Memorable Letters III | Dickens on the audience at an execution: "Horrific wickedness"

We continue this summer series of some of the most unforgettable letters in history, based on those included in the book New Memorable Letters Collected by Shaun Usher (Salamandra) and translated by María José Díez, Enrique de Hériz, and Jofre Homedes. In this chapter, we publish the one Charles Dickens sent to The Times newspaper to express his horror at the (inhuman or all-too-human) behavior of the crowd during a public execution; the one from three Elvis Presley admirers asking the US president not to give their idol a crew cut when he entered for military service; and the one from Leonardo da Vinci to Ludovico Sforza asking for a job, not as an artist but as a military engineer (and he knew how to sell himself very well).

Devonshire Terrace,

Tuesday, November 13, 1849

Mister:

This morning I was a witness to the Horsemonger Lane execution . I attended with the intention of observing the crowd assembled to witness it, and I have had excellent opportunities for that task, at intervals extending throughout the night and continuously from dawn until the close of the spectacle. I do not, in this connection, wish to comment on the abstract question of the death penalty , or on any of the arguments which may be adduced by its advocates and opponents alike. I merely wish to utilize some measure of this horrid experience in pursuit of the public good, and to that end I am using the most public and available means in my power to refer to something intimated by Sir G. Grey in the last session of Parliament: the possibility of inducing the Government to lend support to a measure which would render the execution of capital punishment a private and solemn affair within the walls of the prison (with the assurance that the final sentence of the law would be administered with such inexorable certainty as the general public expects). Also to entreat most earnestly Sir G. Grey, in discharge of the solemn duty which he owes to the Society, and a responsibility which he cannot forever postpone, to undertake himself to bring about this legislative change. I doubt whether any man can even conceive the sight of anything so incredibly horrid as the wickedness and levity of the crowd assembled there this morning, or that can occur in any heathen land under the sun. The horrors of the gallows , and of the crime which brought the wretched murderers to it, were driven from my mind by the atrocious bearing, appearance, and language of the spectators there present. On arriving at the spot at midnight, the sharpness of the shouts and howls which occasionally issued from the crowd, and which seemed to proceed from a group of boys and girls already assembled in the best places, chilled my blood.

As the night wore on, shrieks, laughter, and shouts were added to a tumultuous chorus parodying negro tunes, in which "Susannah" was substituted for "Mrs. Manning," and the like. At daybreak, thieves, low-class prostitutes, ruffians, and vagabonds of every description thronged the esplanade, engaging in every possible variety of offensive and nauseating behavior . Fights, fainting fits, whistling, imitations of Punch, brutal jokes, tumultuous displays of indecent pleasure as the police dragged away ecstatic women with their dresses in disarray, renewed the enjoyment of the general entertainment. When the sun had finally risen, as it did at last, it had shed its golden light upon thousands upon thousands of faces turned upwards, so inexpressibly odious in their brutal jubilation , or in their callousness, that any man would have found reason to be ashamed of their appearance and to flee from himself, as is usually represented in the image of the Devil . When the two miserable creatures who attracted this horrible vision had remained trembling in the air, no one showed any more emotion, no more pity, no one thought of the two immortal souls who had just gone to their judgment, nor were the former obscenities repressed , as if the name of Christ had never been pronounced in this world and men had no more belief than the certainty of dying like wild beasts.

I have often witnessed some of the worst sources of general pollution and corruption in this country, and I do not believe that there are too many phases of London life that can shock me. I am solemnly convinced that the most ingenious man could not invent for this city an event which, in the same period of time, could create as much ruin as a public execution , and I am stupefied and horrified to see the cruelty unfolding around it . I do not believe that any community can prosper which can offer to its best citizens the scene of horror and demoralization which was enacted this morning outside Horsemonger Lane Prison and allow it to pass unnoticed, or to be forgotten. And when, in prayer and thanksgiving on the appointed festivals, we humbly express before God our desire to eradicate moral evils from the earth, I would venture to ask your readers to consider whether the time has not come to reconsider this one and to root it out.

Your faithful servant bids you farewell.

