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;^ jTJNJBia, 18^6.] THE LEAI)EB, 557
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PALMER AT STAFFORD. (From our Special Co...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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( Iiterial Parliament. V. ¦ ¦ ' - : ¦ - ...
tend 8524 . With reference to these , he would remark that r on account of the time these pupil teachers are under instruction , many -were included in the return of laat year , who had been apprenticed in preceding j ^ ears . $ he increase of the vote this year was to be attributed j » ' the augmented number of schools , schoolmasters , scholars , pupil' teachers , and other departments of the educational staff . Some extension Tiad also been made in the'cap itation grants for the current year , involving an increase of 28 , 000 / . in the expenditure ; and a few granta of a novel character had been added , including one for the improvement of industrial and reformatory schools .
. Sir John Pakutgton made some remarks in favour of a more definite and comprehensive scheme of national education .- *—Mr . Barxes , in moving that the vote be reduced to the same amount as last year complained that the education provided by the public money is not enjflyed by the . children of the classes for whom it is intended , and that parents are indifferent as to sending their families . —Mr . Milker Gibson , though regretting that the aid of the state should still be withheld from schools conducted on the secular principle , would oppose the amendment , because , he did not wisli to restrict the operation of the system . —A similar course was taken by Mr . W . J . Fox for the same reasons . —Mr . Liddell wished to see the salaries of the pupil teachers raised . -r-Mr . Milks thonght the present system susceptible of many improvements . —Mr . Edward Ball , supported the amendment , as he conceived the sum proposed was much too large . —Mr . Crossley also approved of the amendment , and complained of the unequal appropriation of the grant , four-fifths of which , he observed , are monopolised by schools under the supervision of the Church of England . —Approval of the increased vote , With ( tnTT 10 j"kfT ? AS » f isvna 4 r \ nninfc r \& / latnii ?« + ! - »* - » nl ^ i- * ««»•_ ¦ ¦ vvi wuviv / mj |/ viiib \ vkull lllu \ JAtl 1
•*»>*» w « a . ~ w vu > J J A . u * ** * -A . UUsued by the Committee of Council , were expressed by Sir Stafford Northcote , Mr . Alcock , and Mr . Henlet ; and ultimately , after a brief reply from Sir George Grey , the amendment was withdrawn , and the vote was agreed to . . On the House resuming , the Oxford University Bill was considered as amended in committee . The West India Loans Bill and the Aldershott Camp Bill were respectively read a third time , and . passed . _ , The House adjourned at a few minutes before two o ' clock .
;^ Jtjnjbia, 18^6.] The Leai)Eb, 557
;^ jTJNJBia , 18 ^ 6 . ] THE LEAI ) EB , 557
Palmer At Stafford. (From Our Special Co...
PALMER AT STAFFORD . ( From our Special Correspondent . ) Stafford . June 12 . 185 G .
— j _ j _ Paris danced on the edge of a volcano ; Stafford proposes to eat , drink , and make merry on the eve of an Execution . Publicans hope to sit at the receipt of custoih while a great criminal is preparing for his last drop . Rounds , of beef have been provided that for size would not disgrace a hippopotamus , and perhaps equally tender . ] B [ i 8 own peculiar honours , too , will be paid to bold Sir John Barleycorn . Nor will any man , -with money in Bis pocket , be compelled to pass the night of expectation in dull sobriety . It is not often that such felicitous occasions present themselves—when they do they must be duly improved . Similar preparations are being blade in , family and commercial hotels , though on a icale commensurate with their greater importance . Implentur veteris Dacchi pinguisquc JiriiKc—they are manufacturing their wines and laying in supplies of ham . The extortions practised by the Londoners during the three glorious nights of " blazes" are to bo expiated in Stafford . Mendacious fame relates in a stage whisper how sixty beds have already been engaged at tho " Dodo" for a pound a piece , while the narrow sofa and uneasy chair are each valued at a crown . In vino veritas . Writing from the comfortable hostelry yclept the "Vine , " your correspondent must turn a deaf ear to such Pactolian fables , und confine himself to unpoetic { acts . There will be no difficulty in procuring accommodation for Friday night . Many thousands will no doubt be poured into the town , but of these very few will oi ii
