He is a powerful, thick-set man, of about medium stature, and his countenance is not an unpleasant one at a first glance, though upon closer study one discovers that the face reveals the lack of several moral elements in the man's composition, which seems to indicate that the Creator designed him especially for the ends he serves.
A critical observer would probably say that his eyes are too close together, and that their brilliancy is that of the codfish rather than the eagle, while, though the mouth and chin indicate determination, the forehead gives the impression of lack of balance.
A phrenologist would perhaps find that the cranial bumps that indicate sense and shame, pity and sympathy, are not particularly well developed upon the head of Mr. Berry.
"Have you ever been threatened by the friends of criminals whom you have hanged?"
"Often," replied Mr. Berry, "but I don't pay no attention to them. I'm a doin' o' my duty, and I'm protected by th' Government."
"It was said that if Mrs. Maybrick had not been reprieved a mob would have been formed in Liverpool to prevent your hanging her."
"They'd never have seen me," said Mr. Berry, "I'd 'a been in th' jail and 'anged her before th' mob knew I was about, and I'd been on th' train and on my way back 'ome before they knew she was dead. Why when I 'anged Poole in Dublin, who murdered informer Kenny--O'Donnell, who murdered th' other informer, Carey, having been 'anged at Newgate th' day before--there was a great mob in Dublin to prevent my getting into th' prison, and nobody outside knew Poole was 'anged until I was on th' boat a steaming away for Holyhead."
"I'll tell you," said Mr. Berry in a burst of confidence. "I shaves off my whiskers and I puts on women's clothes. That's th' way I got into Dublin Jail, with my ropes and straps under my clothes, and that's th' way I've done many a job."
Berry never did such a thing in his life as put on women's clothes. He never had occasion to put them on, and there was not the slightest shadow of foundation for the statement. The people mentioned in the article as having been hanged by Berry were not hanged by him at all. This libel was printed upon November 23rd, 1889, and an action was commenced at once. The defendants now stated in mitigation of damages that they denied that the words bore the construction which the plaintiff had put upon them, withdrew all imputations, and admitted that any such were unfounded, and apologised for the matter complained of. But the apology and the withdrawal appeared upon the pleadings only. From that day to this, with 158,000 of their papers going out every week, there had net been one single word in the paper apologising for their action. It was open to them with a view to mitigation of damages, to have taken this course, but they had done nothing but put their apology upon the record, and paid into court the majestic sum of 40s. as, in their opinion, sufficient to atone for the wrong.