ed
very much older. Peace had lost one of his fingers. He said that it had
been shot off by a man with whom he had quarrelled, but it was believed
to be more likely that he had himself shot it off accidentally in
handling one of his revolvers. It was to conceal this obvious means of
identification that Peace made himself the false arm which he was in the
habit of wearing. This was of gutta percha, with a hole down the middle
of it into which he passed his arm; at the end was a steel plate to
which was fixed a hook; by means of this hook Peace could wield a fork
and do other dexterous feats.

Marked man as he was, Peace felt it dangerous to stay longer in Hull
than he could help. During the closing days of the year 1876 and the
beginning of 1877, Peace was perpetually on the move. He left Hull for
Doncaster, and from there travelled to London. On arriving at King's
Cross he took the underground railway to Paddington, and from there a
train to Bristol. At the beginning of January he left Bristol for Bath,
and from Bath, in the company of a sergeant of police, travelled by
way of Didcot to Oxford. The officer had in his custody a young woman
charged with stealing L40. Peace and the sergeant discussed the case
during the journey. "He seemed a smart chap," said Peace in relating
the circumstances, "but not smart enough to know me." From Oxford he
went to Birmingham, where he stayed four or five days, then a week in
Derby, and on January 9th he arrived in Nottingham.

Here Peace found a convenient lodging at the house of one, Mrs. Adamson,
a lady who received stolen goods and on occasion indicated or organised
suitable opportunities for acquiring them.

She lived in a low part of the town known as the Marsh. It was at
her house that Peace met the woman who was to become his mistress and
subsequently betray his identity to the police. Her maiden name was
Susan Gray.

She was at this time about thirty-five years of age, described as
"taking" in appearance, of a fair complexion, and rather well educated.
She had led a somewhat chequered married life with a gentleman named
Bailey, from whom she continued in receipt of a weekly allowance until
she passed under the protection of Peace. Her first meeting with her
future lover took place on the occasion of Peace inviting Mrs. Adamson
to dispose of a box of cigars for him, which that good woman did at a
charge of something like thirty per cent. At first Peace gave himself
out to