The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-10-01
RKCKNT xxKCUTIOHs.
n1feutaon OF J.us. 81. Backsora.

tne extreme pensi.y OF t1e law In the JAityArd ~
Y. From aD early hour In the morning until IL NJ,
the avenue leading to the jail yard was throrged
with spectators who iesoited thther to see the gal
lows upon whjch young Bickford was to expiate his
crime, ard The coffin resting by its side which was
to receive his body. Sheriff j. c. Drake, with great
kindness, Goodness, and courtesy exerted his utmost
to satisfy the urcsiiy Of all; and before said,
during the whole foreI Don, an uDbroken throng was
going 10 and retiring from the jail. How many
thousands shus yisited the iaityard we couli form
idea tut considering that about thirty years have
elspsed since Franklin county has been the the .tre
Of public execution. and tina. this was the last day
OF the Franklin County Agricultural Fair which of
itself brought large numbers into the village, it is
but reasonable TO suppose that the numbers reached
several Il ousands. AT about IL o'clock the Sheriff
cleared tie yard Of al the jury physicians and
q small number Of others, among which were several
members of the press. After repairing to the cell
and reading to the murderer his death warrant,
young Bickord was brought forth from his cell into
the YARD, preceded by Rev. Mr.. Treadway, his spri
tua visor, assisted by the Sheriff and his deputies
He mar hed 10 lie scaflold with pretty firm step,
and apparently resigned air, where he stood some
time Outing feeling exhortatlon, when he knet in
prayer with bis ADVISER. During all this ceremony
he eVinced no extraordinary emotion, although his
countenance, considerably whitered by his long con-
fine ment had sonnet hing of feminine penitential
| cast. ROBBED in Waite, in stature apparently six
feet high, and well proportioned, in the very flush
OF manhood, (hayng attained the age Of twehty-one
slice his confnement) with features indicative of
aay ting the murderer which the law cr0nounc-
ca hin, the spectacle, as he stood upon the gaows,
| was IN high degree imposing The last religious
rites having been performed, he took leave of his
spiritual adviser, whtn the SeeIff directed his arms
to be ted the cap drawn over his face and the rope
adjusted, shich being done, the cord was severed,
and James B. BickfOld laua' he'd into eternity.
| His struggles were unusually protractsd from the
| tie fact that the spinal column or neck was not
| brt ken.
After har eing the requiEed time and life having
leep ponourced exiincs BY The physicians, his body
was lowered into iss coiin when the father OF Blok
ford appeared in the yard, and bending over the
booy OF his son, he kissed him with the fondpess Of
child, and eynced tho strong emotions viii h
were quite natural to father. After few minutes
the lid was Closed and the body borne outside by
the Sheriff ard his deputies, and delivered over TO
the large Of relatives and friends when the crowd
dispersed in order and in silence.
1t having been reported that young Bi.kford had
mace toll confession TO the Rev. Mr.. Treadway, Of
the awful crime of murder on the 10th of August,
we hive thought that the matter possessed suffi.
cNLt interes! to warrant its publication. Here it
is -
FULL COM EssI0N or JAMES H.. BICKFoRp FOR THE
MURDER OF JOHN u. sECOR.
1t having pleased Almig Aty God, In his justice, to
bring me under the sentence of tie law for the
der OF Jo1n u. Secor, and being shortly to suffer
death in such manner that others, warned by my
example, may be the more afraid to offend, desire
as hope to obtain Gods forgiveness Of all my SINS
to make free confes o. the particular offence
for which an condemned.
in my fathers family. have lived in as much pu
lity as is common to boys Of my condition and cir
cumstances. That nave fallen into many youthful
indscretons, it would be useless and sinful for me
to deny, but in one instance only, as far as | can
now recoI!cct, have ever been guilty OF vicious or
criminal conduct till fell into the fatal which
has brought me uuder the solemn sentence of the
law-the particulars OF which vill now relate with
as much precision as my memory will permit
On Sunday, (the 9TH OF june 1889 attended
public worship in the forenoon at the schoolhonse,
at Hhoma svilie, otherwise known as Dickinson Gen.
trc. When the meeting had closed, / remained
short time In The entry, and had some conversation
with tie young people Of my acquaintan o. On
leaving the hCuse, discovered two men riding past
with three horses each, very much in the manner
related by several Of the witnesses on my trial.
