The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-08-02
Execution of David Stoddard for the
Murder of his Wlfe.--.His Confession.

Murder Of his Wife.---Hls Confession
This wretched man, whose crime was
the result of intemperance, was hung at
Rock Island, Illinois, July l3. The Rock
Island Gazette says:
Upon arriving at the gallows, which
was erected in gentle ravine outside the
limits of the city, we found present
crowd of fully 10000 people gathered
upon the rising ground in the immediate
vicinity, and crowding down to the very
foot of the gallows in dense and swaying
mass, so that the Rock Island Guards
with difficulty finally succeeded in clear
ing a circle around the scaffold. The
criminal, dressed in light suit of sum-
mer clothing, with his arms pinioned, was
assisted out of the omnibus and up the
stairs of the scafold by the officers of JUS
tice and several ministers, and also by
brother of Stoddard, who had come all
the way from Peoria in order to be with
him in his last mQments. Rev. MIR. Morse,
by request of tht'prisoner, proceeded to
speak to the multitude for him as follows:
He began by saying that, fourteen
ago. Stoddard and his wife were both
professed Christians and members Of the
church, and lived together happily and
liz peace with themselves, God, and tbs
world. But be had been charged by the
criminal particularly to state that the
cause of the breaking of this peace was
intemperance. He begun to drink by
little and little, until his home became a
raging hell, and ne himself a demon OF
evil passions which he found it impossible
to control. Under such circumstances it
was that his family became broken up,
and were wanderers and outcasts with
himself upon the face of the earth. He
said further, that he had been requested
BY the prisoner to state, that he had NO
particular confession to make in regard
to the crime of killing his wife, at that
time, leaving the question of his guilt tc
be settled by the public-that the Court
the Jury, and the Sheriff and his officers,
we're blameless, and that he had not a
word of accusation to bring against any
of them.
After he had taken his seat, Stoddard
, was again assisted to rise. He proclaimed
in loud and emphatic voice, that what
Mr.. Morse had stated was true-that he
owed all his crimes and misfortunes to
r the curse of ntemperance-that be for
gave every one and was ready to die
that he feared not the terrible death be-
| fore him SO much as the eyes of the peo-
people now fixed upon him. He warned
r young men against the beginning of crime,
; which was use of the intoxicating glass,
if they would avoid the miserable life he
, had led for the past five years, and per-
haps its dreadful end. Remember" said
be, remember my dying words-and
FLEE FLEE THE WRATH TO COME ~
After short address from another
clergyman, Stoddard again arose and
said, that his time upon earth was now
, short--that he was addressing the world
now for the last time. He then confessed
to the crime of killing his wife, adding,
II did the deed, but many wrong stories
have been told about it. did it in a
moment Of passion. was often so temp
ted before that I could scarcely keep my
!, hands off her. I am now ready to die"
! After this, as general taking OF
all present on the scafold, and kissing
his weeping brother, the prisoner stepped
on the drop. The fatal moose was adjus-
ted around his neck, and the cap drawn
over his face by the Sheriff, assisted by
his deputy. He then commenced singing
the words, "I'm going home," which he
repeated twice, and the drop fell at ten
minutes after one o'clock. He struggled
but little, and in seven minutes had ceased
to live. After hanging twenty minutes,
his body was taken down and conveyed
othe graveyard, and buried beside his wife,
according to his request.