eagues. One of them went round to the front of the house and rang
the bell, the other waited in the road outside, while Robinson stayed in
the garden at the back. No sooner had the bell rung than Robinson saw a
man come from the dining-room window which opened on to the garden, and
make quickly down the path. Robinson followed him. The man turned; "Keep
back!" he said, "or by God I'll shoot you!" Robinson came on. The man
fired three shots from a revolver, all of which passed close to the
officer's head. Robinson made another rush for him, the man fired
another shot. It missed its mark. The constable closed with his would-be
assassin, and struck him in the face. "I'll settle you this time," cried
the man, and fired a fifth shot, which went through Robinson's arm just
above the elbow. But, in spite of his wound, the valiant officer held
his prisoner, succeeded in flinging him to the ground, and catching hold
of the revolver that hung round the burglar's wrist, hit him on the head
with it. Immediately after the other two constables came to the help of
their colleague, and the struggling desperado was secured.

Little did the police as they searched their battered and moaning
prisoner realise the importance of their capture. When next morning
Peace appeared before the magistrate at Greenwich Police Court he was
not described by name--he had refused to give any--but as a half-caste
about sixty years of age, of repellant aspect. He was remanded for a
week. The first clue to the identity of their prisoner was afforded
by a letter which Peace, unable apparently to endure the loneliness and
suspense of prison any longer, wrote to his co-inventor Mr. Brion. It is
dated November 2, and is signed "John Ward." Peace was disturbed at the
absence of all news from his family. Immediately after his arrest, the
home in Peckham had been broken up. Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Peace, taking
with them some large boxes, had gone first to the house of a sister of
Mrs. Thompson's in Nottingham, and a day or two later Mrs. Peace had
left Nottingham for Sheffield. There she went to a house in Hazel Road,
occupied by her son-in-law Bolsover, a working collier.(10)

(10) Later, Mrs. Peace was arrested and charged with being in possession
of stolen property. She was taken to London and tried at the Old Bailey
before Mr. Commissioner Kerr, but acquitted on the ground of her having
acted under the compulsion of her husband.

It was no doubt to g