Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1846-03-07

I->sWs learn from the Commercial Journal, o
Pit,bvre THAT on Friday hight, this notorious
ahd in many respects remarkable man, died in
h's cell, in the Western Pententisry. He WI,
convicted Of robbing the mail and imprisost ID
i WILDE remembered, in lSAl, pursuan, ,osen
,tence, BY Judge Baldwin, for ten years The
vJoureal saysyi igeA ptaaeI laioH ssorq.
=. Shortly after his incarceration. he conceived
the idea Of procuring bic liberation BY simnls-
ting decline Of health 90 For this pcrpose he
would prick his gums with The avis, which
were supplied to him in the vocation he bad
chosen, that of shoema ker, and phaving ssturs-
red his towel with blood, was always prepared
for the stated visit of physician or chaplain, with
this evidence Of dangerous hemorrhaee from
The irngs, to which he was always careful to ado
difficult and painful respiration. His phyei.
clan was able. sometimes, to engage the suffer.
ing doctor in conversations, in which he wnud
become sufficiently animated to forget his pain.
ful breathing, but, on the instant that he would
reocilect bi,nself the difficulty would RETURN
These practices, it is believed brought on the
disease which terminated his life, and he died
at last Of pulmonary affection.
Until two weeks before his death his disease
had not assumed formidable type, bu, then he
b"gan TO sink rapidly. Up to this period he had
steadily and vehemently asserted his innocence
ni the crimes imputed to him, but so soon az he
became convinced that his recovery was i'm.
Pnssble, he confessed his guilt, and, although
We are restrained BY prudential considerations,
from farther alusion to this point, we may ven.
ture TO add, that in his confession he has impi.
cated several persons who had not been suspect.
cd Of participating in his crimes. .....r.fr
1t is known that Braddee's wife, who clung to
hun during his trial, and suggested by her pre-.
trnce and signs of affection, that beautiful apos.
,rophe to love in anguish, with which MIR. Bid.
die, in Braddee's defence, electrified the crowd.
ed auditory, had been un.aithful to her VOWS, and
married another during Braddee's imprisonment.
lie was not made acquainted with the fact and,
t,r The five years he was in confinement, he was
fond of an opportunity Of talking about his wife
and children He spoke of them in terms Of
warm affection, and undoubtedly his desire to
recover his liberty was stimulated by attach.
rent to them !; even after he became aware
that he must soon die, he desired to be at liber-
iy, even il it were to die in barn, to the end,
that he might not die prisoner. But go soon
as he learned the conduct Of his wife, be instant
'y ceased to wish for freedom. 1t was the final
blow to the poor convict the unexpected thrust,
IKE that which extorted the memorable ct tn
Brute, commanding surrender; and ,poor fel.
low, he gave up at once. He never after men.
toned wife or child or desired to move beyond
the limits of his cell. The name Of his wife was
avoided with an iron will, although for the pre-.
vous years OF his confinement, it had been a
pleasant and hopeful theme
A question was long time existing whether
Braddee could read or write. In his last illness
il was satisfactorily ascertained that he could do
neither, although every effort in the early par,
of his imprisonment to determine the question
was unsuccessful.
Braddee died penitent, it is believed. If he
wss very great villain, he seems to have had,
nevertheless. room in his heart for some afiec.
tionate impulses and we cannot record his Fl.
deity to his wife without feeling a regret that
the proved unfathful." ... 81.