The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1850-07-31

could be offered by the friends of the
prisoner and by others who were.
pleased to be heard in his behalf,
came to the unanimous opinion that
thercswere no sufficient reasons to
justify them in recommending the
intcrposition of executive clemcncy.
They recommended that the Gov
ernor be advised to have the SEN
tcncc OF the law as pronounced by
the cont carried into effect on the
3Oth day of August next.
The Council, with but one exccp-
ton, concurred with the report ofthc
Committee, and advised the Govern
or to carry out the sentence Of the
Court as recommended by them.
In carefully and anxiously exam
ining and considering the case, do
not feel authorized by any considcra-
tions which have been presented to
ray mind to set aside the deliberate
verdict Of the jury, arrest the sol
cmn decree of the law os pronounced
by the highest judicial tribunal of the
Commonwealth, and disregard the
opinion of the Council. If the cir
cumstaaccs Of the killing as stated by
the prisoner, are taken to be true, it
may well be questioned, whether the
Executive Council could interfere
with the sentence without violating
the settled laws of the land. In his
charge to the Jury in this case, the
Chief Justice says. cit IS a settled
rule that no prorocatton aeith aco,r1s
only, aoiH justify mortal biow.-
Then # apon p,ouoking language,
the party Intentionally reycngc him
self Nth moria. blo,c, 1t is atnques.
tionaJiy Murder"
The only new fact brought to light
as to the killing, depends upon the
word Of the prisoner. 1t Will hardly
be pretendedlby any one that the de-
claration of q person under sentence
of death s., = : pernitte To- out.
wei the doing off the CONT and
Jury and rescue him froni the consc.
qucnccs which are to follow their pro.
ceedings. 1t is candidly stated by
DR.. Putnamin his able argument, and
BY several Of the petitions presented
i'll favor of commutation, received
since his confession, that, standing as
he does, the word of the prisoner is
entitled to no credit.
If the circumstances disclosed on
the trial arc relied on to support his
statement, the reply is, that those
circumstances were urged in his fa-
vor before the jury, and they have
been decided against him. The facts
of this appalling case are before the
worldi they will hereafter ill one of
the gloomicst pages in the record Of
crime amongst civiliscd men.
1t is undisputcd that on the 22d
day Of November, 1S49, John White
Webster, professor in Havard Uni
versity, and in the Medical College
in Boston, did at midday in his room,
in that college, within a few feet of
the place where he daily stood and
delivered scientific lectures to large
class Of young men, with unlawful
violence take the life Of DR.. George
Parkman, respectable citizen of Bos-
ton, who had come to that room at
the request Of the prisoner; that after
taking his life, he eviccrated and in
manner most shocking to humanity,
mutilatcd the body of his victim,
burning parts of it in a furnace, and
dcpositing other parts Of it in differ
ent places in the building, where they
were found by persons who were
seeking after DR.. Parkman; that after
killing him, he robbed his lifcless cred
tor, by taking from him two notes of
hand, signed by himself, to which Eo
had no right, and committed still an
other crime by making false marks
upon these notes, and that Jury of
his country, cmpnnnelled according
to law, under the direction of four of
the five eminent Judges constituting
the Supreme Court of Massachusetts,
after long, patient and impartial
trial, and after hearing in his defence
the arguments Of learned and clo-
qucnt counsel, upon their oaths, found
him guilty Of murder.
Upon that verdict, the Court pro-
nounccd !hc awful sentence of death.
In such case there should be obvi.
Gus and conclusive reasons to author
ize the pardoning power to intcrpose
and arrest the sword of Justice. I
do not sec these reasons. The COM
bined circumstances Of the case force
me to the conclusion, that the safety
of the community, the inviolability of
law, and the principles of smpartial
justice demand the execution Of the
Sentence.
hope it is not necessary for me
to say that it would have given me i'm.