Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-04-21
From the ". Y. Tribune.
A Chapter in the Life Of Spring, the
Murderer.


but to execute the fearful penalty, it will
not be improper and may not be interes-
ting to recite q brief chapter of the last
five or six years of his life. Spring was
an Irishman born--a confectionery by
trade he lived number of years, and
up to l844-'5, in the city of Philadelphia,
after which he moved his family to this
city and commenced the business of re-
fectory and liquor saloon in basement
two or three doors from the old Park The
ire. Within three months after he had
opened this "place" in Park Row, he was
arrested by the police on charge Of hav-
ing, in connection with another person,
(still residing in New York. enticed a
sailor (the mate, we think of a vessel,
into his cellar at late hour at night,
knocked him down with a heavy club Of
wood, (wounding him nearly to death, J
and robbed him of $500 in gold COIN
The evidence against Spring was not con-
elusive Of guilt, but was sufficient to bind
him in the sum of slOOO,t to appearand an
sWer the charge. He procared bail and
was released from the Tombs.
Springs family lived in some rooms in
the rear of his place of business, and soon
after this charge against him his wife died
in childbirth, Gas it was said, but other
wise it was suspected } leaving three small
children, the eldest son--the present wit
! ness on the trial for murder-and two in
fant girls. In less than month after
the first charge, and within a few days
after the death of his wife Spring was a.
gain apprehended on a charge, of having
stolen, at night, in his cellar (and almost
in the same manner the mate was robbed)
5000 and over from an emigrant lately
arrived in this city. \ part of the mon
ey was found concealed under the steps
of the stoop leading into his rear yard
The offence was fixed upon him almost
beyond doubt. Shortly after his arrest
he confessed his guilt to Justice (then
Clerk Stuart, admitting also of the per-
petration of the other robbery-how it was
done-who was concerned with him in the
felony-in what manner they divided the
money, and where he had concealed the
most of his share, (Which on search
ing proved true) declaring most solmenly
that he had committed the second offence
for the sole purpose of getting a sufficient
amount of money to reimburse to the par
ty first robbed, (his partner in the crime
refusing to surrender back any portion of
his share) so that the seamen might, as
he had promised, leave the city and not
o. r1,1
be thereby preserved from the State pris-
on, and saved to the care and protection
of his children. Spring plead guilty to
this second offence, and was sentenced for
e years to felon's doom, at hard labor
at Sing Sing-leaving his destitute and
worse than orphan children friendless and
without protection. Mr.. Stuart had them
placed in the kind charge of Mrs. Foster.
matron Of the City Prison, where they re-
manned for a number of weeks, and were
finally removed to the Aims House.
Some six or ten months after, it was
learned that the wife of Spring had some
relations, and among them an aunt, an
owner of some property, at or near Wash
ington. On writing to her, Stuart rcceiv-
ed an answer that if the children could
be sent to Washington, proper charge
would be taken Of them by their mothers
relatives. y small amount of money was
raised, trusty person employed, and
these poor children-young Arthur, with
two smaller sisters-were taken to their
friends and kindred. Five years passed
when one morning in the early part Of
December last, Arthur bright, intelli-
gent lad, who had passed the age of six
teen or seventeen years-presented him
self to Justice Stuart (who was at once
reminded of the unhappy history of faith
er and family stating that he was living
as an apprentice to confectioner in
Washington-that his sisters were alive
and with their friends-that he had alone
come on to New York to see if by some
means, he could not get his father par
doned the remaining year of his sentence
from the State Prison-that be would
have made the effort sooner, but was with
out money to pay his passage from Wash
ington, and had only then became ena-
bled, by long and continues saving Of
all the small means he conld husband
The magistrate, moved by the noble OBJ
ject Of the boy, (who declared that moth
ing could make him so happy as to be
able to take his father home with him to
his little sisters and upon his own knowl-
edge Of the whole matter wrote an earn
est letter to Gov. Hunt, with which the
latter proceeded to Albany. 1t is almost
needless to say that with man like Gov
Hunt, the brave and generous conduct,
and earnest, artless pleadings of this man
ly and devoted stranger boy for the par
don Of a parent SO long confined in the
dungeon of the State prison, did not fail
Of its object. The freed father and thank
ful child, with heart swollen with emo
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