ABSTRACT
This chapbook describes many senseless and unconnected murders, most of which are revealed by the providence of God and portents that stretch the modern imagination. Two suspected murderers were brought before three dead children, who, though they had been dead for more than a week, regained their former colour and “blushed on the murderers”, resulting in the men confessing their crimes. A shoemaker was brought before his victim, causing the corpse to bleed afresh, open his eye, and stare at his murderer. A murderous mother’s crime was revealed when the body of her baby was discovered by a dog. These discoveries are attributed by the author to “the will and wonderful work of Almighty God”. On the other hand, the murderers of Master Padge were not revealed by God but were brought to justice by a responsible body of private individuals who based their accusation on old-fashioned observation and detection, which led to the arrest of the suspects. Even in the murder of Padge, there were various portents that revealed the criminals: a bear with eyes like fire bearing a kerchief, the weapon used to murder Padge, and a raven that hanged itself on the mast of a ship that mysteriously turned itself around, stem to stern. To this author, as to many others in this collection, these were signs that, even if His providence was not immediately obvious in this case, “by one means or other” God always reveals himself as the bringer of justice.
