Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-05-23
WHEE
THE INTELLIGENCER.

The EXECUTION IN PIrTsBUKGM.- Christian
Jacoby and David S. Evans, were executed in
Pittsburgh on Friday, for wife murder. The
Gazette in its account of the proceedings, says:
ID: S. Evans was carpenter by trade, and
lived IN small house on Samson street, in the
Second Ward, Allegheny city. His wife was
faithful, gentle, patient, christian woman who
reared her little children, then four in number.
IN tho nurture and admOnition of the Lord
One Of these children was, on the morning of
May the 18th, 1853, about FIVE months old On
that morning, about five o'clock, while it was
not yet light, those in the vicinity OF Evans
house heard great shouting and screaming, and
on looking to see what was the occasion of it.
saw the the smoke pouring from Evans door,
and rushing in they saw Mrs Evans living on
the floor with her throat cut from car to ear,
her neck broken and her clothes on fire. A
severe wound was found over her eye Near
her lay her little child, quite badly injured as if
! 1t had been thrown or struck down. Evans was
arrested, tried in November last, found guilty
of the above named awful deed, and for this
deed he has suffered the extreme penalty of the
law.
The second man, Christian Jacoby, who sur.
fered at the same moment with Evans, and on
the same scaffold, was also a wife murderer
There was, perhaps, more Of awful depTavity in
this murder than in that of any other on record
| Both the miserable men passed the last night of
their lives in devotional exercises Evans pray.
ed fervently about two o'clock; he participated
in the singing and praying with others. He
| slept portion Of the night
Jacoby was also engaged until midnight, in
devotions. He slept soundly from midnight un-
til morning At noon, before he died, Evans
declared in the most express terms, his inno-
cence of the crime charged against him. At
ten minutes before two, Evans and Jacoby
walked upon the scatfold. In few minutes
after the culprits had reached the floor of the
scaifold, Evans stepped forward and made Il
speech substantially as follows:
GBNTLEMEN.-I stand before You for the last
| time. few more minutes, and shall be in
the presence of my Maker and Judge. Since
the waters of aifiiction; but while thus emcOm-
passed have had the Lord Jesus Christ to sus
! tain me. dear companion then taken
from me, for whom | would willingly have laid
down my life Of her death have been con-
victed; but before God, my Maker, declare my
| innocence. Who did the awful deed know
not. die innocent; but hope my death may
be means of good to some here. | once
| promised to make statement to the public
before my execution. was going to declare
| certain statements. in the testimony against me,
| false; but | leave the witnesses to their God
did not see Riddle that morning, and did not
discover the loss Of the money until some time
after entertain ennity to the witnesses
against me; and leave them to higher Being.
| ] could get down on my knees and pray for all
of them; and l sincerely hope to meet them all
where sin and sorrow Shall he no more. In my
cell have bowed befJrc my God; nave pray
ed for them and me | have made 4 written
] statement which is in the hands of a friend,
with liberty to publish, il he and others think
| best. Before | leave the world, want to de-
clare my trust in my Saviour and Rcdecnier my
belief that He has forgiven my sins, and that
| 10 oil tI.itb I'M q
bliss Let your hearts intercede in lny behalf
that when my body drops, my soul may lily
aloft TO ar everlasting hiblation.
| After comforting with his spiritual advisers
he proceeded. Gentlemen: If l know any
thing of my own heart, love the Lord Jesus
| know that, for his sake my sins have heen
forgiven. have home beyond this vale Of
tears--a home in the heavens. know that my
Redcemer livcth, and believe that when my
body is dead, the Lord Jesus will receive me to
a home above. feel happy in anticipating that
I | shall soon join, on high, my beloved compan-
ion and offspring l hope to dwell with them
and my Lord Jesus have nothing more to
say, except that am going home, aud expect
to enjoy blessed immortality.
Jacoby said nothing. They stood for some
few minuets on the trap in silent devotion, and
then were launched into the presence of that
Being whom they had so offended in the per.
son of his creatures. Both Of the men struggled
dreadfully for few minutes, but at the umd Of
Il minutes were declared dead, and in half an
hour were cut down and the usual forma!ites
OF the law gone through with
1t is an awful thing to contemplatc--the fact
of Evans protesting his innocency to the last.
If ever there were a state of facts overwhem-
ing and inevitable his presented them
! God does not permit one of his innocent crea-
lures 10 be the victim Of such awful combi-
nation Of facts. After hearing the testimony
from Alpha to Omega in the tchoie case, we are
as thoroughly convinced of his guilt as we are
of any thing not mathematicaIiy deInOnstrable.
Jacoby never really denied his guilt in way
calculated to win moments belief We think
he never spoke about the matter before the trial,
unles to his counsel.