mtc ^ cuiiciiiaiij iithi . « £ u . nt ; <* . iititu ui jiuiiuui ( " What made you think so ?" " Oh , he U 3 < d to come to a house where I was barmaid , down the Walworth-road . He used to order a private parlour . Sometimes a thin , light-haired young gentleman came to see him ; and one or two others . " " Well ! but what had that to do with his honour ? Everybody pays for his room and his beer , not because he likes to do it , but because he must . " " Yes ; but one day he said to me , ' Mary /' saj's ho , ' I'll lay you 15 to 1 in half-crowns thut such a lior . se wins . ' ' Anything you please , sir , ' says 1 . So said , so done . I thought no more about it , till one day he comes in all smiling like , and counts out fifteen half-crowus , one by one ; and , says he , ' Mary , you have won the bet . There ' s your money . ' Now that ' s what I call honourable , and 3 'ou won ' t make me believe he ever did no murder . " Again : on arriving at this place late at night and obtaining a bed near the station , your correspondent naturally fell into conversation with the waitress , who brought him a cup of privet-leaf tea . The maiden —so to speak—was warm in her praises of William Palmer . lie was a perfect gentleman , very kind , and so liberal , he never seemed to earn about the change . " Whs he civil-spoken ? " " Oh , yes , sir ; he was "—( hesitating )— "just such another as you , sir . " Tho ambiguous compliment stopped further conversation . On the subject of compliments , a very doubtful ono took ino
^ " . c * v ^* , buiuiigf c » o nuiniug vjii <> moral treadmill . And their aspects were gloomy , like dwellers in the regions of sorrow . Sadly your correspondent gazed on the careworn grubs , who , crawling in the artificial light of coloured lamps , deemed themselves butterflies disporting in the rays of the sun , and mistook the smell of gin for the aroma of flowers . Then a perambulant sj ^ ren approached him , and said : " Why so grave to-night ? You look as if you were going to be hanged with William Palmer . " " Peace be with him !" " So say I . I am sorry for him , poor fellow . I knew him well . " " You knew him ? Come . Tell me all about him . What can I offer you ?" " Well ! I don ' t mind a glass of brandy-and-water ; but I can ' t tell you much , except that he was a very
ever uream oi retiring io rest . a no majority a |; umtors are not expected to arrive before niidniyht , and by two or three o'clock in the morning every avenue to the gaol will certainly be crowded . It is doomed probable that at least 50 , 000 persons will bo assembled within sight of tho scaffold . To preserve order in this excited and heterogeneous host , 120 policemen will be stationed at the most commanding points , and strong barricades are to be erected to prevent undue pressure und to break tho force of the mob . Immediately in front of tho Lodgegate tho gallows-tree will roar its unhallowed form , visible to a considerable distance on either nido . Within a few yards and nearly opposite ) , workmen aro busily occupied in constructing a gallery for tho representatives of tho press , who are greatly beholden to Major Fulford , tho governor of the gaol , for his uniform courteay and considcrateness . Facing tlio long , dull , rod-brick wall , that keeps out hope , but ohiits in shame , sorrow , and despair , stands a neat row of cottages with small gardens in front , now groen with beans , cabbages , and cauliflowers , bordered with the homely daisy or tho Jaunty London-prido . To-morrow prido will have a fall . Cabbage and cauliflower must give way to rows of benches , blossoming with " a bold peasantry , their
place , yesteruay . ( V uuu reconnoitring piace reserved for tho press , an unknown voice exclaimed , in a too familiar accent : " Wool , sir , I ' m thinkin' he'll gang to Auld Scratch . " " A uld Scratch ! Ah ! a Caledonian divinity , I presume ?" " I dinna ken what ye mean by a Oauledonian docveenity , but if yo're pokin' yer fun at inc , ye'll get yer heed crackit as weel as yer jokes . " "No offence , my good man . Come , let us have some beer , and don ' t look so savage . Perhaps you'd prefer a drap of mountain dew from your native heath V " " Eh ! that ' s weol said , my mon . And sac ye kenn'd I waur Scotch . Wool u weel ! It ' s jist on twuF year sin ' I came o ' er tho Ilordcr . Ye maun line- an unco guid lug o y our iiin . l $ ut may bo yo ' re frao tho North yer ain bcI' ?" Apropos to the North . It is said that a letter has been received from Auld liickio declaring the intention of the writer to bo present at tho execution , with a view to shoot tho hangman . Iinn ^ inj ( Jhi \ vnio throwing away liia money on huoIi a philanthropic piece of Quixotism ! ltathcr is it credible that that man wna a true Northern who offered hia services gratuitously . True , he would
