Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1857-09-12
,...,.Misttllantous. !.
tFrcm the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
The late David Stringef M'Kim.


The late David Stringef M'Kim.
MHssRs. EDIroRs The grave has close d
over McKim, and his soul has winged its
flight to that dread tribunal where the secrets
oil the heart are known-wbere lies and de-
ception avail not. Far be it from me to saw
or do anything to harrow up the feelings of
the respectable relativesshe has left behind :;
, but even they must know that "the evil that
men do lives after them" Neither have
any thirst Tor notorety; but, ac tuated by
sole desire to have justice done to the witness
ses who were maligned and traduced By the
culprt but a few minutes before he appeared
before the bar of the Almighty, have concln-
ded to make a statement such as, l hope, will
remove any doubt as to the guilt of McKim
IL any such doubt may have been raised by
the solemn asseveratons OF a dying man.
Shortly after the arrest of McKim, on the
day be was expected to arrive at HOLIDAYS
burg, l called upon the Deputy Sheriff. John
Mcclure, Esq, and made proposition to
him to go into partnership and publish life,
trial and confession of the murderer, if the
latter could be had. Mr.. Mcclure expressed
q willingness to enter into such an arrange
rnent, and / gave Kim the necessary instruc-
tons how to proceed.
The week before the trial was to take place
Mcclure called upon me and stated that the
Mckim matter was fixed, and that he promi-
sed confession, in case of conviction, for
$50, which sum he wanted to enable him to
fee another lawyer. day or two after we
went to his cell and there talked the matter
over. McKim stated that he had received a
remittance and paid his lawyers, and had use
only Tor S25; that if We would advance him
this sum, in case Of conviction, he would
furnish US with confession; and if acquit-
ted, he would refund the money. With this
understanding we left This conversation, of
course, was confidential, but informed A.
f. Osterloh and o A. Trough before the
trial, and VIM. A. Stokes, Esq, one Of the
counsel for the Commonwealth, Immediately
after the trial, OF the arrangement we had
made.
On The first DAY Of the Court l told Nc
Clure to pay Mckim the money, aud would
reimburse him the week following; to which
he agreed. AS he never called upon me for
the money, l was at loss to know whether
Mckim refused to take it, or had taken it
and returned it again. but his speech in the
Court-House, before sentence was passed
staggered my belief that he would ever make
confession OF any kind. / took an early
opportunity to communicate my suspicious to
MIR. Mcclure; but he informed me that Nc.
Kim still told him that it was "all right
On the strength Of this, even wrote to II.
Is. Ashmead for the estimated cost of 10000
pamphlets. Two weeks later Mcclure could
get no satisfaction out Of him. He declared
his innocence of the crime most vchemently
to the very man whom he promised q confess
sion |!
1t will thus be seen that be had confes.
sion 10 make. The reason Why he did not
make it is evident. Subsequent events.prove
that he had made up his mind to cheat the
gallows by either escaping from prison or
committing suicide, and under his hallucins-
tion he labored up to the day on which he WAS
executed;
But if there is any other evidence wanting
not ELECTED at the tIial-look at his incon-
gruous statements. To his counsel he stated
that on the morning Norcross was murdered.
he got of the cars about fifteen miles west of
Altoona, in order to meet friend, leaving
Norcross iG charge of man named Robinson
To his spiritual advisers he said, that he got
off at the first station west of Altoona, think
ing it was Altoona, and expecting Norcross
to follow. When the discrepancy Of these
statements was pointed out to him he had
nothing to say.
A visitor asked him whether, when he left
Galltzin for Altoona, he took the railroad or
the country road. He immediately answered
"the country road" Now the fact i. that no
road leads to Altoona but the ralrod. lie
might have reached Altoona by going down
Sugar Run to Allegheny Furnace, but that
is road no strange. could find in daylight
much less at two or three o'clock in the NOR
ming No man would venture through the
tunnel at night and it would keep a stranger
busy to find his way over Tunnel Hill. Once
on the other side, no person but one exceed
ingly well acquainted with the country could
find the Remington road; and even if found,
one who did not know the path and foot-iogs,
would soon lose it, for at places the wagon
track is directly in the bed Of the rivulet.
During the trial, McKim told one of the
Illinois witnesses that the first time he saw
Attix in Dubuque, he looked npon him rs =
man who would swear anotker's life away, and
yet on the gallows he declared most empbat-
ically that be never saw Attix until he saw
him in the Court House of Blair county!
Another case in point and | am done
His bitterest inyectives were against Mr..
Fleck, who testified to Mckim's taking
breakfast at his house on the morning of The
murder. This Mckim denied, and gave sn
accurate description Of kearney's house, as
the place where he breakiasted. 1t may be
that Fleck was mistaken, and yet it is not at
all unlikely that be was at both places. The
evidence only went to establish the murder
er's presence at Altoona, and yet in the same
breath with which he denounced Fleck, he
t,ciee acknowledged being n Altoona on the
morning Of the tragedy!
But, it is useless to pursue this subject fur
ther. His career in Reading POttsvllle aud
Long Pond, proves that he WAS al unmtiga-
ted liar, and there was not single person
who listened to his long and loud protesta-
tions of innacense, but what knew that oil the
statements he made were lies, malignant and
black as hell itself.
If those who have read the speech, could
have listened to the tone and energy in which
it was delivered, and then contrasted the
whole with the evidence given on the trial
and what have above written, the conclu-
sion must have forced itself upon the minds
that no such an extraordinary criminal ever
expiated crime upon the gallows in this or
any other country.
consulted Mr.. Mcclure in regard 10 this
statement, and he is willing to certify TO eEtire
truth of what have stated, if necessary.
U, j. JONES.
HoilidaysbTg, August 18th 1857
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