Litchfield enquirer., 1845-11-27

! given me good a0Vlce. 50 nave my parents. It l
 had listened to their advice, should not have
 been here. Last evening read in my cell letter
 that contained the last farewell of my parents.--
 It was the only thing that ever chilled my heart-
 In looking over my lde and asking myself when
 was the most happy. my answer is. when was
 honest. I wish, therefore, that my young friends
 would take warning and follow such lie as will
 lead them to---( (here he checked himself,l wirl
 make them ost happy. I have followed robfng
 hecause without it I could not appear as I wished.
 have led high life for the last few years have gone in the highest classes. visited most of the cities of the United Stateshave often been taken, but always managed tO escape until now s
 There has been a great deal of excitement a. ganst us in this place. and have dnubt if there
 had been soTre one to take the lead and ''come on bovs," the iail would have been torn down, and we all should have been murdered. This mob spirit, gentlemen, is what makes so many rohhers | among vou This is what first set Fox to robbing. 1 He was taken shot and whipped in company with l another tor acrine of which he was innocent.a- l This rendered him desperate Fox is man nf feel ing heart one who lives up to his profession and if ever he is brought here upon this scaffnld, he | will say those men are innocent. Would to God he were here now, he would offer himself in their stead. One thing more to this Bonnv He had two presses for countereitng money ir Nauvoo, in l his cellar; and whenth people became eSaspera- rated. and were about to attack his house, went | in the night and carried the presses to distant
 
 Dr Williams, Mr. Lonmis, Mr Gore and Mr. Mo. ! Cough. This same Bonny has men now employed l in stealing horses in Missouri; he furnishes them ! with monev half counterfeit and half good He l will probably arrest them when they return When | [ saw him at Lower Sanduskv, told him that he was the last man would expect to arrest me. He then gave me his hand, and we pledged ourselves not to reveal any thing against each other. Since that we had quarrel, and our last agreement was that either should kill the other at the first oppor. | tunity. As for Birch, fist ssw him six months ago in the business at Bridges Since then have been hand and hand with him, and it any one had | attacked him, would have defended him, without asking for what he attacked. Last Winter wintered in Iowa. There Is gentleman who can l testify to that, (pointing towards man standing near the gallows) presume there are many here whom l have robbed ttIere he turned to the Sheriff and asked him if the time was nearly out. He was told it was.) The Sheriff tells me the | time is nearly up. . Behold me-a dying mana dead man. And my 1 dying words are that these men are innocent. I here hold up my hands and invoke the heavens 10 1 witness that these men are innocent. Would that God himself would come down and convince the l audience of the truth of what say. You are about to behold, my friends. sight which hope you may never behold again--two innocent men hung As for myself, gentlemen, do not know what will be my fate-ot that ain entirely ignorant. All my hopes lie between this moment and that (poinling to the rope) Should make full confession, ] should duplicate two hundred men in this State, Indiana, Missouri and the territory. Perhaps some of you think it is my duty, but do not, for have some feeling for their families. have confessed a. bout Bonny make TO other confession. (Here he closed his very lengthy speech, lifted mp his hands, and asserting with his last words the inno- cence of the men by his side.)
 Alter he had closed, he returned to his seat and, after consulting the other prisoners, returned, and stated that it was their dying request that their bodies might be given to their friends. and not to the physician Mr. Gatcheii now stepped forward and offered up a short and appropriate prayer; af- ter whch Mr Haney read Psalm. The prison l CTS now severally shrok hands with those on the scaffold, and with each other. Aaron Long and 1 Young nearly overcome with emotion: John quite calm and collected. The Sheriff bound their arms, put the rope round their necks, drew the caps over their faces, and led them forward up on the drop Taking the axe. he severed the rope at one blow. l and down went the drop, letting them fall dis tance of four feet But now remained scene most | reyolting to behold and most horrible to describe The middle rope broke, letting Aaron Long fall striking his back upon the beam below, and lying nsensible from the strangling caused by the rope before 1t broke.
 | For moment, not human being moved; all were mortified and seemed rvited to their places Soon, however, the officers descended and raised | him up when he tecove red his senses, and was a. gain led upon the gaiotVs, Suffering intensely rais. ing hs hands and crying out, sThe Lord have mer- cy on me! The Lord have mercy on me! You are hanging an innocent man. And (po'ntIng 10 ms brother,) there hangs my poor brother;' but alas he needed him not. He was already gone beyond | his sympa,hy--he was left alone to endure the dreadful sight of his brothers last agonies, and once more to pass through the dreadful seehe-the rope-the platiorm-ihe axe shall never forget | the appeatance of that man, he sal upon the bench, large bloody streak about his neck, his body trembling all over, while preparations were making for his final fall But there was another | act in inc drama As he was ascending the gall l lows. signs ot an outbreak among the crowd were evident Some cred-' That's enough-let him go while others gave expressiun to their horror
 Just at this moment some cry was raised m re- mote part of he crowd. No one knew what it was; some were frightened-one wing of the guard re- treated toward the galows-the tumult increased "a sudden panic seized the immense crow d. and they all fled pfecipitateiy from the place II inc earth under the gallows had opened, and Plhto himself had arisen from the internal regions, with
 his horses and chariot. tt could nnt have caused | greater conster nation, or more hasty flight The guard were with difficulty kept in their places ;-- the crowd returned, and soon all was quiet. One wagon was found upset, but tt was found to he inc effect and not the cause of the panic. The wretch
 ed victim of the law was at length despatched, and the crowd dispersed. Thus ended"the first execu- tion ever witnessed, and God grant that 1t may be the last.
 CURrous.-Among the pageanis at the Corona ton of Queen Mary, in 1853. was the following singular performance, related by Hollingshed:
 "There was one Peter Dutchman, that stood
 on the weathercoke of St. Paul's seeple, (London) holding streamer in his hand of i've yards long,
 and waving thereof, stood some times on the one
 fot and shooke the oihcr, and then kDeeled on has
 knees to the great marvel ot the people. He had
 made two scalolds under him, one above the crosse . likewise set with streamers and torches. which