True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-06-16

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luly to pass upon you. The history Of
your life, ungovernsble man, has been
developed in the progress Of the cause
which has resulted in your conviction Of
Murder in the First Degree. Each fact
id your life, as it was indirectly stated or
dropped out in the evidence. INT dsepeued
the conviction of your depraviiy, and in-
creased the belief in your guilt Of the
crime with which yea stood chaised.--
The whole tenor Of your life, the crime.
with which you were charged on former
occasion and for which you were impriss
oned, the threat Of vengeance against the
deceased for the testimony which she
bore against you, and which, in all prob. =
ability was true, the time, the place and
the conduct (not to be named occurring
during the night Of the murder, the stab.
the stone with its clotted blood and female
hair. the crushed skull and the concealed
weapon worn upon your person fitted to-
produce this fatal result and all proved
to have been done and used by you, by
witnesses, it is true degraded and aNan.
doned. your associates in depravity, but
to whom no motive to commit this farther
and greater crime could be imputed, ell
these monstrous facts and horrible details
removed you from human sympathy and
but little was left for the jury but to re-
cord their Just and solemn fading. that
by the law and the evidence you were
worthy of death.
But these were the least Of the dreadsA
full circumstances which surrounded your
cause. Your father stoodby you through
all this trial be who had shielded your
infancy; he who would have guarded and
directed your youth--and you would not;
he, who in his own testimony, with the
vain hope Of saving you, spoke Of the
nightly watchings with which he had,
from your youth up, followed your foot
steps to turn you from the paths Of folly
and crime, he appeared as witness on
your trial, and by a crime greater than
your own-a triple condemnation Of
others to be produced by q transparent
perjury, would have saved you. Lost,
lost abandoned son It is in sorrow that
I allude to the circumstance, but public
Justice demands this public reprobaiion
of any attempt TO shield crime by guilt.
i But had those fatherly counsels been
followed, had those parental watchings
been needed, you would not have erred
so deeply and so fatally. Mary Ana
Montony might have been the degraded
being she was, yet might be alive. A
time Of repentance and peace might have
come even to her, poor, despised, aban.
doned creature that she was. A time of
reconciliation and hope might aave come
. to her, for the divine truth, though in her
) person dashed to the earth, trampled, be.
Q mired, was not wholly destroyed; she
s most probably, nay, it is certain, had
3 heard your threats, she knew the strength
f of your evil passions and she OWNED
your intention she believed her days on
: earth were numbered, and when she
r sloed upon the brink Of tina. unseen world
!, to which your passions and revenge were
Q Fastening her, the lessons and impulses
: OF. her childhood, perhaps Of a loved early
, home, returned to her heart and she
D would have prayed-and you paused no
J, you. John Burns. withheld not YOU
!. bloody hand. Wretched man tha. Tho,
Of art, earth has no punishment equal Il
N your guilt, thus testified to, by one o
,e your associates in crime. But Heavel
* has boundless mercy, though man know
" not all its measures or its means In tba
last fee,ing moment Of prayer your vic
Y, tim may have been forgiven, and the 9th
re er criminal Of this tenn, Of whom | hav
l- spoken, may ye. find peace, hopeless AM
beclouded as her destiny now seems, an
r. to you, most guilty and unfortunate mar
in a brief space Of time is allowed and allo'
ed ted. If these circumstances do not urg
c you 10 be diligent in making your peace
lis no human voice can reach the chamber
he of your guilty conscience. but commend
US ing you TO The blood Of our Saviour
ur Christ, which can wash away even th
lie blood upou your soul, and asking for yo
in that repentance and forgiveness. Of whic
all we all stand so much in need, | perlor
Of the last sad duties Of my Office, by pa
he sing on you the sentence Of the law
ed which is.- IA.
m "That you, John Burns, on Friday, Y
in Sd day Of September, 1858, between Il
me hours of 10 o'clock, A. M, and 4 o'clo'
ur- P. NJ, of that day III some public pla
nd within the county of Ohio, be hung
mel the neck until you are dead" And M
zen that mercy Of which the doctrines a
The history of our holy religion has given :
lii surance, and which has visited gull
cd. sinners in their dread extremity, be wi
tn. you in your last hour /; and as You
ian shortly to suffer death in such mann
ne, that others warned by your examp
,al. may be more afraid to Offend" we pr
lily God that you may make such use OF yc
zee. punishments in this world, that your Sc
the may be saved in the world to come.
cad ----------- III.
r., D,,o, n, Ann In th;a yuond