The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-29 00:00:00

CRIME IN PHILADELPHIA.

TWITCHELL'S CONFESSION AND DEA TIL—For those
of our readers who do not know the circumstances's"
may mention that a man named Twitchell, holding
a good-position in society in Philadelphia, was COh:
victed, after a fair trial, of the murder of Airs. Hill'
Ms mother-in-law, whose body was discovered lying
beneath the window of her house, from which she
had been thrown. It appeared evident on investi-
gating the room that the old lady had been murdered
when asleep ou the sofa, and that the perpetrator
had cast the body through the window. TWI
caell ant 11:5 wife were wrested ou suspicion and ,
tried ; the former was found Guilty and condemned
to death, the latter being Acquitted. The atrocity
of the act, coupled with the social position of the
accused, excited towards this case an unusual degree_
of attention. Every effort that !honey or interest
could exert was made to save the culprit;
and, these failing, he was supuosed, iu cud
_.junction witu his wife, to have made a COni"..
sign, throwing the guilt on her, who, as already
acquitted, could nut again be tried. fits contessieut
is its follows :—" I went to my room on the eight
of the murder, and instead of going to bed I laid
down on the lounge iu my room and fell asleep
My wife was in bed at the time. I was roused by
her repeated calls, and ran down to the
room, wnere I found her much excited, saying, I
have had a quarrel with mother and killed her.'
dO not kuow whether she said, ' Save cue
°it
Help me, hide we!' but at last we threw the body
of lilts. tilt out of the window, to make it look
it sue tell out. I went down stairs auu wasued iffy
hands and face at the hydrant, then went co al
twin, undressed, and went to bed. My wale eaine
up atterwards and got into bed, where we staid
until SaraftUumpuen rung the bell. 1 thing
were in toed ten or twenty minutes. I made le
solemn vow to the eternal tiod that night that
a °aid Lever reveal it, but 1 cannot keep it AY
longer. I am sorry that I have said I knew nothing
of it, but I oiu it with we vow In my mind, aua L°
save nix wile. I now wake these thselusures thati
may have peace With biud. (Signed) GEoitGE 6'
iwercitEhh, jun. lu pit:suttee La the Rev. tieurge
litiuBuurst and William IL Peikius." shortly
after the confession, but before it was publiseedi
Mrs. Twitca,ll visited her husband tor the 106
time, and had a conveisation with the Rev. G'
Briughurst. From him she learned, in respell°
to her eager questions, that Twitchell had confessed'
and connected her with the murder. " ihe°2
exclaimed ans. Twitchell, "he is a villain,- the
greatest villain ou the face of the earth. On asii-
ihg whether he intended to make any statement
on the scaffold she was answered that he did. The
knowledge appeared to disconcert her that news-
Riper reporters ft ould be present. She did not re-
peat her visit, but left the city shortly after, and
IG was then falsely rumoured that she was n°"
where to be found. Twitchell, on learning that
Mr. Bringhuist had published his coniession, de-
clared it to have been against his desire and ';o°-
sent, as he only wished it to become known alter
his execution. While asserting its discrepancies to
be the best proof of its truth, he was unable W
whettitr his wife was dressed or nut when al'e
called him down, being, he declared, so stunned by
what she had told him. When questioncd
more closely on the mot ves of his coureaston, he
said, " I did it because my wiie deserted ine. Be-
fore last Filthy week she called to Lae me twice
week, but always seemed in a hurry to get await
and did nut show any affection for the. On the 0C
casiou of her last visit the othcer of the prison told her
taut from that time out she might see me every dal
it she desired. \\rhea leaving I said to her,
there must be some light thrown liPe°
this thing.' She only replied, I will come su°Ll
again.' She then left, and I haven't seen her
since. I think it hard that she should abandon hie
now after the sacrifices I have made for her. If
immediately after her acquittal she had told me the
whole truth, I believe my life would have been
saved. I see the shameful death I am to die oil
Thursday, but I would not change places with her,
fur 1 wilt die with the colvicluaSueSS of yielding iiP
my life for a faithless and crinimai wife, while slid
will live, after Thursday, with my blood added to
tier soul, which is already stained with that of for
mother. The truth will perhaps never be kilaW°l
fur wheu Thursday dawned the day on which he
was to be executed, Twitchell was found by
keeper dead in his bed. Ou the previous night he
gave Mr. Briughurst the key with which he had
wound up his watch, remarking, it was the last time'
Ile saw Eaton., who was to be executed the same
day, and remarked, " Jerry, you will have i° gcl
mune, l will not be with you, but mum's the wold•„
On this being told the officers of the prison, his cell
was Carefully searched, even the locking-glass being
taken away. lie suffered intense mental agony
when visited by three Catholic priests, and eviuced
an overwhelming terror at his impending fate. it:
12 o'clock he was walking about his cell, b at 'I)
a.in. when the keeper looked in he was iu b
the blanket over his head. When next the keeper
visited him it was 5.15, when the blauket, Was
thrown down to his middle and his face looked
deathly, though the neck was still warm the li-bibs
were rigid and cold, his mouth open, his band°
clenched, and discovered he was dead. 'There Was a
piece of liquorice with the end bitten off, but Pr'
Shapleiga discovered a bottle wrapped in paper i°
the toe of a boot half filled with a solution of cyanide
of potassium, the other portion hating evidently
neeu poured into a tin cup and swallowed by the
prisoner as he lay iu bed. Thus perished Twitalelit
Who commenced his career of crime by a fraud'
which he followed by a murder, then by a Con-
fession believed to be a lie, and lastly by suicide'
So deep was the interest in the case that the Ledger
of Wednesday had to be reprinted, a thing Whieill
never before occurred in Philadelphia, and we find
that most correct of journals with the Iced/test/0
heading still over the Thursday's paper. The Even'
illy Star of that city sold 95,000 copies, said to be the
largest edition ever printed by a Philadelphia &lib'.
paper. Gerold Eaton slept comfortably while
1. witchell was in the agonies of death, then got UPI
took his bath, ate his breakfast, bid his wife fare 4
well, and, as the noose was being adjusted, he
turned to the person who was fixing it, and said,
"S 9 help me God, I did not do it." Ilia body Wag
acted oc by a galvanic battery ; the eyes Wersu
opened, the heart pulsated, and one arm was raised
under heavy charges. It was on the night of the
12th of June that he, while drunk, met Timothy

