The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1858-02-17

acTN auu h1sSVs, Wne OF IdJS nave &c
cupisd so large share Of public at!ea-
ten. Altar calling upon several Of the
officers Of the prison, and also walking
enc or two miles to End the high sheriff
Of the city, pass was At last given US
to visit their bells. As soon as the Jail
or bad unlocked the heavy irsn doors,
j Cancsni, a noble looking Italian, step
ped forward and greeted US with smile
and graceful bow. He is probably about
35!ysars of age, ETA medium size, and
we'll proportioned. He has black hair,
heavy beard and moustache, a high
forehead and 4 pleasant and intelligent
csuutenancs. While We stood gazing
ubon bin We could hardly persuade our
solves that he was the perpetrator Of the
awful crime with which he has been
charged, and for which he has been DOOM
cd to die. In fact if his personal ap-
psaranse is a true index of his charac-
tor We should judge him to be enc Of the
most conscientious persons connected
With the prissn, not excepting the eff
eers themselves
The circumstances Of CaRcsni's case
are briefly these. On the morning Of
the 2lst OF July last, city p.licsmas
BY tbs name Of Anderson, vas attracted
by cries for assistance, from aters on
one of the back streets He hasteI-d
to tho spot, and saw a man pointing "a
pistol at the head of an0theL He in-
stantiy sprang forward to Sez, upon him
when this man who proved to be burg.
lar, and had just been caught leaving
the store, turned, shot the officer, and
fled. de was pursued, asrestsS and
variety Of keys found in his possession.
lie gave his mans as Michael Cancemi.
aud denied having anything to do with
the murder. lie accounts for his pres
eacs oy saying that he was on bis way
hsme, and hearing the report Of pistol
and seeing an officer fall, he ran away
as is the custom in bis country for fear
Of being takea as witness. Cancemi
has had JHo trials. la the FIRST the jury
did not agree in the second despite
the almost Fuperbuman efforts of hi.
counsel, he was convicted, ard scntenc-
ed 10 lis on tb, lJth. Bat before the
fatal day arrived, by the efforts Of this
same counsel, a writ OF crrsr was pro-
cured and his case will be decided upon
by the Court of Appeals, whether he i.
to have a third trial lie still affirms
his innocence, and is at this moment
locking forward with the most intense
interest to the impending decision. -
Since he hos beon ia the Tomb, by his
ailiable manners and kind deposition, he
has won the sympathy Of his keepers,
and OF all '"ho visit him.
The appearance OF Shepherd present
ed a striking contrast with that Of the .
last prisoner. AS soon as the doors of
hi, cell were thrown opon, lie stalkcd
forward, and Indignantly inquired if he
was thus 10 be continually made show
Of Whan hs was informed by the keep
ers that he should show him up as often
as he chooscd, hs fastened to the back
part Of the cell, and from thence to an
opposite corner, where be could no lon
ger be seen. We were informed that
the conduct of Shepherd had been such
during his coninemsns, that he bad cut
himself off from the sympathy of the
officers, bis relatives are all who visit
him. The crime with which be ha. been
bhargsd is setting fire to his ewn house.
His wife was found dead in the ruins
The strong probabilities are, that he had
murdered her, and then set the house on
fire to conceal the crime During his
Imprisonment he has been trying hard
to play "possum y ia palming himself
off upon others as insane 1t is hardly
necessary to add that the trick has not
succeeded and he will without a doubt
be hung.
The last case we will mention is that
of James Rodgers who has been eouvc-
ted for the murder of john Suan.ton -
1t seems that the latter few months
since was walking on one of the avenues
with his wife, when be met Rodgers who
was in liquor accompanied by two boys
who were trying to get him home. Some
how Rodgers got into an alteration with
Suanston, whom he had uever before
seen, and suddenly drew knife aud ia.
Hcted msrtal weunj. Rodgers ran
away, while the two boys were secured.
They told the stsry and finally Rodgers
was arrested near Now Brunswick, n
). His unifsrn statement has been
that he was drunk at the time, and that
he has no knowledge Of the murder
lie was however tried, and though de-
Tended by tho ablest counsel, was SEN
fenced to die on the 10Th inst but like
Cancemi h, has procured writ Of error
sns stay sg prsccedugs, and will staud
a very slim chance OF having a second