Mr. Littlewood was a little anxious to keep him on the Bannercross murder for a little time, but Peace would have his own way, and he went on.
“I was in Manchester in 1876, and I was there to ‘work’ some house. I went to a place called Whalley Range. I had ‘spotted’ a house there which I thought I could get into without much trouble. I was always respectably dressed. I made a point of dressing respectably because I knew the police never think of suspecting one who appears in good clothes.
“In this way I have thrown the police off their guard many a time. I walked through the streets of Manchester, and occasionally went between policemen who were all the time exercising their brains as to the burglar who had ‘done’ some houses there. On my way to the house that night I passed two policemen on the road. I may tell you I did not go to any house by accident.
“I always went some days, sometimes weeks, before, carefully examining all the surroundings, and then, having ‘spotted’ a likely house, I studied the neighbourhood, both as to the means of getting in and as to getting away. There were some grounds about that house, and my object was to get into these grounds in the dark, and wait a convenient time for getting into the house.
“I missed the policemen, and for a moment I thought they had not suspected me, and had not come my way. I must have been mistaken. I walked into the grounds through the gate, and before I was able to begin to ‘work’ I heard a rustling and a step behind me. Looking back I saw a policeman, whose figure was the same as one of the two I passed on the road, coming into the grounds. He had evidently seen me, urned back and followed.
“I saw I could do no work that night, and then doubled to elude him. For a moment I succeeded, and taking a favourable chance, I endeavoured to make my escape. As quickly as I could I jumped on the wall, and as I was dropping down, and had cleared the premises, I almost fell into the arms of a second policeman, who must have been planted in the expectation that I would escape that way.
“This policeman—I did not know his name—made a grab at me. My blood was up, because I was nettled that I had been disturbed, having ‘spotted’ that house for a long time and determined to do it—so I told him, ‘You stand back, or I’ll shoot you.’ He didn’t stand back, but came on, and I stepped back a few yards and fired wide at him purposely to frighten him that I might get away.
“And now, sir, I want to tell you, and I want you to believe me, that I always made it a rule during the whole of my career never to take life if I could avoid it.”
The convict said this very earnestly, and looked at Mr. Littlewood as if he expected a further reassurance of his faith in him on that score.
“Yes, sir,” he repeated, “whether you believe me or not, I never wanted to take human life. I never wanted to murder anybody. I only wanted to do what I came to do and get away, but it does seem odd, after all, that in the end I should have to be hanged for having taken life—the very thing I always endeavoured to avoid. I have never willingly or knowingly hurt a living creature. I would not even hurt an animal, much less a man.