He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 22

22. Newgate Prison

Tae-oh was puzzled by the news that Lord Antony Burns was looking for him.

“Why would Lord Burns be looking for me? I’m not a lawyer… and I don’t have that close of a relationship with him.”

The Countess shook her head.

“I’m not sure about that either. Anyway, he asked so earnestly several times that I visited the club as Lord Burns requested, but I couldn’t reach Mr. Sanderson.”

“Yes, I had some business and had to leave London. So I couldn’t go to the club for a while.”

“Yes, I see. Anyway, the Lord was found guilty by the local jury and immediately imprisoned. I was so worried about the Lord’s well-being that I sent the family’s legal secretary to the prison to hear what he had to say.”

“And what did he say?”

The Countess replied with a deep sigh.

“The legal secretary who visited the prison said that the Lord seemed to be the culprit.”

“Yes? What… what do you mean? Did he confess to the lawyer?”

“No. It’s not that. But according to the legal secretary, Lord Burns hasn’t denied or confessed, and he’s just suffering from guilt. The experienced legal secretary said that’s the typical behavior of criminals confessing to being the culprit.”

The Countess was very confused. She believed that Lord Burns was not the culprit, but considering the outcome of the trial and the legal secretary’s words, she couldn’t completely rule out the possibility.

“I don’t think Lord Burns will open his mouth properly unless it’s Mr. Sanderson. In fact, he always talked about Mr. Sanderson a lot. Lord Burns respected Mr. Sanderson a lot. That’s why I was looking for Mr. Sanderson so urgently.”

“…Yes.”

“There’s not much time left. The lawyers say that the verdict has already been reached and public opinion is bad, so as soon as the noble jury’s verdict comes out, he’ll be hanged immediately.

Please, even if you’re busy, have pity on Lord Burns and go visit him just once to hear what he has to say. I’m begging you.”

“I understand. I will try to meet Lord Burns as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

*

On the way back, thanks to the Countess’s consideration, Tae-oh headed to London in a comfortable, luxurious carriage emblazoned with the Kent family crest instead of a rented one.

Clatter. Clatter. Clatter.

However, as the carriage passed through the center of the village, a small sigh escaped from Tae-oh’s mouth as he casually looked out the window.

“Ah…”

Many people, who appeared to be villagers, took off their hats and bowed their heads, or even knelt down and shed tears when they saw the carriage with the Kent family crest.

They probably thought the Countess was in the carriage and were expressing their condolences.

In this era, the influence of a local Count was proportional to the size of the land he ruled. Therefore, the tenant farmers in nearby villages were naturally under the Count’s influence.

However, many Counts were too busy filling their own greed, forcing various taxes and labor, and only tried to lower the price as much as possible when trading agricultural products, which often caused resentment among the residents.

For this reason, when the Count of the jurisdiction died, they would rejoice and dance, or raise a toast, and in severe cases, they would throw stones or cow dung at the carriage with the Count’s family crest to vent their anger for what they had suffered.

Because of this, many Count families often used carriages without any family crest for a while after the Count’s obituary.

However, Count Francis Burns had a naturally kind and generous personality, so he paid the tenant farmers very generously for their crops, and he generously bestowed good deeds on various problems in the village, so he had been deeply loved by the villagers.

‘Right. Lord Antony Burns, whom I’ve identified, clearly regarded and followed Count Burns like a father. There’s no way he would have brutally killed a Count with such a character.’

Then who is it?

Who is killing Count Burns, a man of such great character, and causing pain to so many people?

It seemed like I should meet Sir Benedict Rodney, the local magistrate, before going to London and hear the specific details about the case.

◈ Maidstone Magistrate’s Office

Despite the sudden visit, Magistrate Benedict Rodney greeted Tae-oh warmly.

And he readily responded to Tae-oh’s questions about the case.

It would be unimaginable in modern times, but in a society with a less rigid system and legal framework than modern ones, the sharing of investigation records and exchange of opinions was entirely at the discretion of the person in charge.

