Year: 1874

The history of English Law contains
few more startling Judicial tragedies
than that to which the statute against
murder owed such humane amendment
as to make the finding and positive
Identification of the body of the slain
person essential to the conviction of the
murderer; and as the same remarkable
case had Il peculiar moral and social
insignifcance for the young lovers of
all times, who, in their passionate de-
votion to each other, are altogether too
apt to disregard the fortunes of every
body else iu the world, it may be
recalled appropriately for modern
reading.


Upon the death of Mr.. George Per
kins, a widower of considerable prop
erty in London, it was found that his
Will appointed a brother of his, living
near Epping Forest, the sole guardian
of his only daughter, and directed that
said guardian should inherit the whole
fortune devised in case his young ward
should die either unmarried or without
children. Implicit confidence in his
brother, who was a middle aged bach
cor of limited means, had of course
inspired the dying man to make such a
will; but a number of family relatives
pronounced the document an extraor-
dinary piece of servile fatuity and
darkly limited that harm would ensue
from it. This feeling caused an aliena-
ton between the occupants of the Ep-
ping Forest residence and the aforesaid
prophets, and made the latter become
the bitterest prosecutors of the dead
mans brother in the strange and tragic
succeeding events which have been
described as follows:


Uncle and niece were both seen one
day walking together in the forest, but
the young lady suddenly disappeared,
and the uncle declared that he had
sought her as soon as he missed her,
and knew not whittier she had gone or
what had become of her. This account
was considered improbable, and appear
ances being clearly suspicious, he was
arrested and taken before magistrate.
Other circumstances. hourly coming to
light, rendered his position serious.
young gentleman in the neighborhood
had been paying his addresses to Miss
Perkins. 1t was stated, and generally be-
lieved, that he had gone, a few days be-
fore she was missed, on journey to
the north, and that she had declared that
she would marry him on his return.
The uncle had repeatedly expressed his
disapprobation of the match, and Miss
Perkins had loudly reproached him
with his unkindness and abuse OF his
authority over her as his ward.


A woman named Margaret Oakes was
produced, who swore that about ii
o'clock on the day on which Miss Per
kins was missed she was passing
through the forest and heard the voice
of a young lady earnestly expostulating
with a gentleman. On drawing nearer
the spot whence the sound came, Mar
paret Oaks testified that she heard the
lady exclaim: Don't kill me, uncle.
don't kill mel" The woman was greatly
terrified, and ran away from the spot.
As she was doing SO she heard the re-
port of firearms. On this combination
of circumstantial and positive evidence,
coupled with the suspicion of interest,
the uncle was tried, convicted of muir
der, and almost Immediately afterward
according to the custom OF those Gays
was hanged.


About ten DAYS after the execution oil
the sentence upon the uncle, the niece
reappeared, and stranger still, showed
by the history she related, that all the
testimony given on the trial was strictly
true. Miss Perkins said that, having
resolved to elope with her lover, they
had given out that he had gone on
journey to the north, whereas lie had
merely waited near the skirts OF the
forest until the time appointed Tor the
elopement, which was the very day on
which she disappeared. Her lover had
horses ready saddled for them both, and
two servants in attendance on horse
back. While waiting with her uncle,
he reproached her with her resolution
to marry a man Of whom he disapproVed'
and, after some remonstances, she pas
sionately exclaimed =,


81 have set my heart upon HIM. III
| don't marry him it will be death 10
me: and don't kill me, uncle, don't XII
mer'


Just as she proclaimed those words
she heard a gun fired, at when she
started, and she asterward saw man
come from among the trees with wood
pigeon in his hand, which he had shot.
Ga approaching the spot appointed 1or
a meeting with her lover, she formed a
pretence to induce her uncle to go on
before her. She then fled to the arms
of her lover, who had been waiting ior
her, and they both mounted their horses
and Immediately rode on. Instead,
however, of going to the north, they
retired to Windsor, and about week
afterward went on tour OF pleasure 10
France. There they passed some
months so happily that in those days,
when newspapers were scarce. "hen
there was no very regular postal COM
munication, and no telegraphs., they
never heard of their uncle's sad tate
until their return to England.


In numerous letters to her family and
friends, the duchess of Edinburgh de,
sGribes her life in England as one OF
perfect happiness. She speaks with
great gratitude of the cordial and
friendly reception she has met with from
all with whom she has come IN contact
the Queen, the royal family, and the