Year: 1868

conviction that, although that instru-
ment was undoubtedly used to kill the
dead man, it must have been, placed in
his hands after death. Moreover, there
were not only evident marks Cot strug-
( gle about the bed and bedeIothes, but
Strange's throat was cut from right to
left, which'no one could have dome unless
he had been left-handed man. (which
Strange was not. Then, again, the fact
Of the bedroom door being locked, and
the key hid close to where I had break
tasted, told fearfully against me. 1t was
clear that Strange could not by any pos
sibility have. cut his own throat. and
then locked the door of his room on the
outside. .s51t was attempted by my coun-
sci to throw discredit upon this part of
the evidence The learned gentleman
tried very hard to elicit something which
might even lead the jury to imagineth that
the door had been locked after the muir
aer,, and that; some person unknown
had unknowingly let the key drop in
the coffee-room. But it was nof no
avail whatever 1t was clearly proved
that the key had been inside the door
when l went to bed, and that it had
never been seen again until it was found
in the coffee-room. My defense tried
hard to make out that some person like
ly to commit the murder might have
: been in the house on that day, but all of
no use. As the trial went on, even I,
who knew my innocence, could not help
allowing to myself that the evidence,
though purely circumstantial, was very
strong against me. The only points in
my favor were that, on the day of the
murder l was supposed to have commit
ted L travelled up to London, and had
not the least appearance of a man
who had anything on his mind.
Again, Strange was known to have
had on his person gold watch,
and purse containing few sovereigns
and twenty five pound notes, the num-
bers of which latter were ascertained at
the bank of Southampton, where he had
procured them in exchange for bank.
post bill. The watch had been taken,
and was never traced; the sovereigns
had also Disappeared; but the bank notes
had been exchanged at the Bank of Eng
land on the day after the murder, and
before 1, as l fully proved, had any COM
munication whatever with any one in
London. On this last point my counsel
made the most, but it did not help me
much, if anything. The jury retired,
and, after celebrating about half an
hour, returned into court and declared,
through their foreman, that was guilty
of the willful murder of Edward Strange


Gentlemen, man who has gone
through that ordeal-who has heard the
jury pronounce him guilty. of capital
crime, and heard the judge pass sentence
of death upon him-a man, say, gem
tlemen, who. has gone through that or
deal and still lives to tell the tale, may
(or ami presumptuous y be looked upon
as man who has really gone through
what, in these days, would be called a
sensational time. I heard every word
the foreman of the jury said, and found
myself wondering what the. judges
black cap--of which every one has heard
but few haveseen--would be like. Then
Ilwas in a kind of a dream for time,
until | heard the words condemning me
to be hanged by the neck until I was
dead. A sensational effect upon me,
gentlemen. or am 1 presumptuous2 And
will you favor me, sir, with a light?


"ln spite of appearances said this
little old geptleman, smoking with ex-
ceeding relish, smy friends did not be-
lieve me to be guilty of the fearful crime
for which I was to be hanged by the
neck until was dead, in ten days after
the trial. They moved heaven and
earth to obtain a commutation of my
sentence, and, after a great deal of
trouble, they succeeded. At the time
of which l speak, there was in England
temporary, but very strong reaction
against capital punishment. I cannot
recollect all the circumstances of the
case, but in trial for murder two men
had been condemned to death and duly
executed, and, shortly after they had
been hanged by the neck until they were
dead, their supposed victim made his
appearance, well and hearty. The pub


lie press took up the question of not
hanging upon circumstantial- evidence,
and [ benefited to the extent of my life
by the temporary excitement. 1 was
respited, and condemned to transporta-
tion for life, and very shortly, after
wards-for in those DAYS transportation
was infull swing-found myself on my
way out to Van Dieman's land, con
vict 'lifer.' ,e rss.a.. r5a .,.- r. lr-ss-sz


"for seven long years, gentlemen, did
I undergo this punishment for crime of
which l was perfectly innocent. Curl
ously enough, the man who really had
murdered poor Strange, as he afterwards
confessed, wen. out in the same ship
with me-, condemned to seven years
transportation for burglary. He must
have heard me tell my story and declare
my innocence over and over again, for
in the colony we worked long time
together in the same gang. He was af-
forwards assigned to master who lived
near the prison, where had to serve out
my time, as in those days 'lifers,' whose
sentence had been committed for capital
punishment, were never allowed to leave
the chain gangs. But, after three years
in Van Deiman's Land, this real muir
derer took to his, old trade burglary. To
avoid being captured, he fed to the
bush, and on party ofpolice being sent
after the band to which he belonged, he
shot constable in cold blood. He was
captured, sentenced to be hanged by the
neck until he was dead, and two DAYS
before his execution confessed that he
had murdered. at Southampton, a per-
son called Strange, for which offense
another man had been sentenced to
death f


His statemant was taLan down and l.