The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-11-16


above one month, "Bristol Bill' was arrested
there, and dep0nent went to Manchester New
Hampshire, where Warner and Marcus G. STAN
ley arrested me, and brought me to New York: on
my way here, both Warner and Stanley impressed
upon me the cessly OF my swearing TO the state
ment respec ing Drur, relative TO the torpedo box
and promised me that should do 80, should be
released the 'noment left the witness stand; on
our arrival in New York, we were met at the rail-
road car by Wilkes and officer A. M. G. Smith,
who conducted me 10 the prison in Centre street.
Deponent further says, that she was persuaded,
and induced to make the false statement impli-
eating Mr.. Drury in the charge of sending the tor
pede box to the house of Mr. Warner, by means
of the premises made to her by Warner, Thomp-
son, and Wilkes, that by so doing she should be
liberated from imprisonment, and that it was by
such means that she became party to the con-
spiracy of Thompson, Warner, Wilkes, and others,
to convict Mr. Drury of crime of which she be-
lieved Thompson and Warner to be guilty
Sworn to before me, this 10th day of September,
1850. N. B. MoUsTFoRT, Police Justice.
NEW 9osK, Oct. 2s, 1850.
Ills ExcKLLRNcY GEORGE N. BRGos, GOVERNOR
OF THx STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS:
SIR The Grand Jury for the city and county
of New York, empannelled at the Court of General
Sessions, for the present October term of that
Court, beg leave to present before your Excellency
and the Council of the State of Massach the
case of Margaret O'Connor, whom we find in the
city prison in this city, where she is detained upon
commitment as witness, upon charge pre-
ferred against certain parties, for having caused
torpedo box, or Internal machine, to be sent to the
house of Thomas Warner, in this city, in the
month of May, 1910, with the intent to destroy life
The circumstances under which this woman APP
pears have strongly commended her to our sympa-
thy, and we recommend her to your Excellency as
Z nj subject for executive clemelcy.
Ii appears that Margaret was convicted at the
Municipal Court OF the city of Boston, In the mo nth
of August, A. ID. lS49 for having in her possession
counterfeit money, with the intent to utter; that
after her conviction, and before sentence, she was
procured TO be bailed out of prison, in Boston, in
and be made use Of as a witness against one Sa-
muel Drury, who stood charged with the offence of
sending the torpedo box; that the application that
she might be thus bailed was made by public Off
GERS in this State, who had been induced, by par
tesinterested, to believe that Margaret could give
material testimony relative to the criminal offence
above mentioned.
The testimony against Drury which Margaret
was to give was false, and she was induced to pro-
mise TO testify falsely by the persuasion of these
parties, and by the apprehension of long term Of
imprisonment for the offence OF which she had been
convicted at Boston.
Ii was represented to her that she would be i'm
prisoned twenty-five years, and that the only
chance for her TO escape from such an imprison-
ment was to make the false statement upon and
by means OF which the parties interested in having
the false statement made could procure her to DO
baed.
She was baed out of prison in Boston, in the
SUM Vi anu DIOupnt on 10 tnl5 CITY, 1Or the
express purpose of committing this perjury, and
upon the trial of Drury she was called as witness
in behalf Of the people Of this State.
When upon the stand as witness, she refused
to commit the perjury, and disclosed the fraud
which had been attempted to be perpetrated by
means of her testimony.
After she came 10 this city, and before the trial
of Drury, every conceivable effort made TO in
duce her TO make the false statement. She was
promised that strong influences should be brought
to bear to induce the Executive of the State of
Massachusetts, TO pardon her, in case Drury was
convicted by means of her testimony; and the
threat OF her certain return TO Massachusetts to be
sentenced, and of the long Imprisonment 10 which
she destined, was held out TO her as the inevi-
table consequence OF her refusal. But TO her
honor be il said, she resisted all the efforts made
10 induce her TO commit the perjury, and resolved
to meet the errors OF her long imprisonment rather
than tell the falsehood.
The court and jury, upon the trial of Drury
were impressed with the truth of her state ment
that upon the suggestion Of the jury, the trial was
at terminated by the acquital of the prisoner
In the discharge of our duty as Grand
Jurors at the present term OF the court, she
has, at our request, appeared before upon
several occasions, and has made develope-
ments which have essentially aided the adj
ninistration of public justice. We have carefully
scrutiniZed her statements, and we have perfect
confidence that she has told US the truth. Of this
we are satisfied, as well by corroboratipg circum
stances as by the intrinsic evidence afforded by
her statements.
The parties who had induced her to consent to
commit the perjury now determined upon her
destruction because che has refused, and desgn TO
have her surrendered in Boston in exoneration of
her bail.
She is in very feeble health and in the judgment
of the physician and the maron of city prison,
longer confinement would probably terminals her
life.
Under these circumstances, in view of the aid
which she has rendered in the administration Of
our criminal justice, in view Of her stern and in
flexible resistance to the efforts made to induce her
to swear to ialsehood the only means of ensur-
ing her safety and in view of her shattered health
we strongly recommend her as tit and proper
subject for executive clemency.
We are with great respect,
Your very ob't servants,
ELIAS u. DRAKE, Foreman.
John Mason, James Little,
James q. Jacobus, Enoch Chamberlain,
John o. Fay, Ebenezer G. Cook,
William L. Prout, Hiram Purdy,
Oliver I. Wardell, Albert Garnsey,
Hugh McBide, John Tasker,
John H. Guion, John Hutton,
Robert McGary, Enoch Morgan,
Thomas NJ. Brown.
WIN. v. GnLEY, Secretary.
Ngw YORK, Nov. z, 1910.
SAMUEL ID. PARKER, ESQ.,
Dear Sir-There ere measures on foot here, for
the detection Of the villain or villains who, come
time ago, ate mpted the life of Thomas Warner,
with what Is ordinarily termed an "infernal ma
chine" have been put in possession of an af-
davit, mlde by woman named Margaret O'Con-
nor, at Boston, in which il appears that she IN
testify to material matter. understand that she
rs under arrest for being implicated npassng coun-
terfeit money, and that the authorities of Massa-
chusetts would give US facilities for obtaining her
testimony; in short, that they would send her on
here TO testify, on proper request. Win you have
the goodness 20 inform me whether her attendance
can be had in this civil We have grand irrv