Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1853-06-30
4 Murderer and his Son.

.4rthw Spring.-To morrow Arthur Spring
will pay The penalty of the law The Philadel-
phia authorities considering that last interview
between the father and son might be conducive
/ to q confession Of the truth, telegraphed on TO
| Washington to request the attendance of the son.
With almost the speed of the message he flew
to the cell Of his condemned parent accompanied
by Rev John Street, Mr.. Kensi and the chap
lam He entered the cell of the doomed man
with a countenance full of the deepest grief He
looked on ms father for a moment then with
convulsive cry he threw himself upon his bosom,
and with bursting emotion exclaimed.
My father my dear fatherr
The father equally moved, cried,
My son my son nv darling Q, my darling
boy and almost devoured him with kisses.
Tears flowed copiousy the fountain of affection
seemed broken up, and nature uumphed.
As soon as the son could command the power
Of speech he said, beseechugly,
Oh, my father my father have pity on me
Oh, have pity, and tell the truth. Do, Oh, do
say am innocent Oh, you know | am NV
dear, dear father, YOU know | am innocent
The father thus appealed to, groaned aloud,
and strained him to has bosom with the most IN
tense affection, answering.
My son, my darling, | will tell the truth
Eagerly seizing on the expression, the son
followed up his weeping request
Oh my father, have pity on me oh, do say
am innocent. You know had nothing to do
with the murder of the women
STILL that man Of iron nerve, although conyul-
sed with agony, answered cautiously and in gen.
eral terms.
My dear, dear boy-I will do whatever can
for you will die for you.'
Another gush Of grief relieved the swelling
bosom of the weeping youth, and again IN the
most affecting manner. he said -;
20, my father, my dear father, you know |
love YOU o that could die in your stead.
For what is life TO me now NV course of MS
cry Is already begun. The gloomy future grows
darker every day. You are soon to die few
brief painful hours will close your earthly suffer-
/ lngs but mine, o my father, my sufferlngs. where
are they to terminate' | am already pointed at
and avoided. Where shall hide my head il Won
die without clearing me from the dreadful crime
Worse than Cain, ! shall be regarded as the
murderer of my father o, how can bear 10
! live
Then in an agony of grief, he gently upbraid-
ed HIM.
% my father, my father, You have no pity
| YOU have no pity. You see me bowed down
with grief aud you will make it deeper and dark.
er, by Withholding the truth. o, tell the truth
and die happy Now while clasp you TO my
arms, let me bring you to God and ask forgive
ness, and die IN peace o, how can you die with
out telling the truth ?
oail these touching appeals, the deeply agi-
tated father returned indirect or eyasive answers.
as #, in the storm Of grief he took council in his
gloomy SOUL so to answer as not to grieye hs
sou, nor commit himself!-Their excited feel
lngs becoming somewhat cain, they could speak
with more composure. The father gently up
braided the son, as being the instrumental cause
OF his conviction This brought on passion of
grlet,-and he convulslyey sobbed out =
%, my father, what couldsl do When COM
PEELED 20 testify, had to speak the truth. O,
forgive me, forgive me, dear father my heart
was with you, while my lips spoke the painful
truth. Q, forgive me-
do forgive you, my darling, but not Durns
nor Raglan
20 yes, my dear father all, o, forgive all. and
make your peace with heaven
The gentlemen present knelt in solemn PRAYER
for the weeping parent and agonzed child At
forwards they proposed to leave them alone for
little while, thus addressing the father:-
Arthur, the world has condemned you as no
longer mt to live. 1t has been reported tia, you
said, that If you could get hold Of your sen YOU
would kill hrfn. w shall mo-, give YOU an on
poHunty to show the world that you are not the
heartess man you are reported to be- With
face sutfused with tears, he clasped him to his
bosom, enchanting My darling, my darling, |
would not lojure hair OF your head
They remained alone an hour, during which
the most tender manifestations of affection were
lnterchanged the son never relaxing his arm
from ms iathers neck. The gentlemen re en-
tered the cell and found them calm. the son an.
parenuy having exhausted all his means to bring
about the much desired confession the father
soothingy promising to do every thing that Law
IN ms power to CRAFTY his unhappy boy but
maintaining the most uuwaYering hrmness in
reference 10 the grand point at issue, the inno.
cence of the boy.
AT closing the interview the father requested
him to cut off a lock of hair to take to hls Door
orphan daughters. The poor youth performed
the operation with trembling agony, while the
scalding tears fell upon the hand of the father of
the unhaPpIest children in the land.