This was the first time j ever saw these persons, or
OF my having any knowledge OF their being in the
nei9hhorhQod 9g the country. And now, anu pot
before, formed my Plan to waylsy and rob them Of
what money they nigh. have upon them. ] went
home and remair cd about three quarters of hour.
thsn returned TO the school house to attend the
second service, and continued there till the service
had nearly ended. When left ! went in search of
my fathers horses; having found them, engaged
my brother benton to accompany me up q short dis
farce in the objection of the fishing ground east of
our house, where he supposed | was going, Is had
previously been settled upon. Ny brother rode one
of the borses and tie Other We travelled ab,ut \
nIe and half, and came to the residence Of M. |
Ebt nezer Pa ks, where we found Thomas Cook. |
asked him TO 60 with me 10 his fathers as wanted
to see his calves. We Immediately left, aud having
passed on about mile, told my brother he resd |
Lot 60 anv fsrther, and Lie returned home. / then
disclosed to Cook my design, AID proposed TO him
to join ne in the numbering and robbng the men |
who bad passed with the horses. To this PROPOSE
ton be unhesisatingly acceded We then went on |
to the house Of Thomas Cook. I saw the father of |
my accomplce: and having procured gun. pro
ceeded on the Pcrt Kent and Hopkinto1 Turnpike, J
in the direction OF Port kent-and after passing !
short distance, overlook W. Lang. He asked us |
where We were going to which we replied we were
going fishing. We left him on saying that we wish
cd to walk faster than he did, and travelled on till
seeing come men coming up the road, stepped out
into tie bushes TIL they had passed Then we weat |
on short distance farther, when we again got into
the thicket to conceal ourselves from tTo men
We So,ol coming along o which proved to
to ". langs and got drink Of water, and |
then on q while farther, to Mr. Lawrence's, where
We met with a sister Of Thomas c ok, and
her husband, Henry Meacham, to whom | pro-
posed to so up the river with us a fishing This !
he declined; We then moved on TO Bakers, two |
and one half miles farther cast, where having rest.
ed few minutes, we passed on to Mr. Bentleys the
keeper OF public house at Deer River; called for
supper and told him that would pay him the next
time be came to our place. had no change with
me- While supper was being prepared we sat in tne
stoop and bad some talk With several persons pre-
man: Among other things asked them if there
had been any horses pass there that day? They |
said there had. asked them where they were !
kopS " Supp lucy sdiu " lIuu 8. FROM tnCnCe |
We went on TO Fletcher Joiner's. We met him at |
his gate and asked him the lean Of gun. He said
he had good onc but did no. wish to lend it. Our
object to get another gun If we could, for the
plan was TO kill both men. From here we passed on
to Perkins, and made another effort to procure
gun. Cook asked for gun. Perkins replied that |
IT was not at home We now travelled on past the |
turn which goes into Cooks brothers. and 50 on to
Mr.. Iadd's, where VIC got drink Of water from |
the well. This was between IL and IL o'clock at |
night. Here the two men had put up; and we |
heard the horses in tho barn, and talked ever |
the matter and fixed our plans more definite |
~. Wo now left Ladd's and went on to the |
sawmill, where the Malone road comes into |
boards and went to sleep. On waking we pur. |
sued our journey to where we found a man |
burning logs. Here we rested about an hour and |
then started again, and having passed Danforth's
farm, entered the woods Just a. break of day. We
sat down in the edge Of the woods and remained