Mysteries of Police and Crime, Vol. 1 (of 3)Griffiths, Arthur
History
Mysteries of Police and Crime, Vol. 1 (of 3)
Griffiths, Arthur
Crime; Police
He charged these near relatives with having constantly "lain at him"
ever since he was in Mr. Harrison's service, urging him to help them
with money, reminding him how poor they were, and how easy it was for
him to relieve them; he need do no more than give them notice when his
master went to receive his rents, and they could then waylay him and rob
him. Perry went on to say that he met his brother Richard on the very
morning that Mr. Harrison went to Charringworth, and that the brother,
hearing of the rent collection, was resolved to have the money; that
when he (John Perry) started by his mistress's order to bring Mr.
Harrison safely home, he again met his brother Richard, who was lying in
wait at a gateway leading from Campden Churchyard into the "Conygree,"
certain private grounds and gardens of Lady Campden's place. By-and-bye,
having entered this "Conygree," which was possible only to those who had
the key, he found that his master was being attacked; he was "on the
ground, his brother upon him, and his mother standing by." He begged
hard that they would not hurt his master, who was crying, "Ah, rogues,
you will kill me!" but his brother Richard replied: "Peace, peace! you
are a fool," and so strangled him, "which having done, he took a bag of
money out of his (Mr. Harrison's) pocket, and threw it into his mother's
lap," and then he and his mother consulted what to do with the body.
[Illustration: VIEWS OF CAMPDEN AS IT IS NOW.
1. Buildings just inside the "Conygree," where Harrison was said to have
been strangled.
2. The "Great Sink" or Mill Pond into which Harrison's body was said to
have been thrown.
3. Entrance to the "Conygree" (right of the steps).]
It was decided that they should drop it into the Great Sink, behind
certain mills near the garden, and this they did. John Perry told all
this most circumstantially, making it agree with his own movements and
the various facts that had come to light, describing how he had gone
into the hen-roost but could not sleep; how he had taken with him the
hat, band, and comb (and cut the latter with his knife), how he had cast
them down upon the highway where they were found, giving as his reason
that he hoped it might be believed that his master had been robbed and
murdered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account