“Have you” said he, “brought the baby with you?” The daughter replied that she had. “Then,” said he, “Let me look at it.” The mother held the child up to the bars, and Peace exclaimed with much earnestness, “God in heaven bless its little soul.” Peace asked how his wife was, and whether she fretted much. He was told that she was very poorly and in low spirits. “I should like to see her,” he said; “I should like to see her.” He then asked what efforts were being made for his defence, and if they remembered a row that took place one day at Darnall when Mrs. Dyson came out of her house with a “potato masher” and challenged any of the neighbours to fight. They did remember such an occurrence, and he asked that some who witnessed it might be called to speak to it.
Mr. Bolsover told him that Mr. Hutton’s little girl, who carried notes from Mrs. Dyson to Peace, was coming forward.
No. 93.
PEACE GIVING HIS SPECTACLES TO HIS WIFE AS A KEEPSAKE.
The Convict: I am very glad to hear that. Heaven bless her! I hope she will come.
Mr. Bolsover reminded him that two persons were in the ’bus with him and Mrs. Dyson when they rode up to the “Stag” at Sharrow on the night before the Bannercross affair, and told him that one of them would come forward and speak to that fact if he was asked.
The convict was pleased, and said, I hope you will tell Mr. Clegg all about that, and look after that witness.
The convict then alluded to the current version of the circumstances under which he jumped from the express train when on his way to Sheffield, and he said the warders stated that one of them caught him by the foot and held him head downwards for a distance of nearly two miles. Nothing of the sort, he said. Before he left London he made up his mind to jump from the train, and to kill himself if he could. When the train had passed Worksop, he stood up on the footwarmer, put his hands together, and sprang clean through the window. His heels struck the top of the window, and he fell head first on the footboard, and bounded away from the train. He did not remember anything that occurred after that until late in the afternoon. He declared the warder never had hold of his foot—otherwise he could have held him. He had not the slightest intention of escaping; he wanted to kill himself.
Mr. Bolsover told him he understood that the prosecution were going to bring down a gunsmith from London to prove that the bullets found at Blackheath and the bullet found in Mr. Dyson’s head were of the same size.