Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1845-07-17

different from anything we anticipated
from dying man--so much bitterness
and righteousness was exhibited in al
he said-his manner became so mani.
acal, that although prepared and in a
good situation to take down all that
was uttered, we were obliged at times.
in utter establishment, to drop our pen.
Gil and look at the man. We cannot
therefore give more than an outline
He said
Gentlemen aud Fellow citizens.
stand before YOU dying man about to
be launched into eternity. have not
much 10 say and shall not detain you
long. There never was trial where
men were convicted under such slight
evidence as was brought against US
We have not been tried as white men
ought 10 have been tried. There was
no evidence to convict us. Can the
Jury look on and sre two innocent
young men executed as we shall be in
few moments and fee. RICH, about il!
Can the Jury after giving such YER
dict, in condemning two innocent yonng
men as we are, one twenty two and
the other twenty -fve years old go home
TO their wives and children and sleep
quietly? He then alluded to the evi.
dence and in sort Of special pleading,
lawyer like style attempted to show
that it was inadequate to convic, them.
He asked why the jury did no, believe
the Witnesses who swore that they
were at Nanvoo at the time of The muir.
der, and answered that it was because
they were Mormons. He then said
there have been many murders COM
milted here, why were they not found
guilty and executed! They were no,
mormons, tina, was the reason. Ii must
have been so. Our Counsel told us
and the jury that the evidence was not
sufficient to convict US. They proved
nothing agains, US Examine our con-
due, from our youth up and see if YOU
can prove any thing against US. That
roll of flannel, oh, yes. you saw that
we must have been guilty of stealing
that, and We, there was no proof of our
stealing it.
Judge Mason came to us and tried to
make us confess and he told us that
the evidence was not sufficient to con.
vict US, and .ha. if we would confess he
would get us repreved. lie then re-
ferred to the manner in which they
were taken in Lee county-said that
every body wanted to hang them up
without Judge or Jury. Alluded TO
the activity Of The Sheriff of Lee county
of the willingness of all to bring
timber TO erect the gallows, still repeat
ing that there was no evidence TO con.
Wet them and that ii was because they
were mormons they we're Convicted
To corroborate this they said the Pros.
ecuiing Attorneys declared they ought
10 be hung for an example, if for moth
ing else. Here he became almost fran.
tic and came near, we thought, Of burst
ing assunder the ropes that bound his
arms. The iroth issued from his
mouth and he gave other signs of ex-
treme rage and madness. He seemed
now inclined TO include all the specta-
tors in his anathemas and said the ours.
es of God would rest upon them. He
then broke out in rhapsody of berev.
olence and declared TIA, he felt for the
bystanJers, not for himself-he would
die thousand deaths If he could bring
them back to virtue. He asked how
could any citizen go home and tell his
wife what he had seen-two men hung
without evldence-and sleep quietly
He then said he was prepared to go.
and stated that the Rev. Mr. White and
Coleman had been with him several
days, and he thanked them. He said
he had been well treated while in pris-
on. If he had been boarder at Mr.
Painters. The jailor, he could mol have
had better fare. He acknowledged tina.
he had received the most tender treat
ment from Sheriff McKenney and then
with the utmost GOODNESS. thanked the
audience for their attention. and retr-
ed.
1t was our intention and we believe
that thousands fel. as we dld,-to have
lief. the ground or to have turned our
back upon the dreadful tragedy, as soon
as The preliminary exercises were over;
but the speech and conduc, of Stephen
dissipased those tender sympa,hies in
their behalf which we had all along
felt. This change was wrought in us