"FOR HIS NATURAL LIFE."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13925, 5 December 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

"FOR HIS NATURAL LIFE."

THE AMAZING RECORD OF MASTER

CRIMINAL.

"You will go to prison for the term of your natural life." The man in the Old Bailey dock, upon whom this crushing sentence fell met the judge's stem decree with an air of defiance and bravado, and in loud tones exclaimed, "Thank you, my lord. lam much obliged to you. My natural life will bo about three* days." The culprit thus condemned to a living death was Charles Williams, alias Overton, 32, and as he turned away from the public gaze some female admirers of his in court threw kisses to their fallen here" by way of a final farewell. This episode took place 27 vers ago. the late Lord Brampton, then Mr. Justice Hawkins, being the judge-. And to-day. after once having regained his liberty by serving 20 years behind gaol walls, Williams, or as he is now known, "George Vincent." is back again in prison having forfeited his 'ticket - of-leave. Unless the Home Secretary decides to <serein his merciful prerogative Williams will probably only gain his release by death. With such an awful fate, impending, Williams, as he stood in the dock before Mr. Wallace. K.C., at Clerkenwell Sessions, beamed smilingly upon his natural enemiesthe detectives. They knew what would happen if the jury's verdict went against him—the charge being one of stealing brass tap? from unoccupied house* at Amherst Road, Hackney—and he knew, too, but, in spite of the circumstances he maintained AX ATTITUDE OF UNCONCERN, and even cheerfulness. Then, when the jury had declared him "guilty" DetectiveSergeant' Pride revealed to an astonished Court the black history of the man. The offence which brought about the order for his detention for life was one of a daring character. It was in 1881. at the time when busy burglars had created something like a reign of terror in London. In an East End haunt Williams was taunted with not having the heart, to burgle the house of Viscount Harberton, at Cromwell Road, South Kensington, this residence among the fraternity of the jemmy being proclaimed a very difficult job. Williams, provoked bv a bet. undertook to rifle the mansion. With a loaded revolver stowed away in his coat pocket he broke in on the evening of February 5, 1881, and soon had collected property worth £50. He had thus achieved his* object without challenge* and was stepping into the street when a sen-ant girl met him at the front door. "I've been to see one of the servants," he said, in an effort to,avert suspicion. The servant, however, insisted s that he was lying, and tried to detain him. Williams broke away, and as the girl pluekily followed him he whipped out a revolver and tired twice as he ran. The bullets whizzed harmlessly by his pursuer, and cries of " Police ' and "Murder" brought about a scene of wild excitement. Constables rushed to the spot, and one seized Williams, who, after a severe tussle, fchot hint in the side. A second policeman and a postman, who tackled the burglar, were also wounded, and Williams, minus his hat, ran up a plank into an unfinished build-'. \ ing, from which lie managed to emerge unseen, and so make his escape." Then he hailed a cab. " I've had a row and lost my hat, he said to the driver. "Stop at the irst hatter's you come to." In the Bromp- . Oh" Road Williams bought a hat, and was riven to Si. Luke's. That was the only X he the police had. They chelated osdca*t the. description of the. fugitive, d £10 reward was offered for his capture. « official bill described a vivid-coloured 'i the culprit had worn. Williams, who A left London for the provinces, read the 7: tice outside a police station, and imme- * . itely-: discarded the tie for another of fietex line. ,~ For a month or so he disap- .'■:> aredTfiom his usual haunts; in fact, he Is plying I bis trade in ; the provinces, at - /Beds, among "other places. Out of the ipofits of Ixis "raids on people's houses he iturned to London to realise ; on some K»ty. It was necessary to put trust in a "pal," who, however, made up his mind to give Williams into the hands' of the police. Williams, it was known, was always aimed. j and. this " % / ..■..:.,,' --/,' :''*:■-..'■:■ if-'- MADS HIS BETRAYER WART.. ,'He kept his revolver loaded ready for use, % behind a looking-glass on the mantelpiece of his rooms jin Sturt-street, Shepherdess Walk. \ His associate knew this, and: one evening while Williams"was reading a' newsi paper the. false friend stole the revolver and tiien departed, apparently to act as intermediary ,:. between Williams i and a noted -fence.'' "Not long afterwards Detective-In-spector Peel and a number of officers clambered silently up th© stairs, and. burst into the room. Williams sprang to the mantelpiece, his outstretched hand searching in vain for the revolver. Tearing down the pier-glass, Williams realised that he had been trapped, and in another moment the handcuffs were upon him. Realising the hopelessness of resistance, r Williams went . quietly with the police. "I know what is • behind me,"" he remarked. / It's twenty stretchor life." And that, indeed, was his fate, though " life " to him meant selfsoight death at the first possible moment. ' Williams was almost'as- good as his word. Ke had not been in the cells at Newgate long before he swallowed a dose of poison : he v had kept concealed in his boot. He took too much, and was violently sick. BeK fore he had recovered from the effects of the

poison he had prepared an instrument fashioned out of the roughened edge of his dinner tin and cut" a vein in his arm, but again, discovery came in time to save his life. H Then Williams was watched day and night ; by warders, but he cleverly eluded their. vigilance, and almost succeeded in taking ..? bis life. : One night the warder on duty in the cell heard a weird sound as of water dripping. For a time the officer thought little of the ; incident, but the constant drip, drip, drip, beat itself into his brain, and at last he got up, to seek the cause.. He glanced towards the prisoner, who seemed to be quietly sleeping, .and then his eyes fell to the floor, and the cause of- the noise was \at once apparent. Williams had made vet another attempt to cheat justice. His life blood had /soaked through the bed, and formed a-pool .upon the floor. Assistance was sent for, and it was found that the convict, had severed a vein in his right leg, the instrument used being a nail which he..had stealthily, and at much exertion, extracted from the heel of>-his slipper, and sharpened until it was almost as keen edged as a razor. Tha .

\ WONDERFUL STOICISM AND FORTITUDE of the man may be gathered from the fact that he managed to sever the vein whilst the warder was practically watching him, and lay in his bed awaiting death, whilst calmly pretending to be asleep. Williams did not again try to take his life, and in due course was sent off to a convict prison, where he spent over twenty years. He was the first man to bo released on tielret-of-leave during the King's reign. His freedom, as is usual, 1 was dependent on his good con--duct. Mr. Wallace, K.C.. having sentenced him to one month's imprisonment for the theft of the taps, the revoking of the ticket-of-leave is, of course, in the hands of the Home Secretary. To a News of the World correspondent. Williams once remarked, I've had enough of penal servitude. I will never go back again. No! I want to die in my own home." Williams' previous prison, record included the following sentences : — 1867. At" Liverpool, for stealing hoots, ' one month's imprisonment, and five years' detention in a. reformatory. _ 1870. For felony ho was" ordered again at Liverpool nine months' imprisonment nod eeven years' police supervision. " 1871. Sentenced to seven years' penal ™t" do „ l ° 1 ' house-breaking at Liverpool. ' 1877. He was sent buck to complete his sentence, having forfeited his ticket-of-leave Dv committing an assault; 1879 For robbery in London he was or- ' dered twelve months' hard labour " Since bis release " 101 he had tried to earn an honest living by writing of, and lecturing on, the infamous criminals whose acquaintances lie had mads. Why £ should have risked the horrors of a life sen tence for so petty a crime as the stealing of-brass taps is a question difficult of soluSribedS S0 ' leadi "S5 scientist *** described him as being a mast « mind in £ ,m .« ™. intellect fit to rank with a After all his terrible ciieer Williams looks younger than his .Jfxa-ie chins to be 62-fnd is "till a vigorous and healthy man. *