After his sentence, Hicks seemed to lose that firmness which he had hitherto manifested. His reckless indifference left him, and in place of the stolid look which had marked his face from the time of his arrest, an appearance of deep anxiety gave token that he had abandoned the hope which had supported him, and that dread of his approaching fate, if not remorse for his crimes, had taken possession of him. He seemed to dread being left alone, and often besought his keeper and the warden of the prison to keep him company in his cell. He was frequently found in tears, and on being questioned as to the cause of his grief, expressed a deep anxiety in regard to the future of his wife and child, about fifteen months old. He was often begged to make a free confession of his crimes, and though at first he stoutly denied having anything to confess, he at last sent for Mr. De Angelis, and offered not only to confess the crime of which he stood convicted, but also to give a history of his whole life in detail, from his childhood up to the time of his arrest, on condition that the confession should not be published until the day of his execution, and that all the proceeds arising from its sale should be given to his wife. This was agreed to by Mr. De Angelis, and accordingly, on the 13th of June, that gentleman, accompanied by an amanuensis, visited Hicks in his cell, and there listened to his confession, which is given below in the precise order in which he related it, though not in his own words, his command of language being exceedingly limited. The true spirit of the narrative is strictly preserved, however, and wild, monstrous, and terrible as the details are, there is no doubt of their truth. After Mr. De Angelis and the amanuensis had taken seats, Hicks being seated upon his iron bedstead, proceeded as follows: I can stand it no longer. I had hoped that I should carry the secrets of my life with me to my grave. I never thought that I should sit here in my cell crying like a baby, over the remembrance of the past, or that my heart would flinch at meeting any fate in store for me. I fancied I bore a charmed life, and that having heretofore escaped so many dangers, I should find some loop-hole through which to creep now, or that something would turn up in my favor which would lead to my escape from the mesh into which I had fallen.