Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1843-02-10
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CONVICTION FOR MURDER.

At the recent session of tho Court of Com
mon Pleas at Elizabethtown, Essex Co, N.
Y. James Bishop, was convicted of the muir
der of his wife at, Chesterfield on the 18th
Nov last, and is sentenced to be hung on the
18th, March next On Saturday the 21st OF
January, being the last day of the court, the
prisoner, James Bishop was placed at the
bar, and asked what he had to say why
judgment Of death should not be pronounced
against him according to law. lie answered
81 have nothing 10 say throw myself
on your mercy."-Judge Willard, then ad-
dressed him in substance as follows:-
flames Bishop: The circumstances which
were proved against you, on your trial, present
a case of aggravated enormity. The deceased
was your we-a feeble and unresising wo-
man; who, Notwithstanding your abuse to her,
was attached to you-she was entitled to your
love and protec,ion-she always treated you
| with mildness and respect and never gave you
any provocation for the repeated acts of cruelty
which you practsed upon her. The testimony
shows that you had been in the habit for long
time of beating her in barbarous manner
that on the night of the 18th of November last,
you came home and found her in bed with your
child--that you ordered her to get up and she
obeyed you-that you then, without cause, re.
newed your acts of violence upon her. inhicting
from 10 to lOO bruises upon her person, one of
which, blow upon her head with club, occa-
stoned her death. You have had fair and i'm.
partial trial, by a jury Of your own selecting
you have been ably defended by learned and in.
genious counsel, who urged in extenuation of
the act, every consideration which could be
suggested. But it has been unavang to YOU /;
all who heard the trial must agree with the jury
that you are guilty of the murder of your WIFE
II is not merely with a view of distressing
your feelings that have thus referred to your
barbarous and nhuman conduct. | wish to
awaken you to a sense of your awful condition,
But few days remain to you Of life. Soon
you must appear before another tribunal whose
Judgments are unerring 1t is not to us that
you are to look for mercy, but to Colour
painful duty leaves us no discretion.
1t is not a mere scheme of human policy,
Bishop, that dooms the murderer to death. lie
is so punished because God has said that the
murderer should die, and civil governments are
the mere instruments, in this respect, for exc
cutting His will
II, Bishop you have ever supposed that the
actions of the present life, have no relation to
another state of existence-if you have never
feared that any punishments avail: the guilty
beyond the grave, | entreat you to spend the
remainder of your life in examining the subject,
and in preparation for your final doom. Atho'
God, before whose bar you must appear, is a
God of infinite justice, he is God also of
bonndless mercy. 1t is to HIM rather than to
US that you must plead in this trying hour
Call TO your aid the ministers of our holy reli.
gion-seek through the mediation of the Sa-
vior, remission of your SINS By true repen-
tence you may yet through Him find hope
But be assured that no repentance will be of
any avail to you, which does not lead you to
feel and to confess the wickedness of your own
heart
Now listen to the sentence of the law, which
is that you, James Bishop, be taken from this
bar to the common Jail Of this county, and be
there kept in safe and secure custody until
Friday, the 18th day of March next, and that
on that day between the rising and setting OF
the sun, you be taken to the place of execution
provided by law, and be then and there hang.
ed by the neck until you be dead--and may
God Almighty have mercy on your soul
The prisoner clasped his hands and respond
ed, "God Almighty have mercy on my SOUL"