The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-01-11
EXECUTION OF DONNEII.y M.
THE MURDER OF MOSES

James z. Donnelly, convicted of ,sn
~ naoe.t .. moses at the Sea view House n snnnar
-. ~ Nc" Jersey, was executed at PraehaId ir
Sar Ssa.s Was on fridsy Donnelly was native Of
Wv iork city, and sbout a years of aya.' NJ
was MUSICIAN and surgeon by profession. ard s,r
short time attended college at I;ecrgato,ar M n
y, ana the hospital at New York. Dnr;up ,hs
he ., yellow fever at Norfolk ew ye.rs
ne Volunteered his professional services In ba
haif OF the sufferers there from that .epidsmle -
lie spent considerable time in Wasbipston c;,r
moved In good society, and was en- ged ta he r,a
riea 70 Respectable young lady Of that city pre-
Fious 20 tne unfortunate occurrence for which, he
yesterday suffered an ignominous death. A cor.
respondent of the New York Tribune. writing
from Freehold, on Wednesday, thus recspitulates
the main facts of the murder of which he was con-
yicted:
Early in July last, Donnelly, who had been s,u.
dying medicine, and was, he says, worn down
by long continued application to BIS profession,
desired to recruit his strength in the least expen-
sive manner, 50 he engaged with MIR. Vim. W.
Smith, the proprietor of the Sea View House. as
clerk aud book keeper for the summer season.
Four or five days before the end Of the month Al
bert ;. Moses was engaged at the same house as
bar-keeper. Between Donnelly and Moses in
timacy sprung up, and on the night Of the last Of
July they sat'up nearly all night playing cards.
1t Is supposed that they had been gambling to-
:,ether before, and that Donnely had lost largely
portion of the money which he lost at play was
no doubt borrowed from the funds Of the pfoprie-
tor of the hotel.
Spanish gentleman, one of the boarders. on
the 3lst of July intrusted 800 in gold with Dom
nelly, to be placed in the safe. DonneIiy took
this money. hoping to win back what. he had lost
andH eby ave his or dit and aged With Moses all
night. rising at thee or fonr O'Clock on Saturday
m 'rLibg loser TO the amount Of SO This san nd
ded to his previous losses at play with Moses caused
q serious deficit In his accounts and IL was GUS
tomary for his employer to demand balance sheet
at the end Of every week, it is supposed that Dom
nelly, was driven to desperation by the fears of az
posure and Disgrace resolved to repossess himself
Of the money which Moses had won. With this
object In view, about five o'clock in the morning,
he went to the barkeeper's roOn and finding him
asleep as he expected, endeavored to possess him
self Of the money, which Moses had kept between
the bed and mattress. lie succeeded in getting n
roll of bills, but in doing axoke Hoses strug-
gle enaued, when Donneliy stabbed him in the
neck, the knife passing ont at the other side lie
then ran out closing the door after him, hut was
closely followed by Moses, crying murder" at the
top oi..hs voice.
Donnely ran on until he was stopped hy Mr.
Smith, the proprietor Of the house, who asked him
what was the matter. Donnelly who was very
much excited, did not answer for some moments
but finally replied "IIe's dead! he's dead" Smith
asked who was dead, when Donnelly replied that he
did not know. Subsequently Donnelly went to his
room and changed his clothes then went to the
water closet, and afterwards was observed running
rapidly across the fields acting like one demented
Moses, with his dying breath. charged Donnelly
~
tion with the gambling, the money taken from the
safe the finding Of 1850 in torn bills in the water
closet the change dress, his wild demeanor, and
the blood on the sill of bis bedroom door, corstitu
ted the principal evidence against the prisoner
He had most impartial trial before a Monmouth
county jury, and was found guilty Of the high
crime of murder His counsel carried his case TO
the Supreme Court and the Court Of Errors. in or
der to obtain trial, but failing in both in
stances, appealed TO the Court of Pardons. That
tribunal, after duly examining the cass refused to
interfere.
The social position of the prisoner enabled him
t0appeal to and secure the influence OF numerous
powerful friends in New York and Washington
who labored indefatgably in his behalf Their ef
forts, seconded by the sympathy and support of
many influential Journals, avaed not.
