Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-08-07
OUR NEW YORK CORRESPONDENTS.
NEW YoRK, July 26, 1851.

Yesterday. at Ii O'Clock, on two OF the wretchel
culpris, who participated in the murder Of Ha-
vens, the second mate of the bark Glenn.
| Douglass. who had throughout displayed re-
voting hardihood and recklcssness, maintained
| his bold bearing to the last; his conduct, even
while he was standing on the scatIold, was that
of callous, unimpressed spectator. lie minute
ly examined the grim apparatus Of death, and
nodded with an air of nonchalence, to crony,
who was confined in one of the cells which COM
mands view of the execution yard. He made
short address to the spectators, in the usual
style of gaows orations in which, while he adj
mitted, in general terms, that ''the wages of sin
is DEATH" and that he was justly meeting death,
as the result Of sin, he avoided either denial or
admission of his guilt of the particular crime for
which he was about TO suffer; although he exon
Grated Clements, the convict who has been re-
proved. from the actual commission Of the muir
der. His voice was clear, and free from appar-
ent emotion; and, as he had for some days evlnc-
ed sort of impotence for his last moment to ar
rive, he died without struggle. He was mere
| youth-ony % wears old-endcwcd with con-
siderable share of talent, and Of poetic and i'm
| aginatiye turn of mind He occupied large por-
ton of his time, during his Imprisonment, in
| stringing together rhymes, and in preparing tale,
| which, he declared, contains sketch OF his own
| career, with imaginative embellishments He
was, l fear, the type of fearfully increasing
class, who prowl about our large cities, utterly
void of all moral culure--the plague-spots Of our
| boosted civilization.
| Of bold and restless disposition, he served.
!
during the Mexican War as a spy; in which ca
pacity. | am told, he rendered valuable assistance
| TO General Taylor. On the return of peace, the
wretched youth, cast once more upon the world.
and ignorant of any useful art or trade. prowled
an idler round the land, for many months. until
ultimately, he palmed himself off as carpenter,
and shipped as such, OH beard the Glenn.
The other maefactor. Benson. a colored man.
only % years of age, appeared TO feel deep con-
triton for the crimes of ALI -spent life; but his
| deport ment, though calm and decent, was, to my
mind scarcely less painful, though less revolving,
than that of Douglas; for il was, fear, rather
that of illterate fanatic, who, parrot-lke, had
picked up few religious phrases, than that of
spirit clearly imbued with the pure light of Rev
citation. However. as he expressed himself pre-
pared TO meet his Maker, lot lis hope that the
Judge of all may mete out ahundantly 10 him, the
mercy we all SO greatly need
lie also addressed few words to the specta-
tors, denying his commission of the murder, tho
admitting his participation in the mutiny. He
also declared the innocence of the repriered con-
Wet, Clements
Prior to the removal OF the prisoners from the
Brooklyn Jail 10 the Tombs, in reply 10 wish
expressed by Benson, that they might meet in
better world, Clements doggedly said; Il scarce
expect 10 have much luck there, as you will
have"
He received the announcement Of his rcpricvc.
on Wednesday night, with utter indifference; but
during the night, he was very wakcful, aud occa-
sionally burst forth into almost dclirous express
sions of JOY. His reprieye granted, on the
representations made 10 the Government by Rev.
Mr. Hodge. who tells me, that Benson corrobora-
ted the assertion constantly made by Clements,
of his (Cicmeut's) innccence--a confederation
which has been subsequently strengthened by the
dying testimony of Douglas. who, up TO that pc
riod. persisted in at,rihutins the firing of the gun
TO Clements. Rev. Mr. Hodge says that he enter
tains little doubt, that the unfortunate mans SEN
W
life.
There is quite difference between writer
and door. O,e would have thought that De
Tccqueyille, who writes well on Democracy,
would have known enough TO .'ct well Alone or
at least. until 'wclr' could be made '.het'er,'
without risk of being made "worse," In the at
tempt. Yet NJ. De Tocqueville, in his official ca
pacl,y of Chairman of the Committee on the Re-
vision of the Constitution of France, has report
ed in favor Of a thorough revision.
However, NJ. De Toequeville is 10 be pitied.-
His weakness is a national as well us an indlvld-
al one The French are the best theorists in the
world; but they are incapable of reducing to
practice, their truly philosophical conceptions.
They can even take what is called an eminently
practical view of a subject but they can not. as
nation, do, practically. So it is with indvitlu-
ais of the nation, especially those of the educated
classes. They act quickly and cnergetically; Int
they are more Sansnine than Nervous hence.
they lack that intensity, necessary 10 final ami
complete success.
The French never attain all they contend fnr.
Their leading temperament is Sanguine, and their
predominant chronological Developments, Hope
and Appropriateness, that make them quick,
hopeful and courteous, rather than intense. firm
and perseverng, drive them, also, when under
reac tionary influences, TO apathy, despair and
cruelty. Hence massacrcs--hence the vast num-
Der of suicides, far exceeding that of any other
civilized Internationally let us hope for the
best-the speedy return to Monarchy, or worse
despotism, forcshadowed by this unwise report
of NJ. De Tocqueville. There are few boys of
twenty years old, in practical America, that
would not see, at glance, If their attention
directed to the present condition of affairs in
France, that it is better for the French Republi-
cans at present, to 'bear the ills they have, than
fly to others that they know not of''-who would
not see that, in dozen years, the workings of
Republican constitution would have been tested
and triumphanty pointed out, and that true re-
forms could then be made without danger but
that, nom, the only hope of Monarchy and Des-
potism is, to slip wedge into the cracks conse-
quent upon discussion, and TO steal and annihilate
a few of the disruptured fragments. l use the
word ''discussion," etymoosically, which, as you
know, means ''shaking to pieces"
The Immigrant Runners, those harpies who
infcst our city, and whose unholy trade consists
in practcng the grossest frauds on The miserable