Daily national Democrat., 1859-09-16

The SENTENCE OF HoUsER COMMITTED TO IN
pRIsoNMENT FOR LIFE. Stephen W. Houser
who was this day to have expiated the crime
of murderously killing Wm j.. Faris, in Gas
conade county, on the 25th of July, 1858
yesterday afternoon, received at the hands OF
the Governor eommuiation OF his sentence
to imprisonment in the State penitentiary fol
life. The circumstances Of the case are brief
ly these: Houser had been with party in a
grocery store. and quarrel ensued in the
! course of which, Uouser attacked man nam
Paucke. A Justice of the.peace. who was
present. ran up to interfere, and called on
some of the bystanders to assist Among
others, Farris responded to the appeal. AT
| IIousers request, the justice allowed tauls
TO accompany the former to the residence OF
his grandmother, Mrs. French, where he
wished to leave his horse. Arriving here,
| they f uud no one at home but a servant girl,
whom Houser directed to so up stairs and
get some bran to feed the horse. Soon after
the Girl left the room, she heard a scuflie and
noise as of some one fullngto the floor, and
little while subsequently Houser called her
to look at the dead body of Farris, who was
weltering in his gore, telling her to put a
clean shirt on him." Farris had his throat
cut from one side of the head to the other,
and had been stabbed nine times in different
parts Of the body. OF course he was quite
dead. Houser Immediately bestrode his
horse, and made his escape. Though large
reward for his capture was offered, nothing
was heard Of the fugitive until two years af-
ter the murder, when he was found in Kan
sas, and with all possible dispatch taken back
to GascOnade county for trial. The prisoner
apprehending that, from the state of public
opinion there, he could not obtain what he
deemed to be justice in the case, took a
change of venue to StLouis county, where af.
ter some delay he was examined and found
guilty. An appeal was taken to the Supreme
Court, and a new trial was granted, which
was had last spring before Judge Lakeland
of the Circuit Court and which resulted as
the first, in a conviction. The prisoner was
sentenced TO be hanged on the 2nd of July
but cn theapplication ola number of Houser's
friends, Gov. Stewart granted the doomed
man a respite until the 18th of Aug Oo-day(
Meanwhile great interest was manifested in
the case by great many people of Gasconade
and surrounding counties where Houser's rel.
atives were known and very much respected.
SO earnest and pathetic have been the ap-
peals made by these friends for executive
clemency, that Gov. Stewart after having
repeatedly stated his unwillingness to inter
fere with the course of justice, and even his
positive determination not to do so in this
case, has at length consented, as above re-
marked, to stay execution of the extreme
penalty affixed to Houser's crime and COM
mute the punishment to imprisonment for life.
A brother Of stephen W. Houser was yester-
day arrested for carrying a concealed pistol
and dagger 1t is said he was heard to make
threats of violence upon some of the newspa.
per reporters of the city, for having censured
the Governor for committing his brothers
sentence from hanging to imprisonment for
life. lfso, Mr.. Houser is very silly.-Mo
Republican dug. 22d