Sir Rodney, who was well aware of Tae-oh’s intellectual abilities through the Intelligence Club, also thought that he might be able to get some help, and he also had the Countess’s word, so he revealed the details related to the case in detail.

“The dispatched coroner, Philip Moore, summoned the local jury and handled the trial.”

At this time in England, coroners were dispatched to local murder cases to investigate the cause of death, and juries were summoned to judge the trial.

Sir Benedict Rodney put his gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose and took out a stack of documents.

“In the trial, all 12 jurors pointed to Lord Antony Burns as the Count’s main suspect. The Lord said he carried the dead Count out of the trail, but village witnesses testified that the Lord killed the Count first and then brought him out. And it seems the jury accepted this testimony as it was.”

“Did the village witnesses say they saw the Lord killing the Count?”

“No. They didn’t see it directly, but they claimed that it must have been the case based on various circumstances.”

“Not directly witnessed, but circumstantial?”

“The Count was known for his gentle character, but he was very strict with the Lord, who enjoyed gambling and drinking. The Lord, who had a lively personality, couldn’t even raise his head in front of such a Count and couldn’t say anything.

This scene was seen by the servants and villagers several times, and the village witnesses seem to think that the Lord harbored some resentment about the Count’s frequent scolding.”

In this era, gambling and alcohol were very common entertainment for young nobles.

However, the Count, who hated gambling, warned Lord Antony Burns several times about his frequent gambling, and when he ended up with quite a bit of debt from gambling, he scolded him loudly in front of the villagers.

An ordinary object next to a very bright object is relatively more likely to lose its light.

Count Francis Burns’ upright character made Lord Antony Burns’ ordinary appearance look even more shabby and pathetic.

And, unless Count Francis Burns had a son, the fact that this Lord, who seemed so far apart, would be his successor was a major complaint among the villagers who respected and followed the Count.

‘Because he was the successor of Count Francis Burns, who was so clean and reputable, the Lord’s flaws must have seemed bigger to the villagers, and he was hated because of it.’

Then the Count’s murder happened.

When the Count, whom they wanted to stay with them for a long time, passed away in an absurd death, the residents’ sense of loss turned into a frenzy of anger at the person who took the Count’s life.

And like the witch hunt, the arrows of madness were directed at Lord Antony Burns.

“So in the end, no one saw the Lord stabbing him directly with a knife?”

At Tae-oh’s question, Sir Rodney nodded.

“Yes, there are no direct witnesses. However, two people saw the Count entering the trail and the Lord following him a little later, and there were several testimonies that they heard the Count’s scream and soon saw the Lord carrying the Count out.”

“Wasn’t it the Lord’s voice after seeing the fallen Count, not the Count’s scream? Someone who followed or waited for the Count on the trail before the Lord might have killed the Count?”

“Yes. Lord Burns’ lawyer also strongly argued that, but it was not accepted by the jury.”

Sir Rodney pointed to a passage in the document and said.

“And according to the doctor’s opinion here, he died from excessive bleeding after cutting the carotid artery in the neck at once. But the skill didn’t seem like he had done it once or twice. There were almost no wounds from the Count’s resistance, and it seems he cut his neck at once.”

“······.”

“However, there were several testimonies that Lord Burns usually enjoyed hunting, and when he caught an animal, he cut its neck at once with a knife to relieve its pain.”

Lord Antony Burns was in a very unfavorable situation in many ways.

The fact that he would inherit the Count’s title and property upon the Count’s death, the fact that he had quite a bit of debt from gambling, the fact that he knew very well that the Count was taking a walk at a deserted time, and the fact that he was a person who could handle a knife skillfully enough not to give the Count a chance to resist, etc… All circumstances were very unfavorable to Lord Burns.

“Countess Georgina Burns was almost completely cleared of all charges, and although it was only for a few short months, she had as good a reputation among the villagers as the dead Count, so it was not a big problem.

However, Lord Burns’ usual behavior and the fact that he was alone next to the dead Count until the end were perfect for painting him as a murderer.”

