After a brief consideration the jury returned a verdict of “guilty, but recommended him to mercy on the ground of his defective intellect.” Sentence of death was passed on him, and he was executed at York.

THE PRISONER’S CONFESSIONS.

A day or two before his execution Dove dictated two long and extraordinary statements of his connection with the “Witchman,” and the part played in the tragedy by this dangerous man, which contrast strongly with the evidence given by Harrison himself, and probably disclose facts which that person was glad to conceal at the time of his examination.

In the first of these statements he details his earlier interviews with the “Witchman” on the subjects of recovering lost cattle, removing strange noises from his house, and the bewitching of his live stock, in which Harrison appears to have played off on him the common tricks of his trade. His confidence in this fellow was unfortunately largely increased by his prophecying that Dove’s father would die before a certain Christmas Day—he died on Christmas Eve—and led him to consult the “Witchman” about his wife when he first conceived his violent hatred towards her.

“About August, 1855,” he says, “I had some unpleasantness with my wife, and went over to Harrison at Leeds, told him of it, and he promised to make it all right. He told me I must let him know by letter how things went on. In two days after this I wrote him that my wife was no better, and that he must do something to make peace. I sent this by Fisher, a porter at the railway station, to post. Mrs. Dove knew I had written, but not what about. She therefore sent the servant to Fisher, got back the letter, took out what I had written, and put in a blank sheet.[89] I did not know this at the time, but, hearing some whispering, wrote another letter, and posted it myself about two o’clock. At three I went myself to Harrison, who told me he had received a blank sheet, and asked why, and I told him. I then informed him of the unpleasantness and unhappiness with my wife, and he said ‘You will never have happiness till she is out of the way.’ I said ‘How do you know that.’ He said ‘Come upstairs and I’ll tell you, for I’ve got your nativity marked out.’ [Upstairs he showed him a paper with the signs of the Zodiac, and hieroglyphical forms and numbers, which he describes at length.] Harrison then read out of a book my destiny. Between twenty-seven and thirty-two all would go against me. I should have nothing but misfortunes; that at thirty-two the sun and moon would come into conjunction, and then everything would be in my favour; that at thirty-two I should lose my wife, marry again, and have a child, and an addition to my fortune; and that for my sake he did not care how soon it was here, for until then I should never be a happy man; that after ‘thirty-two’ everything would go well for a few years. He made other remarks as to different periods of my life.”

Then follow the usual enquiries about the kind of person that was to be his second wife.

“I saw Harrison again in November about my wife’s temper. He said never mind, ‘she will die before the end of February or March, I am not certain which.’ When he told me my wife would die soon I said ‘You have told me before she would die at thirty-two.’ He replied ‘Before thirty-two, but I did not say how much before.’ In a few days afterwards (after December 21) I went to the ‘New Cross Inn,’ and Harrison came in with a newspaper and read about Palmer’s case. I then asked him whether strychnia could be detected, and he said ‘No, nor any other vegetable poison.’ I then said ‘What other vegetable poisons are there that cannot be detected? and he said ‘Digitalis, belladonna, particularly if crystallised; he could not remember more then.’ I then asked him to get or make me some strychnia, as we were much annoyed in our new house with cats, but he refused. I told him I would get some elsewhere.

“I went to him again in January last about my wife. I told him about my wife’s temper and her being poorly then, and he again said, ‘She won’t live long; she will never get better. As I told you before, she will die in February.’

“I had no further communication with Harrison until the 6th of March, when I sent for him to the ‘New Cross Inn,’ and told him my wife had died, and that an inquest was to be held. He asked, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘My wife died very suddenly, and Mr. Morley cannot account for it, and it is known that I had strychnia in the house. Mr. Morley thinks some may have been spilt, and my wife got at it accidentally.’ I then said, ‘You told me strychnia could not be detected, but I have seen in the Materia Medica that it can;[90] what is your opinion now? Can a grain to a grain and a half be detected, for there is a great difference on the subject? Professor Taylor says it cannot be detected twenty-four hours after death in the human body.’ Harrison said, ‘What, have you poisoned your wife?’ I replied, ‘No, I should be very sorry to.’ Nothing more passed then.

“On Friday, the 7th, whilst the inquest was going on, I went to the back door of Harrison’s house, about 3 P.M., and said to him ‘that several witnesses had been called, and I was suspected of poisoning my wife,’ and added, ‘How will the case go?’ He said, ‘It will be a very difficult case, but I can get you out.’ I said, ‘You only say you can; but tell me, will you?’ and he replied, ‘Set yourself altogether at rest; I will.’”