The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-07-07


National Convention of ColOred Men.
NO WHITE DELEGATES ADluTTEp-THE oRGANIzA
TIoN-DECLARATroN OF sxETIAENrs by FKEI
DOUGLASS, ETC.
| RocnvrxR. July 8, 1858.
The National Convention OF Colored Men assembled ii
this city day More thsa hunGssd delegates or,
present. esntDg towns cities, and societies in
raj States Among them many Of the mst prominsnt
and best known co3ored men in the country
Tho forenoon session chiefly consumed issssttns
the question IS to those who entitled to seats Dele
gates regularly appointed and ths sners Of the cen
( tho convention, admitted
In the afternoon formal organisation was made-Ths
Rev; N Pennington, Of New York. being chosen Prcsi-
dent with several Vice Presidents:
Dufiness committee of niSe of Which Dr. 7. McCuus
smith vas Snannen was appointed, and reported reso-
Fred Douglass, Chairman Of tho Committee on the DE-
claration Of sentiments read long and well written ad.
dreso to the people Of the United States.
Inc Convention attracted considerable attention. Its
deliberations earnest and occasionally tumultuou
( Heleasc OF Convicted Persons from che Com
| hecfIcut State Pricon.
tFrom the Hartford Times. July ST.
| number OF releases Of convicts from the State
Prison were granted by the late Legislature auaount-
ing in all to nine. We have collected the facts in
these cases, and deem them of sufficient general in
ierest to present them to our readers They follow
Michael Crowley, convicted of polygaany. He
lived in the town Of Ellington. He married awife
| in Ireland, from whom he became separated for
time by the force Of circumstances; and subsequent
ly believing her to be dead, fully transpired in the
evidence he came over to this country and married
again; The first wife. however, finally reappeared
band and claimed him. The fact was thus clear Of
his having two wives, and the Court was obliged
to decide but owing to the evident innocence Of the
ma, man his sentence was limited to two ,years-the
He has served out half of his time, and now goes
| free.
Dennis Kelly, from Litehield county, sentenced to-
vcted thirteen years ago. of having set fire to an old
and disreputable building, at the instigation of
others. He was boy at the time. His department
throughout this long term Of imprisonment has been
| commendable; and he had already been confined
for SO long time, it was deemed proper under the
circumstances of the case to cut off the remaining
eighteen months Of his punishment and free him. He
is ignorant of all the ways Of life as a child.
| Nelson Mosier, from the same county, for passing
counterfeit money, sentenced for eight years. He
has served five years, and being completely broken
down in health it was the opinion Of his physician
that change of air was the only means Of prolong
ing his life even for year. desire to see his wife
and children before he died. probably had something
to 90 also with the favorable reportof the committee
| ing in robbery. He is from Suffeld, where the
general sentiment of the people Is for his release
He had served out half Of his sentence and is re-
leased mainly for the same reasons which governed
| the preceding case.
Robert Steel from this city, convicted Of attempt
ing to pass forged check on the Connecticut River
Bank. 1t was proved that he was not much to
blame as others who led him on and the cashier of
the bank, satisfied that he unjustly imprisoned,
| was anxious for his release He was sentenced for
two years, and had been in prison eight months.
John Hayes, from New Haven, convicted of steal
| ing, and sentenced for five years. He bad served
| four years, and was liberated now on the ground
FIRST, that public sentiment in New Haven was for
his release and secondly, that it was the only
/ hvvvu hsnk hn kso n0fI1
| pected to live long.
Vincent H. Gum convicted of manslaughter. This
prisoner was from New Haven, where the crime for
| which he was imprisoned was committed. He was
sentenced for ten, and had been in prison six years
The facts Of the case were these Coming home one
night he found man by the name of Davis in bed
with his (Gunns wife, and demanded of him tt. get
up and be of. Davis refused, and began to taunt
and irritate him. whereupon Gum seized club and
struck him on the head. Davis died of this wound
some three days afterwards. The committee deemed
the circumstances of the sufficient to justify the
| release of Gum at this time.
| John W. Burke, of Darien sentenced for seven
years, convicted OF an attempt at rape upon little
girl 1t is quite clear that the prisoner is innocent
| and that the charge was preferred against him by
the father Of the child through malice. The prose-
cutting attorney, the time Of the prisoners convic
tion expressed his belief that he innocent and
| it is now apparent that he was. He had been in
prison two years. The circumstance which gave
c0loripg to the charge made against him was this:-
| The prisoner Burke was shoemaker. In the other
part Of the house where he resided dwe the family
Of q man who had sought on several occasions to
annoy him without cause. AT the time the alleged
offence was committed the little girl came into
Burke's shop, and in climbing on the top Of some
soner used to soak soleleather in. Burke took the
child in his arms, and carried her into her mothers
apartment, where he left her. The father subse.
quently came into his shop, and demanded Of him
:" what he was willing to give to settler To set
tie? For whatt' replied Burke. "For attempt
ing to commit rape on my little girl, !, the an
swer This attempt to impose upon hini'so incensed
Burke, who was conscious Of having committed no
wrong, that he rushed upon the man and would
have knocked him down had he not succeeded in
making good his escape. He instituted legal pro-
ceedngs against Burke, and evidently instructed the
child what replies to make to questions put to her
| when the trial came The child, however, would
not say in terms that Burke had njuredor attempted
to Djurc her, merely replying "yes to all questions
marks Of injury upon her person were produced in
the manner charged was by no means decisive.
Burke was, however, convicted and sent to prison.
Upon learning recently that he would not probably
letter to the General Assembly, stating the main
facts of the case This being accorded to him, he
wrote a letter, in which he expressed the natural
Indignation ofan honest man who feels that he is
punished upjusty. He said that he asked no fa-
vors of III e Legislature: he did not desire par
don, for he had committed no crime They might
crush him, but they could not force from him any
acknowledgment Of guilt, for he was innocent
| He merely wished to give statement of the inus
tice done him during his trial and the Of per-
secution 10 which he had been subjected. His letter
breathed the uDmisakeable spirit Of man who felt
that he had been punished uniustly, and whose in
nate self respect forbade his cringing to any power
to obtain his liberty. He was liberated and when
| the unexpected news was told him that he "could
spend the Fourth of July with his wife at home"
| he burst into tears, and was for long time over.
| mastered by his emotion.
Benjamin Townsend, mnlatto boy, now about
| twelve years of age He was sentenced for three
years conviction Of arson, alleged to have been
committed in Danbury, and has been imprisoned two
years. II has now transpred that he is altogether
guiltess, and was conviated by the arts OF scoun-
drels who testified falsely in order to obtain re-
ward Of 800 offered for the detection of the real in
| cendary. The little fellow has been bound out, by
resolution which passed the Legislature to persons
who will take proper care of him. lie knows
i nth hisaern &c Il lDfh rlnrt, liar