Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-01-12
DYING SPEECH OF DoNNELLY,
THB
MURDERER OF a. S. MOSES.

of Albert S. Moses, at the Seayiew House, New
isink, n. j., last summer. We give the speech
entire below. 1t is very singular one, ta-
king the nature of the proof against him, and
the frantic nature of his dying declarations of
innocence, one against the other.
Ny friends around me, my friends from New
Jersey, my friends from New York, my friends
from Buffalo, my friends from my own loved
home of Washington, address you all part
ing word, and long before my dying wordshave
reached my friends in distant countries Donnel-
ly will be no more, Ifeel that here surrounded
by these ministers of Justice and by my friends,
by this military display brought out here that
the inevitable decree of so-called Justice is
about to be carried out, and that therefore
stand upon the ground as one who has but
short time to live. When Hook into NV own
soul, when reflect upon the agony that have
suffered since have been confined in those
celsl, when look into the dark future, feel that
stand on consecrated ground, ground conse-
Grated to Justice so-called, consecrated to the
death of man innocent of crime. When / re
fleet on my old friends whom sae around me-
when reflect on my family who are away, nv
poor gray-headed father and bleeding-hearted
sisters and brothers, when reflect that in
few moments more shall stand before the iudg-
lnent scat of God, j am oppressed with a sense
that am uttering my last words. Anything
that may say shall say it in sincerity. God
is my witness, that | would not bring devasta
ton to the hearthstone of any one but it be-
hoOves me to die now with full statement ofthe
truth. There are those yet living,-there are
those who have perjured themselves most miser-
ably. have no ill-will towards any one, no
spirit of revenge to satiate. have received the
last rites of my Church. have placed my
trust in Christ, and by Christ alone will the
Judgment of my actions he made. | shall feel
that any physical suffering that may endure is
nought,-a drop in the ocean, pebble on the
sea-shore. From the Utmost recesses of my
heart, am not guilty of the crime with which
am charged. Obi there is hell with its wide
and open gate, ready to receive me if / should
dare to utter what is false; and there are the
golden portals of Heaven opened wide to re-
celve me if say what is true. Yet knowing
all this; knowing the implacable justice of God,
speak.
In the latter part of March left far distant
home, and came to New York, purposing change
of life, in different ways. Shortly after deter.
mining to recruit my health in a different posi-
ton in life, came to New Jersey, and was EN-.
ployed at the Seaview House at Ncvisink
few days had been there, when Moses was
murdered You have each, probably, read all
the evidence which was brought out on nv
trial, and you must feel that it simposeible that
|, standing upon the sca:fold, and about to offer
up my life, should draw doubt over it William
w. Smith, the proprietor of the Seaview House,
stands before God with the brand of puriurcd
sinner on his brow, more than Donney does -
have some questions to put to that man; am
not carried away by the realities of my position,
out have some questions to put to that man,
which must be answered before he leaves this
world In the west passage of the Seayiew
House there were tracks of bloody foot Dom
nelly, the alleged assassin, could NOT have made
them, for he was not in that part of the house
Albert 5. Moses was not there on that morning
Who do we know was there that morning in his
bare teetS Who do we know was there in his
shirt aud drawers that morning ?-Wiliam W.
Smith. Perhaps it is wrong in me to sum up
my own case after it has already been summed
up, but have that which must say When
that fearful cry of murder was heard that morn
ing, Donnelly was down stairs in the bar-room;
somebody else was in the housc-there were
great many others, but Donnelly, poor Donnelly
alone saw that man fall on his back, apparently
never to rise again. 1t was his first impulse to
say "hes dead, when he saw him cut and
bleeding in the passage. Why was all that
running back and forth in the house if no one
knew what was going to occur? It is due to
Mrs. Bradford-that eStimable lady-that give
her the need of praise, She wrote down the
convictions of the moment, us others should
have done, instead of trusting to a technical
lawyer. Donnelly, on the morning of the lst
of August, was dressed in light suit of clothes,
coat slate color, pants white, had no vest on, and
\ a white shirt.
trhe speaker here described the room in
(which Moses lay.l The sun rose about three
1 minutes past D O'CLOCK that morning, 1T re-
member rightly. That room was situated in a
corner of the house where the gable ends of the
two houses Joined; not ray of the sun entered
that room until afternoon. How could Donnel-
ly have struck that blow at that time? When
Donnelly entered that room that NOR ing, 90
minutes after the cutlery, the expression ii Mos
es was, that Donnclly! Oh, you son of a b-h:
| wish had pistol to shoot you; yoa done
this" These were the words of dyias man
about to meet his Maker. Stepping to tie bed
side, assisted him. l turned to the German
barber, Munter. ..iYhat shall I dor" said he.
| told him to get some court.plaster. I went
out soon after, and when again entered the
room he was all but gone; the case was dos
Iperate one. Imet it; brought the man back 10
consciousness, so that he was enabled to make
those statements which have brought me here
4 Was it natural for man to turn back who has
committed crime like that and assist a man he
has injureds cut up plaster, tied it, wash
4 cd his body, and then God brought him back to
life. It was done by God as the first cause and
i by Donnely as the secoud-I saved his life for
two hours. After the repeated attempts of
i Donnelly to save him, what did he says Twas
awakened by blow on my throat, saw Donnel-
ly, grappled with him, followed him out of the
door into the hall; he ran down stairs; return
4 ed" The impression made on the mind of