◈ London, Newgate Prison

The next day, Tae-oh arrived at Newgate Prison to visit Lord Antony Burns.

Whoa- whoa-

“Sir, we have arrived at Newgate.”

Newgate Prison’s external appearance was as bleak as its notoriety.

The prison was surrounded by high stone walls, and the grotesque animal head shape decorated with chains on the stone gate created an even more eerie atmosphere.

Tae-oh had never been to a prison even when he was in the 21st century. But he never imagined he would be entering a prison in the 18th century.

Fortunately, he was able to get permission to meet with Lord Antony Burns thanks to the friendship between the warden of Newgate Prison and Sir Rodney.

‘Is this… the main gate?’

Between the mossy stone walls, there was a thick and very heavy-looking oak door.

Since everything else was stone walls, it seemed to be the only passage into the prison.

Creak-

As he struggled to push the oak door with its heavy weight, he was immediately confronted by a burly man with a grim look as soon as he heard the grating metallic sound.

He looked like the prison gatekeeper.

He was a huge man exuding a tough feeling that could only be seen in medieval movies, and he made me feel terrified that he would pierce my stomach with the terrifying spear in his hand if I said something wrong.

Tae-oh quickly mentioned the warden’s permission to him and quickly handed him a few silver coins.

The gatekeeper, who took the money and stuffed it into his pocket, grinned hideously, revealing his almost missing teeth, and readily led the way.

Crunch- crunch- crunch-

Following the gatekeeper, he walked for a while, stepping on the gravel-covered yard, and saw another door. It seemed to be a door directly connected to the prison.

Thud- thud- thud-

The gatekeeper knocked hard on the iron bar door a few times, and a short, chubby middle-aged man slowly walked out, rattling the sound of a bunch of keys.

He was said to be an exemplary prisoner and guide in the prison with his pupils focused in the middle and sparse hair.

It seemed that this guide was managing the inside of the prison.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a young noble who killed the Count and came in a while ago, the one on the top floor.”

“Yes.”

“This sir said he came to see him, so please guide him quickly.”

“Are you a lawyer?”

“He’s not a lawyer. He came to visit with the warden’s friendship.”

“Ah… yes.”

Clang-

As the gatekeeper opened the iron door with a key and let Tae-oh inside, the guide glanced up and down at Tae-oh and examined his appearance.

The guide smiled contentedly and bent over at Tae-oh’s luxurious attire from hat to shoes.

“Hehe~ Sir~ Please follow me.”

Tae-oh followed the guide into the prison.

The huge prison was quite different from what it looked like from the outside when I actually came inside.

The hallway was so narrow that it was suffocating, and the ceiling was low, and there was not a single small window. It was very dark and stuffy.

Tae-oh carefully followed the guide, relying on the oil lamps and torches placed in the middle.

However, it was so painful to even breathe due to the smoky smoke coming from the torches and the terrible stench emanating from somewhere.

Since it was an 18th-century prison without proper sanitation facilities, the smell of rotting secretions from defecating and urinating anywhere relentlessly stung Tae-oh’s nose.

Flutter- flutter-

Tick- tick-

Crack- crack-

In addition, there was a constant sound of small objects crawling and gnawing here and there, and it seemed that all kinds of dirty animals and pests such as rats, cockroaches, and centipedes were roaming around.

Scribble- scribble-

Squeak- squeak-

At first, I felt so stuffy inside this dark prison without a single window, but I thought it would be better to have darkness that I couldn’t see well than to see all kinds of hideous bugs and rodents with my own eyes.

However, there was something that made me even more nervous than the sound of swarming bugs or rats.

“Kuaaak! Aaaak!”

“Kiyaaaaa-”

“Oooo- ooooo-”

“Euaaak! It’s a demon! A demon has appeared! Euhehehe- Save me!”

The constant painful groans, curses, and screams of prisoners whose meanings I could not understand were terrifying and made my head ache so much that it throbbed.

‘Oh my god… If you stay in a place like this for just a few days, even a healthy person will quickly go insane.’