Donnel!y, in an interview with the writer for the
Tribune on Wednesday stoutly protested his inno-
cence of the crime. He says that on the night in
question be played cards with Moses until eleven
O'Clock, and did not see him again until he saw
him in the morning with his throat cut His state
mept continues:
1t Is not true that lost money nor that took
money oat of the safe. On Saturday morning
about halfpast four o'clock arose. as usual
and went down to the Office after seeing that the
servants we're up. When went to the door
of the female dormitory they had not gone
down. l WAS in the office q short time when
Mr.. Smith came aud hurIi 'dly inquired about
my balance sheet. lie wanted to know if there
was any person going away, and any money to re-
ceive that day. | examined the accounts and told
hin that there we're no bills due that day. then
went to open the blinds On the front of the house
when heard moan, and rush of feet, and saw
| man running toward ME covered with blood,
and ryingss'mErder" In my fright ran down
stairs. and booking back saw the wounGs
| man fall as thought, dead met Mr. Smith, who
was even paler and moro excited than |. He
stopped me and asked what was the matter. !
| could not answer little while, but at length
tzafH Aaad. ha.a photl Ana :
he asked. l said 81 don't know" ! then went
to the water closet, feeling sick at my stomach.
and vomited great deal. When ! came ont
met Smith again. and asked hin in which
room the affair occurred. He said, ''Neyer
mind; it will be all right the man s not dead" |
then went up stairs to Moses' room. and found
it locked, and tried the adjoining room, which
opened, and found Moses lying in bed with his
throat cut August Munter, the barber surgeon,
was the only man there. The reason | went To
Neses's room was because l followed the bloody
tracks Moses said: "Who is that" / said ''lt's
DODnely. my dear felow-Hhat can do for you:"
He raised himself upon his hands, and, grinding
his teeth, exclaimed: "0h, you son of h-h, you
have robbed and murdered me, ! wish had pis-
tol, would shoot you" l said: "My dear friend,
yon are mistaken ! have not harmed yon. You
will soon die; can / do anything for yon." lie
then gave me the name and address of his mother:
Mrs. Conklin, 139 Locust street, Philadelphia"
and said: 'SeDd the money to her" / that
his lite might be saved. and fearing the conse-
room and changed my clothes lest they should
become bloody, and then kicked open my trunk
and took ont needles, thread and plaster. But
remembering that had no Instruments for taking
up the arteries, | off toward Thompsons
pavilion for Munter, tho Dutch barber, whom
l had discharged for misconduct few days be-
lore, TO get his instruments. / ran across the
fields because that a direct route, the road
forming triangle. The witness said that i
stopped several tines-that was TO pull on my
slippers. If it was to hide tho knife, why have
they not found il; They raked the fields and pull
ed up the bushes, and searched everywhere for il.
When got there Munter had just gone further
on, and ran after him, but could not find him
found Coroner Connery in the room with Moses,
sewing up his wound. Munter was also there,
and others. ! asked il the vessels had been tied.
and Mun'c- sld, '' Oh, yes; tied them Bus |
that they not tied, for the blood still
grlshed out in a stream but Coroner Counery and
Munter assured me that they were secured SO
did not rip the stitches but sent for cloths and
banddges, and put a compress on the wound.
then sent for ammonia and brandy, as found his
extremities growing cold, and gave him several
powerful doses, in order that he might be able to
retract the dreadful. charge which he had made
against me. Presently he came to, and told the
coroner to take his statement under oath. Does
that look as il was guilty! Moses, then with his
lying breath, lied my life away. As lam about to
die, before God sUlemnly swear that did not
take the life that man. kept him alive near
ly two hours, and would have saved his life If
had had the proper instruments, or II had not
been grossly deceived about the arteries having
been tied.
The writer odds that in his statement, Donnelly
contradicted himself over and over again. When
he asserted his innocence, he shed tears, and said
he hoped he world be the last victim of capital
punishment. 1t grieved him most to think of the
ngus, of his aged father and beloved sisters; but
for them he would not have attempted 10 escape,
and his failure caused him more regret on their &C
count than his own.
In consequence Of rumors that the friends Of the
prisoner meditated his rescue, the Jail was guard
cd by several military comnauics from Tuesday
evening until the moment of his execution.
The three sisters and other relatives and friends
of the prisoner arrived at Freehold on Thursday,
aud were with him in his last moments.
Donnelly was executed on Friday at o'clock
lie made spcech of some two hours long. re-
viewed the testimony and declared his innocence
In an able and eloquent manner. There was an
Inn cancoursa of snectators. hut nerfect