Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-11-29
From the Chicago Citizen and Daily Nc,os'
Confession and Execution Of the Davenport
murslerers.


for murder of Col. Geo. Davenport. Although |
the morning was rainy an immense concourse
of people were seen assembling from every part
OF the con,ry and at the time OF the execution.
| made an estimate. and should Judge there
were FIVE thousand presept,--a pronlscuous as
sernblage of men, women and children.
A. ! o'clock the guards formed in front Of the'i
Jail, when the prisoners were brought out. and |
conducted in solemn procession, with music, to |
the eall6ws.-- The guard formed in a hollow |
square about the gaows. while the prisoners |
assembled The scsfiold and took their seats with |
the sheriff. Several other gentlemen also as
cended the scafiold | say other gentlemen, |
for the prisoners appeared very like gentlemen. 1
They were well dressed and up to tn 8 time, !
scarcely any emotion was visible in their ooun- !
tenances But after sitting awhile slight !
paleness seemed 10 overshadow their faces as
they looked upon the crowd, and upon the ap
paratus before them.
The sheriff advanced and read the order for
the execution; utter which he remarked that if
:he prisoners wished to say anything opportunl-
ty was given. John long then arose, the she.
rlf'having unbond The cords from his arTns,) and
advancing, made very polite bow. and address |
sed he audience a. follows | give the sub
stance of what he said, avoiding his frequent
ropetitions and correcting his language, which
was sometimes ungrammatical and otherwise
Incorrect;
I'VE omit the speeches. John Long confes-
sed tina, he was guilty of killing Col. Davenport,
but said he wished those present to receive, as
the declaration of dying man, his assertion
,ha, hs brother Aaron and Granville Young
were innocent OF that crime Robert Birch,
William Fox, Theodore Brown and himself he
said, killed Davenport, but did it unintentional-
~ He then called upon one Bonney TO step
| forward, but being told Bonney was not in the
crowd, he said it 'knocsed out 6J0 pages from
his speech" This Bonney he edeclared was the
chiei among thieves and robbers Aaron Long
and Granville Young then severalIy protested
that they were innocent. When they had DONE
! John Long again made speech, detailing some
warning by his fate. Upto lSi0. ne had never
| wrorged man. hut in that year he was persr.
AIDED 10 engage in countcrteltng. and from that
he MAS led to the commission of robbery and
murder. A tn confession aiS of acts and associ-
rtrs he said would implcate two lundred men
in Illinois. IEdians, Mssoari and the Territory,
but he Withheld the confession frcm regard for
their families.
After ne had closed. he returned to his scat,
and alter consulting the other Prisoners said it
was their dying request that their bodies be Civ
en- 70 their friends, and not TO the physicians.
Nj. Gache' now stepped forward and offered
up shor, fnd appropriate prayer; after which
Mr. lianey read psalm. The prisoners now
se.eraly shook hands with those on the scat.
fold, aud with each other. Aaron Long and
Young nearly overcome with emotion--John
quiet calm ard collected The sheriff bound
their arms. pu, tie rope around their nccks,
drew the caps over their faces and led them
forward upor the drop. Taking the axe. he
severed the rope at one blow and down wen,
ieet.
Bat-no@ remained a scene most revolving to
behdld, ard most horrible TO describe. The
middle rope broke letting Aaron Long fall,
striking his hack upon the beam below, and ~
ing insenslhle from the .strangling caused by
the rope before it broke. For { moment not
a human being moved all were horrifed
and seemed rlFeicd 10 their places. Soon, how
ever, the officers decended and raised him up
when he recovered his Senses, and was again
led upon the gallows suffering intensely rails.
ing his hands and crying out, The Lord have !
mercy on me The Lord have mercy on me /! /
You are hanging and innocent man. And (point- /
ing 10 his hrother) there hangs my poor poor,
brolher" But alas he hccded him not.
shall never forget the appearance OF that
man, as he en, upon the bench, large bloody
s,reak abort his neck his body trembed all over
while preparations were making for his fnal
fall. But there was another act in this drama.
As he was ascending the gallows, signs OF an
outbreak among the crowd were evident Some
cried, "thats enotgh-let him Cos" while 9TH
ers gave expression to their hotror Just at
this moment some cry was raised in remote
part dfthe crowd, no one knew what il was, some
were frightened-one wing of the guards re-
treuted toward the galovs--the tumult increas-
ed--a sudden panic seized the immense crowd,
and they all fed precipitately from the p'sss'
tr r,ba aar,h nnIar TIM allpws had