M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1855-06-08

/. thousand circumstances arise and arr
spread through the world in the publil
prints. In his cell, shut out from
chance 10 meet the unfaVorable suspi
cions with the antidots, he is born,
down by these prejudices which have
taken possession Of the public mind. HI
cannot efface this irst impression, ht
is victim oft. and I to-day declare
myself to have been destroyed BY the
paragraphs which in the beginning pro
nounced me a monster, hyena, blood
hound, murderer, black, blacker, black
est Of the guilty. Wha: right had they
TO say that intended to gain by killing
Bestson mans mind and intent are
secrets, no man can know them"
After speaking twenty minutes he took
sip Of wine and rested a little, and
asked the Sheriff if he was too long fol
his patience. and being assured that he
was not, went on:
al had hoped to have spared you this
de plora BILE scene. next to the regret that
| cannot spare my wife and child this
shame, is that leave them in land ul
strangers, destitute and almose friend
less.
Ishould be glad to unfold TO you the
feeling that man en,eTtuins on the
threshold Of death; but am rot master
of words to express them, At times,
confess that | have felt humiliated and
depresseI; at others, bitter and vindic.
tive; soured, by long and oppressive i'm.
prisonment, toward the world. Phase
after phase Of ones life appears In 6if'
ferent and changing lights and the pecu'
liar condition of being shut out Of the
light of day, the free air aud the cohver-
sation Of the world, has its unnatural
aud wsrping influence upon the thoughts,
| have studied my own thoughts, created
my own philosophy, striVen after ruth
but the philosophy of my intentions is
not understood. The honest man will
say, why did you not, if Beatson fell
and killed himself at the bridge. 60 i'm
mediately and tell Of it2' All, there is
where the circumstances that envroned
me, my eleven years in prison, my black
ened character, flashed across my mind,
and determined me in what did, had
swerved from the path Of duty, and had
lost what Solomon speaks of in that
good proverb. "a good name "A good
name is better than riches All, how
true So long as your good name is yours,
it will be rock Of defence against a
thou nd assailants, and without it. O
single man shall put you to fight.
Gentlemen: assure you that | do not
deserve this fate. No man has a kinder
disposition, no one whose life is freer
from cruel acts. l cannot help expires,
sing my heartfelt appreciation Of all the
kindnesses | have experienced at the
hands Of all who have had TO deal with
me. To my counsel, Mr.. Coe, | must
award a goodness of heart which is un.
surpa ssed; and for Mr.. Griswold, | mus,
say that his splendid speech in my de.
fence, cool, elegant and logical, aston.
iShed me, by showing how masterly he
had expressed my feelings and intentions
| have received much kindness from
many men Of every lsnd-there sits u
man, laying his hand on Stewards should
sr, who, during the thirteen months that
| spent In the Akron Jail, never refused
me single reasonable request. His
children and family seem like neaF and
dear friends, and left them with regret.
Mr.. Spangler has been extremely kind
and gentlemsnly to me, and 50 have Mr..
aud Mrs. BOsworth and Mr.. Tyler. When
| am taken hence, give my body to my
wife, | commend her and the child 10
you. Let her not suffer in want.
Here some Kind person proposed 10
express the feelings Of those present BY
taking up contribution,and it was done
on the spot; and S44 60 was taken up.
On seeing il, Parks seemed moved by
the kindness, and thanked them with
considerable emotion. He then said,
81 have no clergy man present. had
Expected DR.. Perry, but my request to
him | must have sealed up in package
of papers which | gave to my wife yes.
tefday. was educated in the belief OF
the Church Of England, like my forefath.
ers. | leave the world AT peace with all
mankind, without censnre upon any one
We cannot recall the past. Would 10
God that could do SO, but know nc
such thing as fear. lam misunderstood
have had little or no education; have
tried to learn much by iesorting to The
books which the wisest search; have hat
no Oxford or Cambridge education; wa.
la miliar with the Scriptures,and beIiev,
that we shall only arrive at that perlec
ton which mans heart strives after, il
the next world. / thank you for the
kindness to my wife. ! again assur,
you all that am no murderer, in an,
respect, thought or deed. With thes
words, | prepare to meet my God"
One o'clock had arrived. He took
glass Of wine: his hands and fee; wer
fastened, the rope adjusted by the Sher
i If, and he stood upon the platform. H,
then requested that he might give tn
signal when all was ready; lie borrowet
d handkerchief to make it with, the cal
was drawn over his head, and about tel
minutes after one, with the words i Iii
au innocent man. he dropped the sigma
and the drop instantaneousIy fell .lSuuct
ing him down about six feet. Not
struggle nor anything like tremor evi
denced the suffering OF pain.
His pulse became feeble and intermit
tent in two or three, and ceased 10 bea
in eight miDu tes afterwards. No acIio
Of the heart was perceptibie Al the e,
piraiion Of twelve minutes, and at th
end Of forty minutes he was Ia ken dowT