Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-04

the sentence Of the law eanno, refrain from say.
ing something 10 yoa OF the causes which have
Drought Won 20 your present awful and miserable
state. ", IN the course OF these observations.
should appear to be unnecessarily harsh il must
not be attributed to disposition to exult over one
who Is just lettering on the brink OF a mutdetet's
grave, or to wound the remnant Of human feeling
vet throbbinc IN your breast Such motives will
| trust, never aetuate me For you feel pity aud
eompasson--not that you are about To expiate N
life OF wiekedness and crime, 10y a death of inlsmv
and disgrnee-Nol Justice demands her victim,
ana never was there one more deserving OF his Fate
offered up at her ar,-but that poor. weak human
nature should have become corrupt and degraded
~ what shall say has the effect Of awakening YOU
40 Tue slightest degree, TO your ondlon or
OF cautloning any one, who hears me- from tresSire
The path you have trod. I will not have spoken in
VAIN, and shall have attained tho object at which |
aim.
David Lucas-It is now eighteen or twenty v,,,s
since first saw you. You were then youny man.
and, apparently, had not long been engaged i'm The
active concerns OF life. But though young Won
were even then an offender against the law You
then stood at the bar. charged with petit larceny
and l. as Clerk, arra'gned you, and Witnessed your
convection and punishment From the county of
Wythe where this conviction took place YOU were
brought To the county of Gcs--n second time tired
convicted, and punished for petit larceny and
without being released from your confinement, in
dIcted tried aud convicted OF horse. stealing and
sentenced to the Peniteniiaty for FIVE years. This
confinement you underwent and were discharged
scarcely, however, were YOU &c cnstd, before you
were again guilty. OF larceny, and again indicted
found guilty, and sentenced to three years impris
onmen' IN the Penten,isry. This pun shment you
also survived, and again returned TO your native
place One would have reasonably supposed that
such repeated detection and punishment, if il had
noi the elect OF reforming, would at least have
deferred you from crime. But-no Instead
OF working any salu,ary change in your feelings and
principles. punishment appears only TO have hnr-
dened, and made you more determined in your VI.
cions career. At the last term OF this Court ssnn
found you criminal, charged with shedding the
o'ood OF your Nephew. On that OCCASION although
the evidence certainly established upon you the Guilt
OF m'nsaughier. could not help feeling some sym
po'hy Tor your fate, and was gratifed, when the
jury from mistaken view of the law and evidence
pronounced verdict of mot guilty" There wns
something IN your conduct and manner -sometbinp
even IN the utter depravy Of your character which
made me hope, that he who had proved himself ne
auarnant TO the severity Of the law, might he soft.
ened 10y It's mercles. Vain hopcl That yery mercy
which trusted might reform ana which Won b,i.J
as blessed deverance. has, under the superintend
ance OF an all wise Providence been made the cause
OF your destruction. Undeterred by punishmen,
uhthankinI Tor and unmovod by, mercy, YOU have
again become a feon, and now stand az the b,r n
convicted and blood stained murderer AWAITING tbot
sentence which will shortly consisn your HOLY to
the grave, and your soul TO an everlasting eternity
IN making this brief review OF your life which has
mo mi
inc question irresiStbly presents ITSELF "To what
mas your depravliy been owing1 7" Isit TO nature
enure'y corrupt, without one generous or tedeeming
quahty Or, Is It TO bc aScrbed TO the defects of
your carly education, and the vicious propensi,ies
winch you then lmbibed, both from prece pt and c,
ample The first, no doubt. has had ,rs., ma.
ehcei out II Is 10 the latter probably that your er
eesses ought principally 10 be imputed If am cor.
reely informed, you had no one, in childhood. or
early me- to train you in the paths OF virtue Your
/ ms a Of r... IL,
! SET you an example OF almost every vice and well
nave you initiated their example. Under their in
huence, you have become a hardened. debased and
o'ooa 'hi-sy criminal. Your life has been one con
Nnueu succession OF crime and punishment, unbess-
l co oy any OF those social and domestic relatons
whlch cheer us on in our Journey through life and
s"u our latter days with Joy and peace. Where nre
your TRENDS Alas you have none You b,ve
l ny your crimes, become an enemy 70 the human
race. Where is your wife She abandons vor i,
your extremity, and looks forward 10 your execu
Ton as arelease from bondage worse th,n deatbi-
] Where are your children those dear pledses
/ OF love, and the ties which bind us most strongly
10 eNstenee-those who, under proper training
ough', m the Ian uage Of Scripture to ''rse IN and
call you b'essedl" Have they any memen,o Of yo,,-
care and atection1 Their Only inheritance i die.
grace! Can you look back 10 lessons given then,
winch may make them useful, reSnectnbie and wor
my members OF societyi Your life has been TO them
one urIorm example of vice and ,mmorelitv md
u they escape the pollution IL will be only because
they nave seen IN their father q striking evidence
thst crime leads but TO misery aud DEATH Your
I'ther'-I)id not even your heart shrink within YOU
when you saw him, aged and touerns TO the grave
to whom you are indebted for nothing but your
miserable existence and the early example Of vice
which he gave, appearing here as a witness against
you, ana, by his testimony, aiding IN your con q.
vcton And had he the feelings OF m,n 10 be
eole 70 do so without emotonl You are both
hasienng 10 the same bourne, there to reap the
reward OF your actions here. May YOU and he
be as beacons TO warn the passing and rising Gene
J Eailon ol the consequences of rice and the evils
I ais.ng from bad cXampei But | will not
TURNER protract my remarks. NHu and l. for the
list time, IN this world, stand face TO face. You
nave, tor the last time, ppcared 40 an earthly bar
our quit IS so clearly proved and is OF so fragrant
a CHARACTER that Tor you there is no hope OF mercy
/ on earth. But, there il another bar at which von
mus shortly stand and anoto er Judge before whom
you must give an account. only of the crime for
which you are about 10 suffer- but for every ACT Of
your Ire. Before hum, there will be no need of evil
denoe or proof To hun. every act OF your life every
] IMAGINATION OF your heart Is kEown. HIS all seeing
/ eye ms been constantly upon youths scrutiny
| you are unable TO escape and his Judgment Won
will certainly hear. How, let me nsk you will Won
be able to stand before him. covered with crime and
stained with blood How will you he able to
herr the shtnings oi his eyes, or the dssp dnmno
| ton of his iu,tc-2 Miserable and wte-ched man
for you there - no hope, in the grave unless
yon prepare for tSe solemn realities Of eternity md
a Judgment To come! II - not Tor me, a weak and
/ sinful man, and ike yourself amenable to divine
Justice TO point oct the means by which you may
hope 10 escape the wrath 10 come. | can only saw
that we are taught by his divine word that, though
ms justice IS severe, his mercy great. and Though
your sins be ns scarlet" The make them" 'ns
white as snow Endeavour then. 10 prepare for
that solemn day Lay your hear, open before him,
and by repentance and prayer, endeavour to obtain
that peace, which he has promised to all those who
sincerely repent! For the purpose Of enntns you
To do his our law has humanely provided, that exc.
cuuon Of judgment shat! NOT take place in less than
| 80 days from The period at winch It is pronounced
II only remains with me TO pronounce that iudg
menL u is, that You be taken from the bar. where
you now stand, 10 the jail Of this county, and from
thence on the 9th day Of June next, 10 the place
oi execution where, icWeen the hours of 10 o'clock
! in the morning md o'clock m the evening. YOU
are to he changed by the neck" until you are deadi
And may the Lord have mercy on your souli
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