New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-15
JOHN DORSAy, THE MURDERER.
THE GOVERNOR REFUSES TO INTERFERE
IN HIS BEHALF.

In HIS BEHAtF.
TIE NEGRO TO BE EXECUTED on FRIDAY NEXT
-DORsAY's LETTER TO GOV. KISG-THE
CULFRrrs APPEARANCE IN PRISON.
About o'clock on the morning Of the 18th OF March
last, the body Of young Irishwoman, who had been
murdered by having her throat cut fouod lying In
the alcyway leading to the of No. Worth street.
portion of the handle Of a razor was found in the
hall Of No 3, and tracks of blood led the officers in
search of the perpetra.or up the stairs to uppe'
story room, occupied by Dorssy and q white woman,
who WAS living with him as HE wife. Upon exam
nation the officers found blood upon the negros hacs
and face and upon hs coat aud Shirt and in bis coat
no.ket was found the corresponding half Of the
han lie picked up below. Subsequently razor.blsde
yas foupd upon the roof Of house adjoining the
in which Dorsay lived. He was arrested, and an in
ouest sas held upoItbe body of the murdered woman,
at the conclusion O.. which the jury found that she
came +, her death at the bandB of Dorsay. He was
tried ~ the MAY Tenn of the Court OF General SEES
sops before Judge Russell; ana, although the evil
dence was all of circumstantai character 1t was SO
clear ar q conclusive thast the Jury found him guilty of
the MURDER and he was sentenced to be executed on
the 18th inst.
Richard 3usteed, es9.y who was assigned by the
City Judge 20 defend the criminal, stated at the close
of the trial that it his intention 20 apply 10 the
Governor of the State for communication of the SEN
tepce; and indeed, he confidently hoped that his sp-
pcation would be successful for the District Attorney
promised TO render him every facility ir carrying out
his Humanitarian design; but, will bs seen by the
,abioned letterto Mr.. Hall, Gov. King, after delib-
eraely weighing the evidence edduced on the trial by
the prosecution, refuses to commute the sentence to
i'm prsonment for Iife remarkiag that the law must
tase its course The following is Gov. Kings letter:
STATE OF NEw-l oRK, Executive DEPARExENr,}
ALBANY, July 10, 1857.
DEAR SIR: | Rave again, since 10y return to AL
bany carefully reviewed the testimony in the case OF
jobs Dolsay, sente need to be hung the nth inst,
in whose behalf an application has been made for
Communication of the sentence to imprisonment for life
and have Reluctantly to the CONCLUSION that the
law must be left 10 take its Uncer these cir
cunstances would request the favor of you to com-
municate this decision to Mr.. Busteed aud 10 the
Sheriff who will make it known to the convict:
A. o.xEY HALL, ESQ., District Attorney City and County of
New.Y,rk.
The decision of the Governor was communicated to
Dorsay by the Sheriff yesterday morning, and it Is
said that he received the announcement with
astonishing indifference, and without manifesting
the emotion which would natura! such sn oc'
casiOn.
Our reporter visited the City Prison yesterday after
noon and had an interview with the doomed man.. He
is West Indiaman, born in St. Domingo, and Is now
in his 18th year. He is about six feet in hight,
straight and wellformed, and has the appearance of
being very muscular and powerful man. His iea-
lures are regular, and pair of full flashing eyes give
bis face an expression of intelligence and meaning
When FIRST approached he exhibited disposition not
to be communicative but by degrees grew more talk.
alive and ina y entered freely into conversation ON
the subject of the murder, his trial, and the
hot aau1
be elected from him relative to his past life, as he
either refused or ingeDously avoided answering inter-
ropateres on the subject He said that he was born
in St. Domingo, and had there served an apprentice
shin TO- and for some time worked az the business of
stone mason but finally abandoned this profession and
became a sailor In this capacity he had twice visited
this city before he became resident. lie had been
living here about year before his arrest, dur
ipg which time he had been employed as
n deck hand on tew-bOats He states that
he has a father and mother and sister living, but
that they DO not live in St. Domingo; and he refuses
to disclose the place Of their residence for the reason
that he wishes his gnomnious death forever to remain
unknown to them. He also says that his name Is not
"Dorsay;" that he received the title of " Jack Dor
cay from his shipmates in consequence OF his right
name being difficult of pronunciation that they did
not ike the labor Of uttering it. He declines, how
ever to dsclose his right name, for the same reason
that Ire does not wish the whereabouts of his relatives
known and says that it is source of great satiac.
ton to him that they not panied and shamed with
a knowledge Of his situation.
Dorsay protests his innocence of the crime for which
he was convicted and while efforts being made
to procure communication Of his sentence, he addressed
letter to Gov. King, in which he gives his story Of
the affair." Our reporter procured from the prisoner
copy of this letter, which i, as follows:
CITY PRIsoN, July g. 1857.
HIS ExCELLENcY Gov. KING: When the Court
aragned me for trial the Court appointed Mr. Busted
as counsel to defend me. He said he would come and
st c me before would be taken to trial and get q
statement of ali had to say; and in two days after
was taken to Court and tried and found guilty and
had no conversation with my counsel before went to
Court, and no time to explain my case to HIM. The
ngh that was charged with the murder @as in the
grocery store in Worth street, and played checkers
and drank two glasses Of gin and it was late when
got home; and, when came to che aley-way, as it
was very dark, saw woman lying in it. took
hold d her to raise her up, and found blood on her
clothes ard the blood was on my hands when let
90 Of her, and got afraid that any would see me
near her. and thar would get into any difficulty ana
I went TO my room and washed my hands
and went to bed, and hung my shirt ON
the line at the bedside and left my coat on the chair
and in hour after the officer came aud Knocked
at nv door, and my woman called me and told me TO
let him 10. He asked me if heard any noise, and
told him did not. He then told me to lock the doc
and 90 to bed and he went down stairs. he came
back sfterward and Knocked at my door, aud sald
What makes the officer be knocking at my door all the
time for and got up and let him in. And when
he came in he commenced searching the house, and
locked at my clothes, and he found small drop OF
blood on my hand, and he told me to dress and 90
with bim; he asked me how many persoIs stoppedin
the rooms with ME, and ] told him the young
Ill an that was in the room and my woman, and he
took the young man aud me to the Staion-House; he