Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-11-30

your crime lSthe retrlbutlOn OF the law. Io"i ""
tim was hurried into the presence OF his maker
without warning or moment OF time TO prepare
for eternity whilst the law, in whose judgment no
vengeance is mingled, mercifully allows You am
pie time and opportunity for repentance and pre-
paraton for the awful change.
The verdict of guilty of murder IN the nrst de-
gree rendered against you, has deyolved upon me
the most painful duty of my judicial life that OF
pronouncing as the organ and mouth piece OF the
law its awful judgement upon that verdict. In
performing that sad and solemn duty, far, very
far. be from me, the cruel and unworthy purpose
of designing by anything which | have said or
shall say to add an additional pang or accumulated
torture to your laceraed feelings, or to inuse an
other drop of bitterness in your cup OF misery, al
ready filled to overlooking. Calous must be that
heart that does not now feel commlseratIon ior
fellow beings placed in your forlorn and miserable
condition. and that does not feel throb OF sympa-
thv for those nnocenty involved in its consequent
ces. however much all must abhor your crime.
Be assured then that whilst as the organ OF the
law pronounce that awful sentence which must
so soon terminate your earthly existence, pity,
most sincerely pity, you and those related 10 OF
connected with you. in the various relations "l
life and in doing so am sure but utter the SEN
timents which pervsde the bosom of every hui
name and mercful man. but breathe the spirit
and speak the sentiments of the law itself which
while it dooms you TO the sacrifice, has proclaim
ed that it Furnishes not the most airocous criminal
in revenge or for the sake of taking vengeance tor
crime, but rather in mercy to the innocent and I'M
offending. In dealing with the human body the
good physician has oftimcs to perform the painful
duty of amputating gangrenous limb to save the
life of the patient. So in human governments 1t
sometimes becomes necessary to cut of an Offend
ing member to save from destruction the body pol
tito
We have been told by the great dramatist and
poet of nature that "Murder will out" THAT
though it hath no tongue it yet will speak with
miraculous organ against the guilty homicide" and
fortunate for society is it that it is so. The self
accusing nature of guilt seems to be wise ordi-
nation Of merciful Providence vouchsafed to aid
the limited faculties of man in the detection OF,
and to deter from. the commission of crime.
'.There is a foolish jealousy in guilt,
That spills itself in fearing to be split"
This case is another confirmation of these truths.
But the most impressive lesson taught and the
most solemn warning uttered by this tragic scene
is that which 81 eaks trumpet-tongued, as it were
from the tomb. to all men-to beware of walking
in the forbidden paths of profigacy and vice.
The vicious and the profigate for want Of tempta-
ton or from forutous or accidental circumstances
NAV sometimes. nay often. stop short of crime and
that landing place of guilt which you now &C.
cupy but never, no never. do men become Grim
nas of the deepest die without first being profit
cate and vicious. The vices and misdemeanors
are the starting points, and high crimes the goal.
That this has been your sad experience the evil
dence in your case leaves no room to doubt. May
others profit by it, though learned late to bene-
fit You. Moreover, procivity or tendency to crime
is not the only evil consequence of vice and i'm
morality. They bring doubt, suspicion and dis
arrangement upon the character fair fame and rer-
ntation, that priceless jewel Of the soul, and de-
prive even innocence, when accused of crime. OF
a shield almost impenetrable to the assaults and
the shafts of circumstantia or even perured posi-
tive evidence.
In all human probability had you been able TO
adduce proof of an unimpeacbed and unimpeacha-
Bile good name and reputation. your able and elo-
queht counsel had been able 10 create rational
doubt of guilt in the minds of your jury, which
would have been resolved in acquittal; but with
out that shield, without that presumption in your
favor. your triers could find no loop to hang a
d ubt upon, and the result is verdict, which
seals YOUR fate and closes the door of mercy ard
hope against you in this world.
hive bu: little more to say iTthe discharge OF
the painful duty devolved upon me, after which
we separate to meet no more on earth. Before
nartinr let me solemny warn and admoEish you
AGAINST the fearful and fatal danger and mistake
~ indugng in vain or delusive hopes of pardon OF
renr:eve. 1t belongs only 10 the most high to re-
concile Justice with mercy in the pardon ofofiend-
ers. In such a case as yours no such recnncllla-
lion is possible between human justice and human
mercy. In Human governments the guilty must
die that the Innocent may live. Mercy and i'm
punity to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent
and unoffending. Delay not then moment TO
nrepare for death, cal. to your aid the minisra-
lions of those spiritual guides, the holy men OF
God. who are ever ready and willing to visit the
prisoner and captive, the afflicted and distressed,
and to afford the consolation ofreglon even to the
condemned culprit in his cell or at the scafo d
If peradventure you have fallen innocent victims
to perured testimony. or to false and mistaken de-
duc,iuns from circumstantial evidence, your con-
scous innocence will the better enable you to meet
with tirmness and fortirude, even feon' doom
the ipuominiuus death of the scalfold-appeallng
from the judgments of finite and fallible man to a
HIGHER tribunal, where all the defects and errors
of human justice and all the misjudgments of hui
man tribunals will be corrected but if peradyen-
ture you are the guilty murderers of VIM. Cole
man, whom your jury have found you to be. you
owe it to God and man and it may be t" your own
souls salvation, ere you expiate your offence on
the galows, to absolve and acquit the witness Per
kins of the charge of perjury made against him in
your defence, and to make restitution as far as in
you lies 10 the little orphan nephew and niece OF
the deceased, Of the means or effects of which yon
despoiled him.
Sentence of death was then passed. assigning
Friday the 9th January. for the execution, be-
tween the hours of | / and 2 o'clock. $500
THE HARD DEMoNsTRATIoN.-The New York
Courier SAYS that the Hard Demonstration at Me-
tropolitan Hall on Wednesday night was tire
mendous" affair.
The Hall and lis galleries were crowded to their