Year: 1875

used as wedge in the handle of that
hammer, Mr.. Steele2" the counsel asked,
handing to the witness the weapon found
near the body of the murdered peddler.


The witness hand shook like leaf as
he reached it out for the hammer, his
cheeks grew deadly pale, his lips became
parched, and though he held the ham,
mer in his hand, his starting eyes were
fixed on his questioner


Anything like that nail" Mr..
O'Brien repeated, calmly looking at the
witness.


eyes, sir" Steele replied at length,
with difficulty.


"Should you say that nail had been
made in Holderness, Mr.. Steele 2"


cit looks like it, sir, was Steele's
reply; -


"Mr. Steele" the counsel said, NOV
ing almost close up to him, and standing
SO that Judge and jury could see both
witness and interrogator distinctly, did
you ever see that hammer before you saw
it in this courtl"


The witness gave gasp, and then re-
covering himself, said:


eyes, sir; 1 saw it in the hands of the
Coroner"


At this juncture there was q disturb
ance in the court, and the officers were
seen striving to prevent young man
from quitting the room.


The young man was Richard Steele,
the blacksmith's son.


"Let me CO." he said, "that's the
damned old scoundrel that did it. He
knows that hammers his well enough.
He knows that he planned the whole
thing and led me into it. I'll turn Kings
evidence; I'll blab the whole story. Let
me go, and I'll hang the old villain,
though he is my father"


The scene that followed cannot be de-
scribed. Suffice it to say that a nOtle
prOSeqti was entered, and Scott was
transferred into an important witness,
Steele and his son being duly indicted
and tried for the murder of the peddler.
Scott swore to the blacksmith's having
taken the nail from the old horse shoe,
remarked that it had been made in Hold
erness, and driven it into the hammer
head as a wedge. The hammer was
furthermore identified as having be-
longed to Steele, and testimony was
given which showed that the blacksmith
and his son were absent from home the
night of the murder, a marketman swear
ing that he passed them near Doncaster,
going in the direction of Vickhill, at
o'clock on the morning of the 21st of
June. But the evidence that settled
their fate was furnished by SCOTS valise,
which they had taken at the time of the
murder instead of the peddler's. 1t was
discovered in the ash heap at the back of
the smithy. Steele and his son were
convicted and sentenced to be hanged,
and both made full confession to the
following effect:


Steele, Sr., resolved on the robbery
and the murder, if needs were, of the
peddler, Immediately after lie discovered
that the man was possessed of a Large
sum of money. After the peddler and
his companion had quilted the smithy,
Steele closed it, and communicated to
his son his design respecting the peddler
The son, who was a prohigate man, as
sented to the scheme. Both were about
to start after the two men and get ahead
of them 10y bride path, but the smith
changed his plan. If they did that they
would have to tackle them both in the
open road and on horseback. The smith
knew the inn to which they were going,
and was well acquainted with the out !
building in which they were to sleep.
He proposed, therefore, that they should
rob the peddler in his sleep, and only
use violence in case it was necessary to
secure their safety. When they entered
the outbuilding the smith went toward
SCOTS bed, while Richard remained near
the door, Finding the man they wanted
was not there, Steele and his son APP
preached the other bed, and found the
peddler asleep, knowing it was he from
his bald head. They tried to remove the
valise on which he slept from under his
head, but he evidently had his hand in
the strap, and the tug awoke him.


The reader knows the rest from the
story told by Scott After the smith and
his son had quilted the room, with what
they supposed was tire peddler's valize,
Steele's mind misgave him, and dread
that Scott had been an observer of the
bloody deed and would recognize the
perpetrators seized him.


He hurried back to the room, resolved
to brain Scott if he found him awake.
On discovering the bed empty, the smith
dropped his hammer in alright, the only
explanation to his mind of SCOTS alb
sence being that he had witnessed the
crime and quilted the place secretly to
give the alarm. The smith and his son
departed panic-stricken, and on reaching
home discovered, to their intense NOR
tifcation and disappointment, that the
valise for which they had murdered
man and exposed themselves to the gal
lows, contained only few old clothes
and a Rih1a Steele and his son were
hanged at York, December 8, 1897.