Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-08-06
The Albion Cooper Murder
erS.-WilliamS and Cox.

} The Albion Cooper Murder
ers.-Williams and Cox.
These murderers on the high seas have bsel
sentenced to receive death by hanging on tn
9th August inst. These men it will be re
membered killed the Captain, first aad secon,
officers, and one of the crew of the Albiol
Cooper, August %, 1857. They confessed
to the commission of the crime in Havana
which was the evidence upon which the,
were convicted. On Wednesday Judge Cliff
ford read the opinion Of tho Court, overulinl
the motion for arrest Of Judgment, by rea
son Of the nature of the evidence upon which
they were convicted. Judge Ware proceed
ed to pronounce the solemn sentence of tn,
law as follows - :
you arc now placed at the Bar, to receive III,
final and solemn sentence of tho law, and it ha
become my unpleasant duty to pronounce that sen
tence. You stand here convicted Of the murder o.
Quinton d. Smith, the second officer Of the vessc
of which you made part Of the crew. In your
trial you have had the assistance Of the most sm
nent counsel; all has been done by them in youl
favor, which great learning, unwearied labor am
the most distinguished ability could do,-but Z
jury of your country, after long and patien,
hearing, have found you guilty.
The crime of which you have been convicted, i.
the most fearful and shocking that can:be COM
mitted by man; that Of wilfully and deiberate y
taking the life Of one of your fellow men. The
deed, too, WAS one under circumstances Of pecu-
liar aggravation. 1t was tho murder of OF
your companions on board the ship, An officer
whom you were bound to obey, done with prcmed-
itation and cool dsibcration. The instruments OF
III Al.
were conveniently disposed, to be ready for the
bloody deed; and in the darkness Of the night
when your victim had retired to rest seeking re-
freshinent from the labors Of the day and sleep
ing unconscious of danger, not suspecting that
he had an enemy in the ships company, you stole
on his slulnbers and gave tho fatal and deadly
blow. Nor, deliberately us tho deed was done,
does it appear to have been done to revenge any
supposed wrong, which either Of you had received
from your victim. There had been no preceding
qu ,rrel or even complaint against hun.
murder so deliberate, so unproyokcd, and
perpetrated with such wanton barbarity, is rarely
heard of in the annals OF crime. But with all its
atrocities this made but small part of the horror,
of that sad and fearful night. by your own con.
fession you, in the same manner wantonly murdered
three others of your ships company the master the
first officer, and one of your companions and equals
who but few hours before had, in unsuspocting
confidence, taken his supper ut the same table
with yourselves.
take no pleasure in bringing back before your
eyes these Of horror. They arc painful to
me to relate, and am sensible that they must be
Il hundred fold more distressing to you to remcm-
ber 1t is not done for the purpose of throwing u
deeper gloom over the few remaining da VS. Of your
lives. do it for widely diff rent purpose. This
great crime against society, against your fellow
men, you are doomed to expiate by the last pun
shnent that can be inflicted by man. But this
is also crime against nature, fearful crime and
sin against God. For that crime, for that sin, you
will be arraigned before another tribunal incon.
cevably more solemn and more awful than any
earthly tribunal. There you will meet for your
accusers, the souls, the bleeding images of your
murdered companions and victims.
| should do you wrong to encourage you with
any hope of pardon in this life for this great crime
But in that future and more awful trial to which
you are going, we taught to believe that the
door of mercy is not closed against the g,eatest
sinner, if it is sought with truly penitent and
contrite heart, and l should omit part Of my
duty on this painful occasion if failed to eXhort
you, during the short remaining time you have
for this life, to seek that cy with the tears and
prayers of truly penitcnt heart and with the an
suish of deeply sorrowng and contrt, spirit.
| All the retribution, which human laws can ex-
act of you is your lives, blood for blood. lie that
sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be
shed. But it Is not for man to say what shali be
tho nature or duration Of that punishment which
|
mails, who die in their SINS Clouds and darkness
rest On this awful futurity, which human eyes can
| not penetrate. But we are permitted to hope
| that great those unseen terrors may be, they
may be mitgatcd and softened by q true and
| heartfelt repentance Let me then exhurt you
while your day lasts, while there is still room for
you to hope and before the door of mercy is final
ly and forever closed upon you, to throw your
selves at the foot of the cross of that Redeemer,
whose blood was shed for tho reden. ption Of sim
ncrs, and there, with tears and sighs, with the
sorrows of u coatrite spirit and the anguish of II
broken heart, to supplicate and pray to the COM
mon Fathc Of all, that you may have share in
that rcdeemins mercy. 1t is the only remaining
hope | can offer you.
And now all that remains for me 70 do, is to pro-
nour ce the last words of the law; tnat you be ta-
ken back to the place from whence you came, and
there remain in close confinement, until the twsu
ty-seventh day of August next, and on that day,
beetwen the hours of eleven o'clock in the fore
noon and one o'clock in the afternoon, you be ta-
ken thence to the place Of execution, and that
each of you be hanged by the neck uitil you are
dead. And may God have mercy ON your souls.
During the reading Of the sentence Will
liams appeared unmoved but Cox manifested
some emotion. After the sentence had been
pronounced, Williams said, he wished to
speak. He then requested the Court to take
notice that these things come from cruelty to
sailors, beating them with slung shots and
tying them up and flogying them. This, he
said, was what brought him to his present
condition. Cox freely confesscs his guilt and
details how the murders were committed. -
it is many years since hanging occurred in
this State.
A THRIFTY AND SENSIBLE GIRL.-
Not long ago young lady, in entering a
railroad car, had the misfortune to tear
her dress. The rent presented strong
contrast to the general neatness of her
apparal. She composedly took seat,
and diving her pretty hand into the
depths of tiny pocket, brought out a
needle and bit of thread, after uniting
which with mos, dexterous manipulation,
ho IL,