“Your Own Sue.”
CHAPTER CLXVII.
THE CONVICT’S CONFESSION.
The Sheffield Daily Telegraph gave the following as the full text of Peace’s confessions to the Rev. Dr. Littlewood, vicar of Darnall:—
When Mr. Littlewood entered the cell he saluted the convict according to the custom he followed when he was chaplain at Wakefield Prison—“Well, my old friend Peace, how are you to-day?”
Peace looked up at him with a wistful glance, and replied, “I am only very poorly, sir,” and then, after averting his face, as if to hide the emotion upon it, he turned round and added, “but I am exceedingly pleased to see you.” Mr. Littlewood said, “I should have been much more gratified, Peace, to have visited you under different circumstances. This is a very sad errand for me to have to attend upon you in such an awful position.”
The convict shook his head and slightly moaned. “But I assure you,” added Mr. Littlewood “that there is at least one person in the world who has deep sympathy with you.”
Peace seemed a little surprised at this, and after some hesitation he asked, as Mr. Littlewood paused, “Who is that?” Mr. Littlewood looked at him intently, and as their eyes met for a moment he added, “It is myself.”
Peace seemed overpowered, muttered the words “I deeply thank you,” and burst into tears. He remained sobbing for a considerable time, his body quivering, his lips moving as if he was muttering something, and altogether he appeared remarkably moved.
That remark, Mr. Littlewood says, made the criminal as humble as a child.