J . H j . « s . ^ o uuv . ^ g . u » v » Xr J m ^ S policy on Walter Palmer ' s life . This sum of money would have relieved the guilty mnn from his most urgent liabilities . His friend's death would not then have been necessary for his temporary extrication . But the office dared him to proceed , against them ; and to gain a few days' breathing-time he took the life of his most confidential associate , lias not Mrs . Walter Palmer a claim on the office for this policy , now that the grand jury has ignored the bill against William Palmer ? Walter Palmer ' s death was certainly accelerated by gin , but then his intemperance was of old date , nnd well known to the ofliee . However , this is not to the point . It is more appropriate to mention that this morning tho Kev . Thomas Palmer , tho solicitor , and ( icorgo Palmer , took leave of their wretched brother . Tho Vicar of Uugeley has also been with him , but with wh ; tt success is not known . According to report , the family intend to fix their future residence in Italy . Will they take the vows in olden fashion , as . uime the tonsure , and make ait edifying end ? The poor little boy , at least , an yet enjoys the bliss of ignorance . Some day the terrible tale must reach his ears , and then he will bu fain to proceed to America and content himself with the oflice of President . But it ! .- » no matter for idle jesting . The child is now in bad hands , though no doubt kindly treated . He is living with his grandmother , under tho moral surveillance of the noted . Jeremiah . One of the most impressive incidents connected with it ? - , - . 1 1 . ? _ J -.. _ -- .... ... 1 ) rwl Bk « kiiVi l * nf lll"ll t *\ £ I ft 1 LJ Ihlfl £ \ £ \ It W ^ fl ¦* naillll tiui _
i LIM . S Sad IllSLOry , \\ tin X fllllin r > ia * man | rs <*\* u «« - his condemnation . It li . nl Htrnck midnight . Not a star was to be seen . Tho ruin fell drizzling and damp . Tho prisoner walked from Llio station to tho gaol in tho midat of some . sixteen or twuuty policemen , and followed by a multitude of people in nohiirin silence . Not a sound was heard but tho occasional clank of tho chains nnd the measured step of this crowd , impressed into discipline . So still wero tho streets , that two sighs wore heard to escape from Palmer m he passed the house of tho vonorablo Dr . Knight , the kind-hearted guardian of his wife , whore the few happy moments of his troubled career wero passed . Tho . sound was so mournful that many sobbed audibly , and tho crowd melted away . Friday Afternoon . Time presses , whilo matter hourly accumulates . It is impossible to preserve any sort of method . All that can be done is to jot down each particular as it rises on the recollection . At eight o ' clock precisely tho prison-boll will toll ns tho procession sets out from tho inner compartment of tho building . Walking slowly to tho gate , tho prisoner will ascend the steps of tho drop—a inovenble machine attached to iron hooka iu tho solid masonry on oithor
LCLLvUi 1141 i / Linii ui uiii ^ i \* £ ibu i . A . 11 V li 11 > J UUU ) 11 ULUI t * * A T ; VI > V . U V . J- M *» 7 ' " **«* * - WVV UA I * £ 3 VU in the pernicious habit . One day he was urged on to the most frightful excess , and when he refused to plunge into deeper bestiality , was twitted as a milksop , and dared to go on . Inflamed with rage and liquor , the wretched man drained off another glass of ardent spirits , staggered out of the house , and full down a corpse . He had died from excessive drinking , said his neighbours , and the Staffordshire Baihshcba was comforted in the foul embrace of her husband ' s murderer . Such are the stories people now tell of one whom they lately envied and marvelled at , though they neither loved nor respected him . The f . traily , in general , was not deemed any honour to the place . The surviving daughter alone has entirely escaped the breath of censure . And yet for how many years lunger would their presence have been borne , and his crimes passed unde-4- nrt f / -wi Iii /? »¦*/¦»?¦ V-7 » i "» inonrrtii t a r \ Cf \ *» r \ vnTu nt \ r \ 4-r \ y \< i tr ¦ ft » j- »
