Berkeley and Jefferson intelligencer. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va.) 1802-1810, 1808-06-03

to the criminal.
FaTmo.!te, 4prK 90.
At the Late District Court Of Prince Edward,
John Blanks, w&s convicted Of murder in the first
degree, for cruelty killing his wife in the month Of
February last This atrocious murder IS distn-
gnshed BY brutality unparalleled in the history eli
ther OF ciNllfsed or savage man. Bafbarians have
often exhibited an unrelenting cruelty of feeling
towards their enemies, and have derived maig.
nant pleasure from their sufferings, protrscted
sometimes, perhaps, for n whole day. But be-
herc another instance has not occurred wherein q
HUSBAND, who had not been married longer than
eight or nine months, and whose wife was in an
advanced state Of pregnancy, deliberately formed
and executed the horrid purpose Of putting her to
death by orueltes repeated and tortures protract.
ed, for six days.
On Sunday evening, TIE
day Of February last, two young men Of Blanks's
family were approaching his house, when they
he nd the cries Of his wife shriekng and implorinr
mercy. They concealed themselves under fence,
and saw Blanks bring her out twice, and whip her
numerically, She escaped from him that night
but returned the next morning. He kept her a.
forwards UP stairs in the day time, and brought
her down at night. On the succeeding Thursday,
two women ofthe neighbourhood went to Blanks
house, and were BY him invited upstairs to Sc. his
W.T., whom they found in bed mableto sit up,
verely bitter On Friday evening, Blanks was
heard in mis- house swearing and cursing bitterly,
and threatening tn send some one to he'll After,
which he required one Of his sons to take the gun
and do It,
He was seen about that time without a shirt,
washing his f,ce, breast, and hands, which were
bloody, and one of his said he had been whip
ping negro The voice OF Mrs. Blanks was heard
in the house by a Dung man, whom she called and
requested to come to her but Blanks would not
permit him to go in. Early on Saturday morning,
two Of Blanks sons and a Young man who had
lived with him, found him in his house sitting on a
Leas pReR which was the dc ad body Of his wife,
whose death he affected to lament, declaring he
WOuidpUt end TO his ownlife. A large switch,
both ends Of w'ich were beaten TO afriree, and an
open knife stained with bfood, Law BY him. Eobo-
dy was in tic house but Blanks and the corps of
his wife. He wanted his will written, and his
S~ddlc bags were IN the room packed full with his
clothes. At this time he was intoxicated; but
had not bsen seen in tt condition until then, since
he began the treatment of his wife, which ended
in her Death. Several persons Of the reighborhood,
which by this time hal been alarmed, came with
a magistrate TO blanksS house. He i;ted q gun at
two Of those who first appeared ard strongly e.
WINGED a determination to shoot at others but at
length by piece ct dexteroHs management, his
PRISON was secured, and the house was diligently
searched, and no person was found in it except
in since the death Of Mrs Blanks. He did not i'm
pu:e the murler Of his wife TO any other person.
The skull of the deceased was broken in several
places, her head was smOst destitute of its natll-
rl covering and lCc Ks Of her hair were scattered
yer the whole floor, which stained with blood.
An effort seemed recently to have been made to
cover the dead body with clean linen A morning
gown and two Shuts Of MIS- Blanks, with shirt
Of Blanks's, were found in n closet adjoining the
room in wEich the dead body lay, and the shirt was
TIC same which he wore on the preceding Thurs
tl when tie females vi4ited his wife. All Of these
in q site which she wed that they had been
saturated with Hood, and that an attempt had
been made, by wcttTny and wr;ngng them, to
ge' it out, a wound was found near the ear Of
the deceased, which was made with a knife
The body exhibited spectacle Of horror, which,
in the language Of the witnes ses, was beyond de-
sc!iption 1t was bruised and wounded from the
own Of the head to VIC feet. and mangled by the
teeth, as wcl as by the blow, other murderer
This urfnruln te woman who was not far from
the period ID chId-buth when she was murdered,
had ever m Maintained good reputation, and d;shn-
gus he'd b. the lnilln. of her temper, aIh her
industrious attention to domestic duties. nor was
single circumstance in her conduct, mentioned
BY single witness, or ever suggested by Blanks,
which afforded any ground Of complaint on his
part, the slightest palliation of his crime
During the whole trial he preserved an nfexibfe
composure office, unnoved BY the narrative ofth
WITNESSES or by the exhibition of the bloody gar
ments, which appalled, every other spectator.
An attic mpt was made to Shew arrangement Of
his mind. bdt there nothing IN the evidence
to induce even peion of his insanity, although
he Was defended on that ground. The jury did
not hc3itate to render verdict convicting him Of
murder in the first degree, and sentence Of death
was pronounced against him, BY the presiding
judge fthc court, or the 7th day Of the term.
In this statement Of the case nothing has been
given but WAS established in open court, by I'M
equivocal testimony But the female witnesses
out Of court have averred that they had not been
restrained by feelings which always prevail with
the =" outaiion Of their they would have deve.
Hoped fIcts which have aggravated the features Of
this horrible infinitely be yond any thing which
apre.red ON the trial Some Of them have been
communicated ;sbttthey are too horrible to be told