Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1831-06-02
no as

YOU were sentenced with revenge still rank
ling in your heart. and bent upon the des.
truction, not only of him who had alone Of
Tended, ifindced offence il could he called
to give eyidence when required in a court
of jus,,ce) but Of all bis FAMILY, you sought
the habitation of your devoted victims and
at the still dead hour of night, stole into the
apartment in which they slept, unconscious
of their approaching fate and dreaming OF
nought but safety under their own peaceful
and quiet roof Did you not shudder as you
entered into such a sanctuary? Did you not
pause and tremble, ere you gave the FIRST
fatal stroke?
A wife confidently reposingtn the arms Of
her husband, and bearing the unborn pledge
of their mutual affection, (and such learn
was the advanced condition OF Mrs. Newey,)
with her two little children sleeping at her
aide, was a scene ft for angles TO fceme
down from heaven to look upon q scene cal
cuated it would seem to excite the warmest
sympathies OF the human heart. TO shake
tho settled purpose, and stay the uplifted
hand of the most hardened and practiced
assassin. Yet it did not unsettle your bloody
purpose, nor arrest your murdcrsus hand.
But in the emphatic language Of the indlct-
ment, being moved and seduced 10y the in
s,isation Of the devil, for no other influence
could have prompted TO such an outrage,
you broke through all restraint, and regard
less of the laws, both of God and man, and
reckless of every consequence, plunged into
scene Of shocking and complicated crime,
to which no parallel 10 remembered, and
such. as il is believed the pages Of Judicial
history furnish no record of The husband
and wife, their two little innocent children
and unborn infant, her father who lodged in
a roem above and lad An inmate OF tho
house, were all, all involved in one common
ruin, all inhumanly murdered, and by You.
And after having first plundered it. with the
calculating GOODNESS and elaboration ofa dc.
mon, you set fire to the house in which they
had slept, in imaginary security. and which
but for you might have continued the abode
of innocence and peace, with a view ne
doubt 10 obliterate all races OF violence, by
consuming their mangled and lileless bodies
in the devouring element, and thereby To
destroy all evidence Of their having Come to
their untimely end by means Of any human
agency.
But did you also hope to hide your guilt,
from the all seeing and omnipresen' God, 10
whom all things are known, and fom whom
hope the very means resorted 10 for safety
means OF your detection.
The flame you lighted to consume their
bodies. served also 10 attract and light the
neighbours TO the scene Of dissolution, before
the bodies Of MIR. and Mrs Newey were en-,
trely consumed, the mortal wounds still visi-
Bile upon which plainly indicated that muir
derer had been there! though horrible to
relate the bodies of tue rest were burnt TO
ashes
The finger Of suspicion directed by the
unerring hand Of Providence pointed to you,
as the fell destroyer ofthose, for whose blood
you will soon be required to make atonement
with your own; and notwithstanding youx
supposed well laid scheme OF concealnAent
and imaginary security, you blindly carried
about YOU the damning evidence Of your
guilt, unconscious of the dangers that beset
you on all Sides, and OF the stroke that was
about to fall upon and crush you So il has
always been, and SO il ever viii be- Sooner
or later, the vengeance of heaven never fails
to oyertake the guilty. Such are the iDscr,i-
table workings, OF providence, and such tho
blindness and folly Of poor, vain and frail
humanity.
DO me the justice 10 believe, that have
no wishto insult or unnecessarily wound your
feelings No, unhappy man, sit here for
no such unbal'owed purpose, and should be
Of the seat ! occupy, if l were
capable of wsntonly doing so. But painful
as The duty is, and deeply as Iregret having
such duty to perform, must speak Of
things as they are. and earnestly hope. YOU
may be awakened to Just and full sense of
the enorrnity Of the guilt with which YOU are
overwhelmed & OF the necessity
there is, for endeavoring 20 be prepared TO
meet the inevitable doom that awaits YOU.
And that You will not suffer yourself to be
drawn into fatal delusion, by an III ground.
ed hope OF pardon, or Of any in.erposition
in your behalf by the Executive authority Of
the state, ofwhich feel IL my duty to apprise
you, that | sincerely believe, there is not the
probability Permit me therefore
TO entreat you, to turn your attention while
yet you may, TO that high and dread tribunal
upon which. all you have now to hope for.
peace and happiness in another world, must
alone depend and earnestly and diligently
to employ what yet remains TO you or this
transitory lie, ia humble application to the
Throne Of grace, for pardon and forgiveness
of your sins and may god OF his infinite mer-
cy incline and guide your heart to pcnitences
and prayer. strengthen and support you in
HE hour Of trial, and suffer you not at the
last sad moment Tor any pains Of death to fall
rom him.
Your sentence is, that yoa to be taken to
me Jail of Frederick county from whence
YOU came, aud thence 10 the place OF execs-
tor, at such time as shall be driy appointed,
and that you be there hanged by the neck
until you are dead.