nvicted William Habron,
but recommended him to mercy. The Judge without comment sentenced him to
death. The Manchester Guardian expressed its entire concurrence with the
verdict of the jury. "Few persons," it wrote, "will be found to dispute
the justice of the conclusions reached." However, a few days later
it opened its columns to a number of letters protesting against the
unsatisfactory nature of the conviction. On December 6 a meeting of
some forty gentlemen was held, at which it was resolved to petition Mr.
Cross, the Home Secretary, to reconsider the sentence. Two days before
the day of execution Habron was granted a respite, and later his
sentence commuted to one of penal servitude for life. And so a tragic
and irrevocable miscarriage of justice was happily averted.

Peace liked attending trials. The fact that in Habron's case he was the
real murderer would seem to have made him the more eager not to miss so
unique an experience. Accordingly he went from Hull to Manchester,
and was present in court during the two days that the trial lasted. No
sooner had he heard the innocent man condemned to death than he left
Manchester for Sheffield--now for all he knew a double murderer.

It is a question whether, on the night of November 28, Peace met Mrs.
Dyson at an inn in one of the suburbs of Sheffield. In any case, the
next morning, Wednesday, the 29th, to his mother's surprise Peace walked
into her house. He said that he had come to Sheffield for the fair.
The afternoon of that day Peace spent in a public-house at Ecclesall,
entertaining the customers by playing tunes on a poker suspended from
a piece of strong string, from which he made music by beating it with
a short stick. The musician was rewarded by drinks. It took very little
drink to excite Peace. There was dancing, the fun grew fast and furious,
as the strange musician beat out tune after tune on his fantastic
instrument.

At six o'clock the same evening a thin, grey-haired,
insignificant-looking man in an evident state of unusual excitement
called to see the Rev. Mr. Newman, Vicar of Ecclesall, near Banner
Cross. Some five weeks before, this insignificant-looking man had
visited Mr. Newman, and made certain statements in regard to the
character of a Mr. and Mrs. Dyson who had come to live in the parish.
The vicar had asked for proof of these statements. These proofs his
visitor now produced. They consisted of a number of calling cards and
photographs, some