Heenan. and attempted to shoot him, but was re"
strained by his companions. The party visited
other saloons, and, at a later hour, encountered.
Heenan on the street, when Eaton made a second

unsuccessful attempt to discharge his pistol at him'
Subsequently, however, while Heenan was end°.
vouriag to help a friend, who was drunk, out of the
street, he carat close to Eaton and his party: and
was shot, and died next morning. Eaton and one

of his associate, were arrested and put on trial for
murder, of which he was found guilty, and, after
being reepited by Governor Geary, was finaq
executed.

Births.
ASSHETON —On the 20th inst. the wife of Balkh Asshet°lll
Esq., M.P., of a daughter.
DoFuzn—On the 27th inst., at Shaftesbury House, Xerl-
sington, the Hon. Mrs. Hubert Dormer, of a daughter'

Marriages.
BATHURST—EIBTON—On the '24th inst., at St. George'l
Hanover-square, Lieut.-Colonel Hervey Bathurst, (~),
the Grenadier Guards, to Ada, only daughter of Bir J•
Itibton, Bart.
HACKMAN-131,min' —On the 28th inst., at St. 31411';',
Bickford, William G3orge Hackman Eof Ghultniel.
House, Long Lit ton Surrey, to Caru'line, sq.
t'hird daughter
of the late W. S. Blight, Esq., of Bideford.

Deactu3.
BECK WITIL—OU the 27th inst , Mr. Charles Beckwith, of
Milner-square, Islington, and Oat-lane, E.O.
I.3LANcuAnn On the 2dth inst., at the lied House, blare'street, Hackney, Mr. Henry Louis Blauchard, aged 111,
MUNDAY—On the 27th inst., at 11, King-street, Snow-111
Dr. Charles Munday, aged 56.

London : Printed and Piblished by WILLIAM AND 11,01.4;
of Ao. 112, Strand, Printer, at l'as SUN ()Me?, No ;
ztrand. rll9 Preetaot of the In the (Jaunt/ °
Ziiddleuez.—Thursclay, Ara 29, 1869.