him. On Wednesday the culprit handed to the prison authorities a lengthy statement, in which he confessed to the murder of Constable Cock, at Whally Range, Manchester, on August Ist, 1876, for which a farm labourer, named William Habron, is suffering penal servitude. Peace has also furnished a plan of the locality where the crime war perpetrated. The Manchester Guardian says the statement that Cock, the constable who was shot at Whally Range in August, 1876, met his death under circumstances " which bear a very close resemblance to the affair at Blackheath" is absurdly inconsistent with the facts. There was no robbery, nor any attempt at robbery. The policeman was shot by a person who was in ambush behind a wall bounding the public road, and the presence of William Habron at that place was proved by the peculiar footmarks. The murder was, in fact, unlike anything in which Charles Peace's peculiar handiwork was recognisable. Peace, we may add, even if the report were true, has been anticipated in the 'confession" of the murder. Since the conviction of Hebron the authorities have received more than one letter from persons living in the United States who accused themselves of the crime but_were.careful to give false addresses.  Mrs. Thompson, accompanied by a Mrs. Davis, again applied at Armley Gaol 011 Thursday evening to have an interview with the condemned man Peace. Mr. Keene told her it was no use trying to see the convict. Two of the visiting magistrates were at the gaol on Thursday, and said that it was not desirable she should be allowed to see him, as she was not his wife. They also added that there was a disposition to put every obstacle in the way of seeing him. Peace often spoke of her, Mr. Mr. Keene said, and no doubt would like to see her, but it was thought best he should not. The convict, too, had said that she had spent all his money, and that he had only known her about twelve months. This statement evidently angered Mrs. Thompson, for she said, "Jack has taken to telling lies about me, has he? How is it Hannah had £63 in the bank if I spent all his money ? " Then, growing confidential, she made the following stateliaent to the governor: " Before 1 go I shall put you on your guard. Jack (meaning Peace) has a way of twisting his tongue down his throat and choking himself. That is what he meant by saying that he had in his head that by which he could destroy himself at any time." Mrs. Thompson says that Peace is a coward, and for all his talk is afraid of the scaffold. One of the warders, in conversation with Mrs. Davis, said, "I know that Peace loves that woman; he is very fond of her, and he often talks about her, and wants to see her even now. He is terribly frightened and showing the white feather very much." Mr. Brion, the late partner with Peace in connection with an invention for the raising of sunken vessels, had an interview with the condemned man.  The Central News s. ttes that the confession alleged to have been made by Peace concerning the Whalley Range murder, for which Habron was aenteAced to death—the sentence being afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life—is entirely discredited by the Manchester police authorities, who have received no official communication on the subject. There is reason to believe, however, that Peace was in Manchester at the time, and he is suspected of being concerned in some burglaries near the scene of the murder.