The chaplain of the gaol zealously continued his ministrations, and the unhappy man appeared to profit materially.
He was communicative to his spiritual adviser, and said that he was perfectly satisfied with the verdict of the jury and the sentence which had been passed upon him.
At the same time he declared that he should never have committed the crime for which he was about to suffer had it not been for the spell which had been cast upon him by the “cunning woman,” who he declared was nothing more or less than a witch.
He said he was perfectly assured that he was in her power for months before the commission of the murder, that she it was who caused him to be in Dennett’s-lane when Ellen Fulford met his young master.
Before that she had set Peace on to him, and it had always been a matter of surprise to him that she had not caused him to take Peace’s life, which he believes he should have done had he not left Broxbridge so suddenly.
The superstition and bigotry of the man was one of his most remarkable characteristics.
There were a number of persons who sympathised with the unfortunate misguided man, and a petition was prepared by the industrious Mr. Slapperton, praying for a respite of the culprit.
As is usual in cases of this description a goodly array of signatures was attached to the document in question.
It was not, however, deemed advisable to make Chudley acquainted with the efforts which were being made on his behalf—efforts which, it would perhaps be needless to say, were entirely futile.
The petitions of this nature almost invariably follow a conviction for a capital offence.