Show AN ASSASSINS CLUB an unusually interesting type of criminal appeared at the sessions in the person of a gardener named fred dodds there was nothing very remarkable about his pleading guilty to robbing his various london landladies nor with the consistency with which since 1900 he had devoted himself to cycle stealing at dover at bury st edmunds and theft at hertford nor even perhaps in the tact that he robbed his father and other relatives the novelty of dodds who Is 35 years old lay in the document which in mitigation of sentence he presented to the judge mcconneil it was written in a very neat hand and ran as follows my lord I 1 am exceedingly cee for the I 1 have committed but I 1 wae driven to desperation through previous of which I 1 will endeavor to give you an explanation A few years back I 1 was induced while under the influence of liquor to give signature to a certain paper demanding my services for a certain number of years As I 1 was not as it were hardly responsible for my action at the time and did not regard it as serious undertaking and thinking it was a huge joke I 1 readily enough consented the terms were that it I 1 received certain instructions I 1 was to faithfully carry them out or if I 1 refused to do so the penalty was death my lord you can imagine my great surprise when I 1 eventually found out that I 1 had become a member of an assassins club and rather than comply with their demands or desires I 1 would suffer imprisonment instead the headquarters of this club are not in this country it consists of about members of all nationalities I 1 was in tor a term ot ten years which expires in the urse of a few months I 1 cannoa give you further particulars as regards this club as I 1 took a vow on oath never J to expose them which I 1 have faithfully kept until now wy lord I 1 trust you will deal as lenient with me aa possible and in tho future I 1 mean to try and lead an honest life his lordship lorde hip refrained from saying what ho thought of thie strange epistle and sentenced the prisoner to eighteen months hard labor london chronicle |