On 13 November 1847, an incredible 30,000 people gathered outside a south London prison to witness the public execution of Marie and Frederick Manning , a married couple who had recently murdered Marie's wealthy former lover, Patrick O'Connor, then buried him in their kitchen and then rather clumsily attempted to abscond with his money. It had been over a century since a married couple had been hanged, so the public reaction was feverish: the case was labelled "the Bermondsey Horror"; the execution itself was deemed " the hanging of the century ". The gruesome event even attracted the attention of Charles Dickens , who, after studying both the execution and the gathering, wrote this despairing letter to The Times.

A letter from three Elvis Presley fans to Eisenhower

Post Office Apt. 755

Noxon, Montana

Dear President Eisenhower:

My friends and I are writing to you from none other than Montana. Sending Elvis Presley to the army seems bad enough, but if they shave off his sideburns, we'll die! You don't know how we feel about him. I really don't understand why they have to send him to the army. But we're asking you, please, please, don't give him a crew cut. Please, please, don't! If you do, we'll really die!

Elvis Presley Lovers

Linda Kelly

Sherry Bane

Mickie Mattson

Presley

Presley

IT'S OUR MOTTO PRESLEY

On March 24, 1958, a day labeled "Black Monday" by many of his grieving fans, Elvis Presley— the King of Rock and Roll and still one of the most famous artists on the planet—had to enlist, at the age of 22, in the U.S. Army. Worse still, he was being sent thousands of miles away to Germany, where he would remain for two years. Naturally, Elvis fans panicked and spent much of their time speculating about the star's future. Some even went as far as to send express mail to the White House in an attempt to protect him from harm. This letter is just one of thousands, sent to President Eisenhower in 1958 by three admirers apparently resigned to the fact that their idol was joining the U.S. Army, but not to the fact that his appearance would change as expected.

Leonardo da Vinci's letter to Ludovico Sforza

My most illustrious Lord:

After seeing and sufficiently weighing the achievements of all those who are counted among the masters and craftsmen of instruments of war, and after taking into consideration that the invention and development of said instruments in no way differs from those in common use, I propose, without wishing to discredit anyone, to give Your Excellency the appropriate explanations so that you can understand the development of my secrets and then place them at your complete disposal, as well as, when the time is right, participate in the development that will effectively make operational all the proposals that I proceed to enumerate briefly:

1. I have plans for all kinds of light, strong, and easily transportable bridges , with which to pursue the enemy, or occasionally to flee from him, sturdy and indestructible both by fire and in battle, convenient and easy to erect, as well as to remove. I also have the means to burn and destroy the enemy's bridges .

2. In the course of the siege of a territory, I know how to draw off water from ditches and how to construct an infinite number of bridges, mantlets, ladders, and other instruments necessary for such a purpose.

3. Also, if it is not possible to bombard the besieged land because of its elevation, or because of the protection afforded by its location, I have methods to destroy any fortress or building of any kind, provided that it has not been built directly on the rock, or similar.

4. I also have a type of cannon, very convenient and easy to transport , with which I can throw small stones, almost as if they were hail; the smoke from this cannon causes great fear in the enemy due to the confusion and the extensive damage it causes.

5. Furthermore, I know how to access a certain place by means of secret mines and tunnels , built without any noise , even when it is necessary to pass under a ditch, or any river.

6. Furthermore, I can build covered, secure, and impregnable vehicles capable of penetrating the midst of enemies and their artillery , and there is no group of armed men strong enough to prevent their intrusion. The infantry can advance in their wake, encountering hardly any impediments or injuries.

7. Also, if the need arises, I can build cannons, mortars and artillery pieces of very beautiful and functional design, quite out of the ordinary.

8. Where the use of cannons is impractical, I will build catapults, mangonels, trebuchets, and other instruments of astonishing effectiveness that are not in common use. In short, depending on what different circumstances dictate, I can construct an infinite number of instruments for attack and defense .

In the early 1480s, many years before painting the world-famous works for which we know him today— the Mona Lisa being just one example— Leonardo da Vinci wanted to work at the court of Ludovico Sforza , the true powerhouse of Milan at the time. Aware that Sforza was looking for military engineers, Leonardo wrote an application that highlighted his seemingly endless engineering talents by compiling a ten-point list of his skills. It is striking that his artistic talent is only hinted at in passing, towards the end of the text. It is believed that the final document shown here was not sent in Leonardo's handwriting, but in the handwriting of a professional scribe. The effort was rewarded, and the artist deserved the job . Ten years later, it was Sforza himself who commissioned him to paint ' The Last Supper '.