Litchfield enquirer., 1847-02-18
DEATH OF MONROE EDWARDS.

Col. Monroe Edwards, whose crimes have
given him a reputation far more wide than
enviable, died at the Sing Sing State pris.
on at an early hour On Friday morning.
He has been declining in health ever since
his incarceration, but for the last two years
he has failed so perceptibly as to cause
general remark among those acquainted a,
the prison. His disease it is said was con-
sumption: brought on BY the practice Of a
habit prevalent among prisoners in all the
State prisons. He was warned of his dan.
ser long time since, but persisted in his
fault until be was past The reach of medical
aid. For number Of weeks past he has
been delirous at times, wher, however, he
conversed, he was eloquen. upon the history
Of his past life, and his plans for the future;
he would not contemplate the fact that he
was about to die. The chaplain of the in.
stitution conversed with the sick man when
on his death bed Edwards paid no at,en-
ton to what he said, appearing to be in a
state Of listless insanity until the chaplain
mentioned the crimes Of which he had
been convicted, when, for moment he ap.
peared 10 come partially to his seuscs, and
protested that he did not commit the forger.
les. On Thursday night the hospital was
locked up as usual, and the patients left in
charge Of attendants. Towards morning
ii became evident that the sick man could
not long survive: indeed, he appears to
have suffered death while yet alive, that is
he imagined that he had ceased to exist, and
appealed to his attendants to know if j, was
not so. They told him no he was not
dead-but this he refused to believe, and
began to bite his fiager, which he said was
without feeling and hence, he argued he
must be dead and again appealed to his
attendants asking them to feel his flesh, and
tell him If he were not really dead. The
physician to the prison was not with him
when he died, nor at any time during the
night The nurses describe the death scene
as being horrible 10 witness. The diving
prisoner protesting tina. he was dead, vet
filled with the dread Of the fearful transition
and all the while endeavoring to bite his
fingers or tear his flesh, no, so much TO in.
Jure his person, as to convince himself the
appalling change from life to Death had ia.
ken place, and he had it not to suffer again,
and so he died. What could be more
dreadful. But he is gone, and charity
may now, at least, claim ligh: Judge.
ment upon his memory. He was guilty, hut
ne expiated his crimes in those gloomy cells
where for four years he suffered most poig
nanily, as naughty, active man might te
expected 10 suffer, when brought under the
lash Of the oyerseer and confined within the
narrow limits prescribed by prison rules.
His stubborn spirit at first refused to give
way, but was at length broken by the stern
discipline Of the institution within whose
walls he found himself; and at length
yielding to temptation, which in new form
followed him even to this seclusion, Monroe
Edwards died most horrible death in the
hospital at Sing Sing State prison. He
might have been a great man, If he had
sought greatness in the path Of rec,itude ;
but he defied the laws Of his county, and
his country, in the vindicasion of its laws,
crushed the offender. F'Sl jusiiiia.
N. Y. Paper,