Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-09-06

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sharp pointed stone. Hit her twice with this.
Didn't u say q word while I was Killing her
Myers was setting back laughing, and telling
me to hurry. Afterthe first three throws, nv
ers got up and hit her with q small sharp stone.
He hit her and hurried back. He seemed scar
ed; l stayed behind and kept on hitting her,
did not think she was dead until I saw her
brains. come out saw the blood on the sharp
stone Had some notion Of throwing it away
but did not 6oit. Myers and I then came on
down. met my boss Q3urns was a feeder for
some man who had a nail machine in the mill.J
We afterwards met Polk Chalk. Polk bought
some whisky. Myers drank half oft went.
to breakfast. After breakfast / went up to the
mil. stopped at a house to see Mary Smith
then went to the old house and found Myers
and others there. Came down to town with
them was so sleepy and drunk together that
did not work that morning, but got boy to
feed for me. saw Mary Smith at the old house.
She said she would never tell what had been
done. Said she had been in too many scrapes
before for that. Staid about an hour with her.
The rest of what Burns related to our report.
er were the circumstances which led to his ar.
rest, which were detailed in report of the trial
dc seemed, notwithstanding the fact of the
publicity of his stabbipg and striking the wo-
man, to have, relied upon the sccretivenesss Of
ms ms; companions IN guilt for protection. It was
evident, however, that just proceeding his ar
rest rest he began to be Seriously alarmed, from the
talk which he had heard, that he would eyentus
ally be the person on whom suspicion would
rest. Several persons had interrogated him on
the subject, ndintimated to him their conyic.
tions 80 3431 p. w 5isYsi'f
Burns seemed as much pleased as ANYTHING
else at the apparent interest of our reporter in
listening to him and asking him questions. He
sad ne would tell the whole story of his life,
only that he was afraid that it might have 4. bad
effect. (He then cherished hopes Of having his
sentence committed 10 imprisonment-as he
heard his father was getting up a pettion) He
SAID that he had lead a very hard life, and re-
lateo some exploits of his with brass knucklers
ofhis stroles about the city at night with aban.
doned women-0f his sleeping in cutters, alleys
and market houses. &c. Our reporter asked
him how he put in his time, and whether he
thought about the fate in store for him. Burns
showed him song book which lie read some
times. Said he would read some papers If they
were sent to him. Said he had no objection to
the ministers coming to see him-but didn't
care about any for some days yet. All the
while he kept chewing tobacco quite compla-
Gently, and occasionally stopped talking with
the reporter to hold n conversation with some
man Who had been recently committed by the
u ). Commissioner for having counterfeit coin
Olr his person, ana for uttering5it 5it nhnnt tho
The counterfeit man was extremely facetious,
and seemed to be on extremely sociable terms
with : 'Berney," as he called Burns. Burns
at times seemed much devirted Mt what the
man would Say-and in every way seemed
much more complacent than would naturally
be expected from one in his situation. Three
months to live Chen before hini) )sno doubt had
its solacing efiect-just as even a short span
of life uponthe mind of him who,iS about to fall
in thejaws of some fell disease. Our reporter
could not help noting this curious fact, so Jap.
parently visible in the case. before him. Burns
had hopes-despera ms WAS his situation that
ameliOrate his condition. The thought of death
was then comparatively new to his mindEhiS
body had mot. become reduced, nor his system
languidi from confinement, and besides these.
conditions his mind had never been trained to-
look upon such q deed as he had committed or
Such an end as his was to be, with that sensi-
tive horror and humiliation that would be ever
present to a higher andamore cultivated nature.
Ourreporterwas pretty well assured that at this
time Abe idea OF suicide had not been, seriously
entertained by Bnrns.g That determination was
in all probability the resultiof long train of
lonely and gloomy contemplation. AS his ener-
gies clogged and wasted from inactivity and as
his reason, gradually gained the mastery, oyer
his hopes and Knocked and butfeted them then,
no doubt itlwas that he began to, entertain the
resolve. 1t is generally thought that the coun-
sells, of his heart broken father may have had
something to DO with his resolve from the fact
of the late occurrence which WAS noted some
weeks ago. - zlisi - - 4.
4, On the evening preceding the execution quite
a'crowd was assembled at the Shefiff7s office,
apparently. to see or hear something bearing
upon the fate of the unfortunate man. The
Sheriff, in company @ith9one of the physicians
appointed to attendlthe execution, was planning
thcnooseYorsEding knot ofthe rDpe-tryins to
hit Uponst that form which would be most likely
tomuke death the least painlulto the poorinan.
This morning at an early hour persons assem-
bled nronnd the mil and MANY more from tho