Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1855-12-26
One Of Gen. Jaekson'1 Soldiers Condemn.
ed for Alrdsr.--His speech.

An interesting murder trial took plact
in Burlington, Iowa, a few weeks since
The accused was man named John ]
Jones, seyenty-three years Of age. H,
had been . soldier under General Jack
son, and was with the old hero in seysra
of his campaigns against the Indians.
Jones was charged with numbering Ho
ratio w. Mol Cradle, 3 neighbor. some IF
teen years ago. He made his escape, anG
was not heard Of until short tims befor,
his arrest. Capital punishment having
been abolished in Iowa, the prisoner wal
sentenced to hard labor in the penitentis
~ during the remainder Of his life.
81 Jones, through his attorney, when ask
ED il he had any thing TO say why sen
tence should not be pronounced, submit
ted the following statement:
Nay i please ne Honorable Court:
Il am an old man, fast lettering to thu
grave. The frosts Of seyenty-three win
ters-though they have not whitened my
brow, have wrinkled my face, and chill.
led my heart with many sorrows. Mine
has been chequered life. And now,
when about to be separated from my fel.
lows, l may give truthful version Of the
past Il ,&f
II had family and home---a rude
home, it il true, and plain, and humble
family-but they were my all, The de-
ceased robbed me Of the one and invaded
the saactity Of the other. Two small
sons-a lovely daughter. and fwife-a
cherished riff a.3 h II ,
On returning to that home, the day
Of the fatal, deed, ! learned the certainty
Of the maddening truth, and FASTENED to
the field, my rifle still in hand. | know
not why 1 went. l had no fixed design.
He met me with club shot him.
And though claim not to have acted in
defence, / do assert that there was mutu.
81 combat. You know the rest. / fed
my family followed. But for the ff.
teen years have lived At Lockland, j
made no secret Of the deed | had done.
'sNow time has done its work. The
governments itself has changed. New
laws are passed and old ones repealed--
and those who then surrounded me have
mostly passed away. A different PEG:
pie are in the land--a different code Of
morals now prevails. drank liquor, il
is said, and true it is / drink it. Not to
have done SO then would have been the
objection. Men in high station leaned up
on the dram shop for support. To treat
ones fellow to the poisoning cup was
deemed proof positire Of genteel training.
81 may not be held responsible alone
for the vices Of society-itis enough that
! have been their victim. Those days
are past, and that loved one is gone
borne down with trouble she sank into an
early grave. That lovely daughter is
now ahopeless cripple, wearing haggard
face, OF Those two boys-who should
have been the prop Of my4old age-the
one has gone to join his injured mother,
as witnesses against the dead destroyer
Of their peace-the otherr-and my heart
sinks within me when | say it-ltres-but
not to me-with an ear deaf to my calam-
ity, he comes not near me But I for
give. .. =. Il
ITO this honorable court, the jury, and
to the attorneys and officers thereof, and
to the people of this community, l return
my humble thanks for their impartial
hearing. f-.y.... ..- y, Ell.
"Ihave never been criminal Of choice,
] but rather the creature Of circumstances,
beneath the weight of which far better
men than me have sunk. l may have
been too jealous ofmtne honor, but never
once proved faithless to my trust. When
my country's rights were invaded, / an
swered them, and SO / did mine honor
With General jackson in all his Creek
campaigns, ! battled for my country and
its laws. At the fast in the uaderness
I was there: at Enmefa and Taledega
was there and whenthe shouts Of victory
drowned the cries Of the dying at the bat
tie of Horse Shoe, inthe front ranks Of my
country, / was still there; and the name
ofhim whom we now call John ]. Jones
was another word for deeds Of daring.
These are Of the past. A long life is
nearly spent-the scene has changed;
but He above, who roads the human heart,
is, further than the formal sentence Of the
law, competent to judge me-" III