Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1858-02-06
From the Lu:erHe Union
Sentence Of VIM. Muller.

Muller, recently convicted Of the murder
Of George Matthias. The remarks oil the
Judge previous to pronounciDg the SEN
tcnce were beautifully conceived, aud clio.
quently expressed but they seemed to
have little effect upon the prisoner, who
remained perfectly calm and undisturbed
during their delivery. Indeed, one would
have supposed, from his appearance, that
he was the least interested in the mclan-
choly ceremonies, The following are the
Judge remarks, and the sentence:
WILLIAM MULLER.--It has become the
painful duty Of this Court, to pass upon
you the fnal sentence Of he law You
have been tried for the murder of George
Matthias, by an intellig ant Jury, selected, g,
with every opportunity to object given to
you, from the pannel attendant at this
Court. You have been faithfully and enr-
nestly defended by Jealous and able Coun.
sci, every indulgence, which it was bel
/ ed, the law in mercy would justify, has
/ been allowed to you, and you have been
convicted Of murder in the first degree
We too, as the Judges, who presided at
your trial. have felt ourselves compelled to
come to the conclusion that the verdict,
under the evidence, was just and true.
You have come from foreign land and
was almost stranger in this neighborhood
with no immediate friends to assemble
around you, yet there are in this vicinity
those who feel for your present unhappy
situation they know, that it is indeed
trying act to cut oft in the prime cf his
days, one like yourself, apparently formed
with strength activity and C urage to stem
so well the ordinary current of life, but
they fell at the same time, th4t the law
justly demands the punishment Of one who
has so G eviously offended.
You came into this County, as far as we
learn, about the middle of November last,
complaining of sickness and seeming to be
diseased and in hunting alter work as you
desired, arrived at his residence of old
George Matthias. The old man, now had
nearly reached his four score wears, lived
solitary and alone upon his farm, distant
from any immediate neighbor. When in
travelling along the turnpike, your proba-
bly, weary steps were stayed at his dwell
ing, and circumstances, we know not what
induced you to remain and live with him,
unable to see into futurity, he was no doubt
glad, thus to take you in, as a companion
for his solitude. at twhat time the thought
was first conceived to take the life OF this
aged man, who had Afforded to your weak
ness the hospitality Of his home, you alone
can tell: itwould seem from circumstances
proved on trial that you had been living
there but q little over two weeks, before
the fell deed was accomplished The old
man, it was well known, had talked of 60
ing 10 the West to see his children, ard uu-
derstanding this, you alleged time and
gain that he had thus departed, lnng after
his bruised and stricken person, was lying
under the water where you had cast him.
For the first few days after he was mis- :
lug, as strangers and friends inquired af.
ter him, you continued to as scrt hat he
had gone, upon temporarily absence, to
different places in the nei ghborh cd, to the
Blacksmith's shop, TO Bear Creek or to
Wilkes Barre; and finally, when it was
lour that anxious inquiries were being
made about him, and that no cna d seen
him, at these Place Of a!ledgod temporary,
sojoura, you then declared that lie had
started for the West, that you had yourself
made two boxes, in which you packed his
poor worthless rags as you termed them,
helped him INTO passing wagon, shook
hands with him, and would have induced
your bearers to believe that you had wish.
ed him friendly God speed, for his West
ern travels, Alas when your hands were
separated from his, and his body left your
sight, it vas the parting for more distant
journey.
When these various stories reached the
ears of his friends in Wilkes-B .rre, suspi-
clons were excited, and they went out to
search the premises; you aided them in
looking in the cellar and elsewhere, but
told them there was nothing in the well.
that they need make no search there, for
''hc isn't in there" was your language to
KnoIlock. The men were determined,
however, and they perseycrod two or
three grey hairs observed on the stones at
the top Of the well led them to earnest et-
forts, and at length the old mans body
was found therein, with seven wounds from
an axe upon the head by three of which
the skull was broken, SO as to lead the
/ physicians to the opinion, that each enc of
them might have been mortal A rope
too, singularly and skilllully noosed and
'knotted, was tightly drawn around the old
mans neck, Who could doubt that his
death had arisen from violoncel The wo.k
of his slayer, though cruel, was sure and
certain.
The evidence in the cause has left no
shade Of suspicion upon any one but your.
self-you were biding there and the details
of your conduct and your language, re-
peated by so many witnesses, referring to
so many different occasions, understood
without mistake, by Germans to whom you
spoke frequently in your natural tongue,
can leave no doubt of your prcvity with,
and knowledge of, this terrible transac.
/ ton.
We have not intended to repeat all tho
facts iu the case-tho greater and the les