for the prosecution wrote to the Home Secretary and
requested him to lay his letter before the prisoner's counsel to
ascertain whether he agreed with it. The letter was to this effect:
"Not only was there no evidence of insanity, but the prisoner's
counsel based his defence entirely upon the fact that there was no
suggestion that the man was or ever had been insane. He must have been
insane, argued the counsel, if he had committed a brutal murder of
that kind; there was no insanity, and therefore it was an accident."

The humane questioner of the Home Secretary left the prisoner after
that statement to his well-deserved fate.

* * * * *

I recollect at one Gloucester Assize a man was tried before me for the
murder of a woman near Bristol.

The prisoner had given his account of the tragedy, and said he had
made up his mind to kill the first woman he met alone and unprotected;
that is to say, he had made up his mind to kill somebody when there
was no witness of the deed. Humanitarians for murderers might call
this insanity.

He went forth on his mission, and saw a woman coming towards him with
a baby.

He instantly resolved to kill both, and probably would have done so
but for the fact that some one was seen coming towards him in the
distance.

The woman and child therefore escaped, the person he had seen in the
distance also passed by, and then he waited in the lane alone. In a
little time a poor woman came along.

The ruffian instantly seized her, cut her throat, and killed her on
the spot.

No sooner had he accomplished his purpose than a young farmer drove
along in his cart, and seeing the dead body in the road, and the
murderer a little way off, jumped out of his cart and arrested him.

A little farther on the road there was a labouring man, who had not
been visible up to this moment, breaking stones.

"Look after this man," said the farmer; "he has committed murder. Keep
him safe while I go to the village and get a constable."

"All right," said the labourer; "I'll keep un."

As soon as the farmer was gone the labourer and the murderer got into
conversation, for they had to while away the time until the farmer had
procured the constable.

"Why," asked the stone-breaker, "what have you been a-doin' of?"

"Killin' a woman," answered the murderer.

"Killin' a woman!" said the mason. "Why, what did you want to kill a
woman for? She warn't your wife, was she?"

"Nay,"