country ' s pride . " Within the gaol itself no one will be permitted to enter , save two local reporters and the representative of the all-dreaded Times . Every rule , however , has an exception , and this is not an exception to that rule . Onl y officials and the chosen three are to be admitted , we are told ; but rumour speaks of passes from the Secretary of State for a few " bloated aristocrats , " who desire to indulge a morbid curiosity by intruding upon the last moments of a fellow-creature , whose hour-glass has run down to its last grains of sand . The good people of Stafford , indeed , say that Palmer has himself alone to thank for his condemnation . Whv did he nnt enn-fide in thn tmnri
receive no actual payment , but the criminal ' s dress alone is worth 50 / . to the Messrs . Tussaud , and the rope would fetch a guinea an tech , were it thrice the real length . Among other rumours men say and believe that the prisoner has received the present of a Bible from his leading counsel , accompanied with a touching note bidding him despair of mercy on earth , and exhorting him to make his peace with Heaven . It is thought that he will confess at the last moment . A whisper has gone forth , that he has promised the benevolent Mr . Wri ght to address the people from the scaffold . But for his family ' s sake he is more likely to die and make no sign . l \ m Y * ^^ V Ymt fYll T * r ^ S \ TtTAifAlB r % A fl ^ x ^ rt v 4 ay * yIvp nsfcs -uv ^ v **^^* -1 - — - A A * ' m - - * ¦¦¦ * ivF vi ti
\ t * tt _/ uiu ^ ivbuituuo 11 1 faith , intelligence , and kindly feeling of his old associates ? Why , there is scarcely a small burgess in the place who did not wish him well . At Rugeley the feeling was certainly unfavourable . The sporting doctor , who knew Lord Derby and remembered Lord Geor ge Bentinck , was an object of envy to his immediate nei g h , bours . He who lived in that snug , unpretending cottage , with its latticed casements , could each morning , like the fool , breakfast on a nod from a real great lord . This was the sin that could not be pardoned . The man who had done this thing must surely die . Not so at Stafford . Here he had obliged many , offended none . To the small tradesman , the groom , the ostler , the female domestic , he was invariably kind , gentle , and lavish . Even at Tamworth they speak gratefully of his open hand . He would come down by express from town , alight at that station and sometimes spend a sovereign in treating porters , constables , and commons , before proceeding on to Rugeley by the slow train . It was the same everywhere . Not long since it happened to your correspondent to be passing a weary hour at Cremorne . Round and round the platform cir-/ vil I otn / 1 ? V > t \ Tn / Minfrtn aii c ? + 1 * *> nm r + net i £ * - »•»! — !• - » m / - \* - » n
ii % & ** *• «»*»^ "fcj »^ j uao vriucjibi v avuuucu tllVaL Iljfluence over his mind , and has succeeded in arousing what little moral feeling he possessed . Herein lies his weak point . He can hardly be said to have any moral feeling , to such a degree is it dormant and lethargic . While quite a young man—and those who knew hiin well insist that he cannot now be less than thirty-five years of age —he was noted for his sharp practice at cards and all games of chance . His conversation ran only on such subjects , coupled with horses and facile women . When no other pastime was obtainable , he could content himself with pitch and toss , provided the stakes were sufficiently high . But his honour was not to ie relied upon . He would take every advantage , and screw his adversary down to the strictest rules , while he invented by-laws for his own use . His friendship—if such it could be called , which referred only to the extent of a man ' s usefulness to himself—was disastrous to all who experienced it . His love was fatal , cither to the object of his lust , or to the obstacle that impeded its fruition . Years ago he formed a criminal attachment for a young married woman of great personal beauty . TIiQ liiieV \ oiii"l nutn vq 11 ^ r r \ i"A > i a + r * rJr * i n lr ixra a An / iAii i »< i m * r \
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 14, 1856, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_14061856/page/5/
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