Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-09-02
VOL. 4.---N0. 2.

I to Drill master. l served under Scott, Harvey
and Jenkins. They all know me. They know
I'm man that would not cut Norcross' throat
or beat his brains out with a club. i am inno-
cent. never did it. i am dying man; and
if die with lie on my lips will go to Hill.
must die and lie in that coffin. Ny poor
mother taught me to read the bible and pray.
l believe the bible and have always prayed ey
cry night. You know how my poor mother
feels now, at her son dying dishonorable
death. But am innocent. Ny mother would
never have given birth to son who would
have done wrong without confessing it. ann
an innocent man. / didn't murder Samuel
Towsend Norcross. God don't require me to
say did. Gods on my side. 1 disregard
what the people say. You will find out am
an innocent man. You will find some other
man who Is guilty. go.
/ have fought and bed for my country. I
have fought for the stars and stripes. have
taken the flag up to the muzzle OF the cannon
and the point of the bayonet. -...I have
heard it said that / blamed the honorable
Judge for his able charge against me. 1t is
not true. As a dying man l never blamed
him. / would ask no man who was sworn to
do his duty to do anything wrong to save my
life. l have been nearly three months chain
ed in Jail. / don't blame the honorable sher-
iff for claiming me. l blame myself little
for it. You all know the reason why, for cut
ting the hobbies. -. [He then spoke of Mr..
Mcclure, of Messrs. Junkin and Mclean, who
he said had saved his soul, and the citizens
generally, as having treated him well, and
referred to ga number of Methodist people,"
that SHIELD prayer meeting within the gloomy
walls,'' and invoked Gods blessing on them.
He denied having ever stolen any horses. l.
One thing will submit to, I'lI submit TO all
| wrongs like a christian and an American eiti-
zen ought to. The D-l got hold of me this
morning and forced me to try to deprive my
| self of life. I did it without thinking. 1
thought only of the disgrace to my friends by
| this death. But if l had succeeded, it would
have been more of disgrace than this rops.
| believe in the Bible and believe would
have been DID if 1 had. never could have
been saved when guilty of my own mur-
der. My friends pointing at Mcclure and the
| man who watches him. hindered me and /
| gave up the weapon to them at onco. I
thanked God for it. May God bless You all.
Here the prisoner ceased speaking, and
turned around to his religious advisers, but
impelled by some new idea he suddenly turned
his back upon them, and faced the spectators
and spoke as follows: 81 know you don't be-
lieve me innocent, but as dying man before
God am. In few minutes my soul viii be
launched into eternity and go home to my
Jesus" At 2S minutes past u O'Clock,
his arms were pinioned, the rope adjusted,
and the cap drawn over the wretched mans
face. The Sheriff then asked him if he had
anything further to say, whereupon ne spoke
as follows:
die an innocent man. 1 freely forgive
those who swore against ne. 1 know you
don't believe me, but you must think there is
some reality in it in my protesting my inno-
cence while standing on the pinnacle of death
the pinnacle death. l believe the Bible,
and believe if L should die with lie on my
lips l should go to Hill. believe the Bible
God bless my wife and child my dear old
mother and sisters and my brother and hope
to meet them all in Heaven.
He had hardly ceased speaking before the
drop fell. 1t was about % minutes before I
O'Clock. He fell about feet. He seemed to
die easy.