CONFESSION OF ELIZABETH WOOLCOCK.
The following document has been handed to us for publication. It was enclosed in an envelope addressed "To the Rev. Mr. Bickford, Wesleyan Minister, Adelaide," and marked, "not to be opened or read untill After my Death.— E. L. Woolcock :"— "Adelaide Jail December, 16 1873 "The last Statement and Confesion of Elisabeth Woolcock to Mr Bickford Sir i was Born in the Burra mine in Provence of South Australia in the year 1847 my parents names were John and Elisabeth Oliver they were Cornish they came to this Coloney in 1842 but they went to Victoria in 1851. I was left whithout the care of a Mother at the Age of 4 years and i never saw her again until i was 18 my father died when i was 9 years old and i had to get my living untill i was 18 and then i heard that my Mother was alive and residing at moonta mine she wrote me a letter asking me to come to her as she had ben very unhapy about me and she was very sorry for what she had done i thought i should like to see my Mother and have a home like other young girls so i gave up my situation and came to Adelaide my Mother and my step-father received me very kindly and i had a good home for 2 years my Mother and Stepfather were members of the Wesleyan Church and i became a Teacher in the Sunday school for 2 years at the End of that time i first saw my late husband Thomas Woolcock i belive my stepfather was a good man but he was very passionate and determined my late husband was a widower with two Chilldren his Wife had ben dead about 8 months when i went to keep house for him against stepfathers wishes i kept house for him for 6 Weeks when some one told my stepfather that i was keeping Company with Thomas Wool- cock he asked me if it was true and i told him it was not but he would not belive me but called me a liar and told me he would Crippel me if i went with him any more and i being very selfwilled Hold him that i had not ben with the man but i would go with him now if he asked me if the Divel said i should not this took place on the Thursday morning i saw my husband in the evening and he asked me what was the matter and i told him what had taken place the following Sunday he asked me to go with him for a walk instead of goin to Chapl i went and my stepfather missed me from the Chappel an came to look for me and met us both to gather so i was afraid to go home for has he had said he would break both of my legs i was afraid he would keep his word as i never new him to tell a willful lie so i went to a cousins of my husbands and stoped and my husband asked me if i would marry him and for my words sake i did we were morride the next Sunday morning by lience after the acquantance of 7 weeks i was not married long before i fownd out what sort of man i had got and that my poor stepfather had advissed me for my good but was to late then so i had to make the best of it i tried to do my duty to him and the chilldren but the more i tried the worse he was he was fond of drink but he did not like to part with his money for any thing else and god onley knows how he illtreated me i put up with it for 3 years during that time my parents wenttomelbourn and then he was worse than ever i thougth i would rather die than live so i tried to put an end to my self in severl diferent ways but thank the Lord i did not succied in doin so so as he did not treat me any better and i could not live like that i thought i would leave him and get my own liven bo i left him but he would not leave me alone he came and feched me home and then i stoped with him twelve months and i left him again with the intention of going to my Mother i only took 6 pounds with me i came doun to Adelaide and i stoped with my sister i was hear in Adelaide 6 weeks when he came and fetched me back again but he did not behave no better to me i tried my best to please him but i could not there is no foundation at all for the story about the young man called Pascoe he was nothing to me nor i did not give the poor dog any poison for i knew what power the the poison bad as i took it my self for some months and i was so illtreated that i was quite out of my minde and in a eviol hour i yealded to the temptation he was token ill at the mine and came home and quareled with me and satan tempted me and i gave him what i ought Dot buti thought at the time that if i gave him time to prepare to meet his god i should not do any great crime to ?end him out of tho World but I sse my miatake now i thank god he had time to make his pteace with his maker and i hope shall moot him hi heaven for i feel that god has pardoned all my sins he has forgiven me and washed me white in the precious blood of Jesus i feel this evening tli at i can rejoice in a loven Saviour i feel his presence bear to night he sustains me and gives me comfort under this heavey trial sutch as the world can never give. Dear friend if i may call you so i am mutch obliged to you for your kindness to a poor guilty sinner but great will be your reward in hevean i hope i shall meet you their and i hope that god will keep me faithf ull to the End o may be abl to Bay that live is Christ but to Die will be gain Bless the Lord he will not torn away any that come unto him lor he says come unto me all ye that labour and are hevy laden and i will giv you rest i feel i have that rest i hope to die singing Victory through the Blood of the lamb i remain sir Yours truly a sinner saved by grace Elisabth Lillian Woolcock.'