and said, "Good-bye, Sam," to which his brother answered, "Good-bye,
God bless you, Joe boy. Oh! dear, dear," Joseph continued: "I hope
everybody will do well," and as he finished speaking the drop fell, and
together the brothers expiated their crime.
_Richard Davies._
Another case in which "the one was taken and the other left" was the
Crewe murder case, in which Richard and George Davies were found
guilty of the murder of their father, with a strong recommendation to
mercy on account of their youth. So far as could be made out, there
was absolutely no difference in the degrees of their guilt; but the
sentence of George was commuted to penal servitude simply because he
was the younger. At this there was great excitement throughout the
country, and thousands of telegrams and petitions were poured into
the Home Office, begging that the leniency might be equally extended
to both since the guilt of both was equal. But all to no purpose. The
condemned lad protested, to his last moments, that although he took
part in the murder, he never struck his father nor handled the hatchet
with which the deed was done. He wrote most affectionate letters to his
mother, brothers and sisters; who seemed to fully believe the truth
of his statements with regard to his share in the crime. Ten minutes
before his death he wrote out the same declaration and handed it to the
chaplain. He stated that he had no wish to live, but that he hoped and
expected to meet his relations in heaven. When I entered his cell he
was pale, but calm. After pinioning him his face seemed still paler and
his mouth worked convulsively as he strove to keep back his emotion.
Along the corridor he walked firmly, with bent head, but when we
reached the yard where a fresh breeze was blowing and the blue sky was
visible, he raised his head and eyes for a last look at the world and
the sky. He died firmly, with a brief prayer on his lips.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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