“Yours respectfully,
“William Ward.”
The following may be taken as a specimen of another class of letters that were received:—
“Dear Mrs. Peace,—I Hope you Will go and See your Husband Mr. Pease In Reading The Papers I think Hee Is not aware That It was Mrs. Tompson Thot Betraid Him ask Him If He Ever Come To Nottinghamshir with Mrs. Tompson If Mrs. Pease Is Not able To Goo I Hope Some of The Famely Will and Bee Shur and ask Him I Hope God Will Pardon Is Sins Befor The Execusion Takes Plais I Feel Sorry For You all But not For Those Two Wimen I think They Have Led Him To Mor Then He might Hev Don—Yours truly —— I will Right agoin to you.”
Charles Peace, while under sentence of death in Armley Gaol for the murder of Mr. Arthur Dyson, addressed the following letters to his son-in-law and son. They were written on one sheet of paper, the one letter following the other. Both the writing and the spelling were much better than in some previous letters received from the convict. The letters will speak for themselves; and will afford additional proof—if proof were needed—of the sort of man he was.
L. P.—C. 4. H. M. C. P. M. 12—73.
From Charles Peace.
“H.M. Prison, Leeds, 7th February, 1879
“My dear Son-in-law,—I hope this lettr will find you as well as it can do i am Still very week and ill but a little better then i have been You will know well that i have been perged (purjured) against by three persons in Darnall what I wish to say to you is this do not attempt to avenge the wrong that was done to me by Jim and his wife and Mrs. Padmore, for under my Present feelings i feel no imbetterness against no Person in this world, for if i must be forgiven i must forgive. So, My Dear Son, do you Not Commit yourself in either thought, word, or deed against any of these Persons, but in Place of being in their Company do all you Can to avoid them, and this will keep you from doing anything at each other that will be offencive. I do Send you a form of Prayer that I Compiled Myself before i left Pen ton vile Prison.