Difference between revisions of "The Age (55)"
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The crier of the court called for silence while his Honour passed the awful sentence of death upon the prisoner.
His Honour: Edward Kelly, the verdict is one which you must have fully expected.
The prisoner: Under the circumstances, I did expect this verdict.
His Honour: No circumstances that I can conceive could we control the verdict.
The prisoner: Perhaps if you had heard me examine the witness, you might understand. I could do it.
His Honour: I will even give you credit for the skill which you desire to show you possess.
The prisoner: I don’t say this out of flashness. I do not recognise myself as a great man; but if is quite possible for me to clear myself of this charge if I liked to do so. If I desired to do it, I could have done so in spite of anything attempted against me.
His Honour: The facts against you are so numerous and so conclusive, not only as regards the offence which you are now charged with but also for the long series of criminal acts which you have committed during the last eighteen months, that I do not think any rational person could have arrived at any other conclusion. The verdict of the jury was irresistible, and there could not be any doubt about its being a right verdict. I have no right or wish to inflict upon you any personal remarks. – It is painful in the extreme to perform the duty which I have now to discharge, and I will confine myself strictly to it. I do not think that anything I could say would aggravate the pain you must now be suffering.
Prisoner: No; I declare before you and my God that my mind is as easy and clear as it possibly can be. (Sensation)
His Honour: It is blasphemous of you to say so
Prisoner: I do not fear death, and I am the last man in the world to take a man’s life away. I believe that two years ago, before this thing happened, if a man pointed a gun at me to shoot me, I should not have stopped him, so careful was I of taking life. I am not a murderer, but if there is innocent life at stake, then I say I must take some action. If I see innocent life taken, I should certainly shoot if I was forced to do so, but I should first want to know whether this could not be prevented, but I should have to do it if it could not be stopped in any other way.
His Honour: Your statement involves wicked and criminal reflection of untruth upon the witnesses who have given evidence.
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