Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-01-31
From the Galena .Teffersonian.
Ths Execution of John l. Taylor, for the Murder
OF his Wife.

/
among learned divines philosophers and Jnrsis
whether or no crime and corruption increased IN
ratio with the progress OF civilization and Christian
| ty and If we had other evidence pro or con OF
the fact than that of the sickenlng, shocking and
disgusting spectacle presented yesterday IN Inc
streets of this city, we should unhesltauhSiy an
. swer aifirmatively
| The JetJersonian has heretofore elaborateiy re-
viewed aud presented its views in relation 10 the
verdict in this case and still enterans The opinion
that TAYLOR in his advanced age, (being SO years
old) could have been under the law ard evidence
sentenced to the penitentiary, consistently with
Justice ard humanity and after his sentence, could
have obtained executive ciemency by the inter
veution of friends. Friendiess, how ever he was
executed Yesterday at o'clock P. NJ al the Coun-
~ Hospital this city.
So great the curiosity which his sentence
excited in the surrounding country. that strangers
have absolutely boarded here for weeks, and trav-
eed hundreds of miles 10 witness his execution
Persons from the different shlfe towns OF THIS DIS
trct and even from the adjoining States of Wis
consn and Iowa. thronged the sidewalks of the
city al an early hour in the rnoraing, anxious TO
witness the spectacle! he prisoner was conduc-
ted BY an armed posse from the jail through Nam
street 10 the place of execution about o clock
p, NJ. He looked composed but somewhat pale
and thoughtful in his funeral march 10 the grave
As far as The eye could reach-ffom the COM
mencement the termination of the street, 1t was
denSely crowded by spectators hurrying 10 the
scene of execution. Decreped old men bourn down
by infrmities hobbled 10 the scene. Little CHI
dren who could scarcely lisp their mothers name
i-wornen in the perils OF child birth, and others
scarcely relieved from them and with sucking
babes IN their arns-gifls and boys, mingled III
disgracefu confusion, eager 10 behold human
being hurried from time into eternity. 1t was
spectacle for the rejecting mind TO niorallse upon
and which forcbly impressed us with the weak
ness ana depravity of the human and also
e the
capital punishment should be inflicted priyate y
Otherwise demoralizing in its influence III har-
dening and brutalising the human heart.
\ stranger upon arriving in the City during the
execution, would have supposed that we were
visited with awful pestilence. Animated
life see med for time suspended Tie streets
looked almost 6esolate, and the city as
a pile without inhabtant
Upon reaching the ground ten thousand per-
sons there stood in one solid mass. Taylor as,
craded the scafold perfectly sell possessed and
with firm and steady tread Clad in a white gown
and cap, he addressed with firm voice the crowd
for more than thirty minutes. His dying declGsd-
i;oas were in substance the same those uttered
by Kim in ecurt when sentence was passed upon
him. He reiterated his innocence of the crime OF
wllful murder declared that he knew not how
his wife was killed-expressed the hope that as
Christ was crucifea for all, he was crucltied tor
him and the belief that he was forgiven by his
God
After the cap was drawn over his eyes and he
knew not what instant he would be Gshered INTO
Eternity, he again for tea minutes addressed the
crowd in a firm and distinct voice and admonish~
ed them TO beware of intoxicaton, the cause OF bis
m Misfortune and the of his life. weighing
some / 50 lbs and having been given fail of
feet upon the removal of the trap door, he died
almost without struggle-hIs neck seeming TO
have been stretched near four inches. Thus died
John !. TAYLOR who had rendered - the State some
service in the Seminole war-periormed IN this
city last summer during the cholera season, Offices
OF kindness and humanity from which others
sarank from dangerous, but who unfortunately
was addicted to drunkenness, and slew his wife IN
a fit of inebriation Tho having forgiven his en-
emies upon the scafold, and in that spirit asked
forgiveness,-he will probably be known until
forgotten only as the murderer OF his VIE; Tor as
the great dramatist has truthtully said
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is often inferred with their bones
Omar sronm-Our Exchanges from all quar-
tiers, bring intelligence of terrible storm and
great fall of snow. AT Baltimore. there were ten
schooers sunk in front OF the city; several houses
were unrooied, number Of lives lost, numberless
minor disasters occurred In Cleveland, the storm
vas accompanied by fire which consumed II or
II buildings. Accounts from Buffalo, New York;
Boston, and other places show that those cities
were also sufferers from the same cause. The
cars on many of the Railroads were stopped in
consequence of the great fall of snow. On the
lake shore in the eastern portion of this State
the snow fell to the depth OF two feet, at Madison
from G TO inches, while in this locality there is
barely enough to whiten the ground
The Milwaukee Sentinel notices it as fellows
The wind at the outset blew fuIiously from the
North East canting afterwards to the North,
whilIiug the Undertaking. snow in all directions
and piling il up in deep drifts. wherever fence or
tree, or building ofo-ded lee. The storm was
yet young, when Sunday morning broke, and
though the blast wa s6erces and the snow already
FIVE or SIX inches Dc eary service in several
Of the churches was quite well attended; but as
the day wanei the storn waxed, and in the after
noon and evening lewSindeed peniured TO face the
ptiless north wind, in IT'S ftill and furious career
surcharged with icy particles, and penetrating
with It's keen and freezing breath, through triple
deienccs of cloth and fur. All through the night
the storm continued, the wind blowing more and
more f.tfuliy as Monday morning approached, IN
I'll il gradually sank to rest he clouds broke and
the sun rose clear and bdght upon snow-clad
city.
At the intersections of streets, and in some ex-
posed spots, the fierce windshad swept the ground
bare, bat elsew here The spoys Day foot or more
deep and wherever lhere1ess anything to break
the .Crcc oil Inc WING Inc GfiitS were tuTee I'VE and
! six feet in depth The streets and sidewalks
were in many places impossible for man or beast
and not a few houses were completely blockaded
front and rear, by the accumulated masses of snow
The storm which altogether exceeded ANYTHING
we have seen during ten years residence in
, Wisconsin, had bockaded the roads, in all drec.
tons, and laid a temporary embargo upon the
mails. To those so fortunate 10 possess warm
and comfortable houses, it brought few trials or
) terrors; but Sunday night must have been dread
tul one for the scanty clad. the houseless, or the
hungry poor and the wayiarer who met the blast
anywhere on our broad prairies must have perish
ed under It's icy touch, unless shelter close al
hand.
The morning train the N. & NJ r R with
. two locomotives the lead, and the Superintend-
ant with battalion of Shovelers on board start
, ed out al a. NJ. and by hard work reached
f Whitewater at p. NJ. There they met the morn
ing train from Madison bound East The train