Peace shot dead Arthur Dyson, his neighbour in a jealous quarrel over Dyson's wife in 1876, he went into hiding changing his name to John Ward and was eventually arrested for attempted murder in 1878 and was identified after conviction as being Charles Peace, he was executed on the 25th February 1879. Marwood who became an executioner in 1871 devised and introduced the instantaneous long drop method of execution. He was also the executioner of Charles Peace. The semi-literate letter by James Berry (also an executioner) is interesting as letters by executioners are very rare.