The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-04-28

murdered, they told me of it. Before my God,
| am innocent of the murder, and win leave it
| to the public, to my God, and every body; 1 am
willing to die for it, and know l must die.
| These are my dying words. / was brought up
respectfully, and have been an honest man all
my life L have never been in liquor but twice
| in my life. l never had it in my mind TO kill
! anybody, nor did ever commit murder. Now
Jour Honors know all have to say about it,
and will die an innocent man, and am willing
to die. call my God to witness my innocence
1t was impossible to obtain verbatim report
of the speech of the wretched criminal; his rapid
enunciation and rambling style made it very
difficult to transcribe his words in the order in
which they fell from his lips. At times he hesi-
tated, as if fearful of committing himself, and
at times seemed rather puzzled to keep up the
connection in the story he was inventing. This
confusion very evident when he spoke of
taking off his own bloody shir: and substituting
a clean one by direction of his son. The culprit
seemed aware of the pitiful weakness of his story
1T this point. The statement Saturday diff
fered materially in other respects from his former
stories. Until Saturday he has pretended that
he knew nothing whatever of the murder, until
told of it by the officers who arrested him. 1t
will be perceived that, in the above speech, he
says his son told him of the murder the night it
was committed. There were many other dis
crepencies.
After the prisoner had finished all he had to
say, Judge Kelley pronounced the sentence of
death in appropriate, feeling and touching
manner.
TUE SENTENCE.
Arthur Spring-You have been convicted of
the highest crime known to the law of this Com
monwealth Murder, in the first degree An
impartial jury have found that you did wilfully,
deliberately, and with premeditation, murder
Ellen Lynch, and with the correctness of that
fha id =
only remains for us to pronounce the dread
penalty which the law attaches to so atrocious
an act That penalty is the forfeiture of your
life Before pronouncing it, let me urge you to
appropriate the few brief days that remain to
you, to preparation for meeting Him whose
knowledge of your whole life is perfect, and
whose DEGREES, knowing not the limits of time
are absolute and enduring the heavens. His
ear is ever open to the cry of the penitent SIN
ner; and If you hope for mercy, look to Him as
its only source. From man you have nothing to
hope. No shadowy doubt of your guilt fingers
on the judicial or the popular mind. You have,
indeed, been twice tried and twice convicted
For, though the first jury was, in part, irregu-
larly constituted, it has not been alleged that it
heard any but competent testimony, or that any
which was competent was withheld from it. 1t
heard fully and solely the legal evidence in the
case, and like the jury upon the verdict of which
we are now about to enter judgment, it pronoun-
ced you guilty. L need not recall to your mind
the details of the horrible tragedy, but as rea-
son why you are beyond the pale of hope save
from Him whose mercy is infinite, let me remind
you that it is no less clear that you murdered
Honora Shaw than that you took the life of Ellen
Lynch nor is it less apparent that in your vain
effort to conceal your crime you attempted to
consume the two infant children of your victim
Remember these things Believe that your
days earth must be few. Expect not re-
prieye or pardon, but prepare to meet the full
filmeut of the sentence of the law
At this point the Judges rose, and the scene
of the most solemn and impressive charac-
ter Judge Kelley continued
sit is considered and adjudged by the Court
that the prisoner at the bar, Arthur Spring. be
taken from hence to the Jail of the county of
Philadelphia, from whence he came, and from
thence to the place of execution, and that he be
there hanged by the neck until he is dead"
No perceptible emotion was visible upon the
prisoners countenance. Not quiver was seen
upon his lip, nor did tear moisten his eye; he
seemed completely callous.
After the cuprit had taken his seat he wiped
his eyes, and covered them with his hand for a
moment, and we thought we discovered a tear in
his eye.
After the sentence was concluded, Judge Kel-
ley directed that all in the Courtroom should
retain their places until the prisoner reno
we'd The order was strictly complied with and
Spring passed out of the Court House
through lane formed by the police, and the
van in which he was placed was driven up Ches-
nat street and down Eighth, to the prison, with
out the slightest confusion or demonstration of
| feeling being made by the assembled mass.
Before the prisoner left the court room, his
counsel, Mr.. Doran, stepped up to him, and said
-"Mr. Spring, there is now no longer any hope
for your life You should send for priest,
and endeavor to make the proper preparation
for death and future life
| Spring in the most resolute manner, turned
his face towards Mr.. Doran, and looking him
full in the face, said, 81 will not do it."
The court adjourned soon as the case of
Spring was disposed Of