Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-02-05
THE INTELLTGENCER.
A Remarkable Address Preoe-
ding a Sentence of Death.
A JUDGE WITH THE SHADOW OF a DARE SPIRIT
OF VENGEANCE IN MS Soul.


The most extraordinary address ever made to
a prisoner by Judge abOat to sentence him to
\ death, certainly that by Judge Price to
Marion Crops, as he WIS about TO pass sem
| tence ofdeath upon him, for the murder of Rob
ert NJ. RigdDn. The address was spoken by the
Judge, as we arc informed by the reporters for
the Baltimore press, "in the most solemn tote
| of voice" The Judge was also much affected
aud "mnny of the persons present in Court were
seen to shed tears, and the greatest degree of
silencen and solemnity pervadGd the Court room"
! Not muscle in tue face Of the prisoner chang
ed No part of the eloqence of this ,Indge seem
Ito move him. The aLdacious wretch chewcl
his tobacco quietly rs usual, and regarded his
Honor with fXed stare. When the judge
asked him if he had anything TO say why sem
fence should not be passed upon him, he re-
piled:
81 am innocent; i have not had (air trial.
A witness that swOre against me periured hi,u-
self, ard jurors also. That is all have to say
The Judge proceeded to inform the prisoner
that that case of murder was most eXtraord-
nary one:
rcfExtraordinary, because ofthe tcrriblcwict-
edness of the mOtire that prompted the deed;
extraordinary, hecauic of the coL3 Gio9doti per-
tinactty with which you dogged yonr inoiten-
sive virIim."
The italics aroof the Judges own making.
His address is evidently set up from his MS,
as great amount Of emphasis and vigor is i'm
parted to thy italics e
WHAT WOULD HAVE uApPESED IF TIE JURY HAD
FOUND DIFFERENT VERDICT.
If the Jury that tried you had found differ
ent verdict, it would have shocked the entire
State. believe it would have been felt from
the tops of the Allegheny mountains, in West
e:n Maryland, to the sea shore. believe it
\ would have reveTberated with deep, if not terri
Bile significance, in every valley, from every hill
nd nd LOT
fireside in the State. 1t would have gone boom
ing over the vast plains bordering the Chesa-
peake, away down TO where the ocean surf
washes worccster's shore More than this,
believe the greItt trial byjury itself would have
felt the shock; and that with n few more SVsh
shocks it would have tottered on its foundations,
if not have fallen PROSTATE before them, and
been trodden under foot as unfit for the times,
and as an unreliable, faithless aud worthless
! thing. fsf.
TIE JUDGE HAD LOOKED AT THE PRISONER EIGHT
DAYS. AND THE PRISONER HAD NOT o$ce-
BLusuED.
For eight long days you and sat face to face.
As the case progressed and WAS deyeluped--us
.witness.was added to owitness-testimony to ties.
Itimony-facts piled on factS-prOOf on proof, |
could not help looking into your couRtenance,
to see If there was nny emotion there. There
wa; none. The callousness, the stoical indlter-
encc the lixedneSs the hardness, the immuta-
biliiy Of stone, and not of human lieshandblood
was there-and there always. Your eye never
lquailed-your brow never inshed-your cheek
never banched-your head never dropped, .
Ethroughuut those eight days OF time, and not
even ut the rendition of the verdict lis dill
\ cult to believe that human heart thrObs in
your bosom. What contrast you were to the
Learned, able and eloquent counsel and accom-
Iiplished gentleman by whom your defense was
/ with so much zeal and ability conducted.
could see, in spite of himself, his varying cupn'
tennnce, and his heart sunk within him. And
| your father, too, who stood by your side, day
after day, notwithstanding u forced 'cotnposure,
| Icould see that he carried fathers heart in
his bosom, and thought could almost see the
iron as it entered his SOUL and hope depart
| WHAT the JUDGE WAS DOING WHEN. THE NEWS or
| THE MURDER isEGcIiED I1IM ia
4 had not been in Baltimore for some months
before Gambrilfs trial, nor was there during
that trial, nor for weeks afterwards. had read
something, butiuot much, concerning it had
returned from holding protracted court at Elk
ton, in Cecil county, with n wenricd brain and
n wearied body, to enjoy for a day or two the
4 rest of my home, among the secluded and benu-
tiful hills of Deer creek in Hartford county, far
| from the turmoil of the great city where this
ldeei Of yours was done. On Saturday evening,
Ithe next day after Friday, the fifth of Novcin-
ber the day ofyour criInc,Sl was sitting at mine
own frcside, my wife near me; my litteichil:.
drcn their faces bright and beaming joy and
gladncsy, around me. My own Heart was full =
( overfowing- the happiness of that hour,
and, / trust, with deep gratitude 10 God for all
His goodness. Some one, / do notknow who
handed me package of newspapers FROM the
.hpoStolFice. picked up the Baltimore, SIN of
that morning aud opened it One Of my little
children plaYlully pulled itaway; put her little
hand aside and took it again.
4 nE LOOKS AT the 'sUN,' AND DARK SPIRIT OF
4 VENGEANCE GETS INTO nlM.
In looking over the paper the first thing that
attracted my notice was an editprial article
which appeared in the paper of thai day an
nouncing the murder of Rigdun. | had been
4 familiar with the details of crime OF every hue,
but this article riyeted my attention. AS read,
Ii held my breath, | felt thrill through every
NERVE. My right arm grew hard aud strong:
III was with an effort that prevented myself
from springihg to my feet. Twas never before
z so moved by therecital of deed of crime. 1t
was not fear, it was not terror-no nothing like
lit 1 will frankly tell you what it was felt
that a dark spifitof rengeqRce had, upinvi,ed,
entered my soul. 70 be sure, IA a nouleht it
/, was gone, but shado,o was left behind-a dark.
shaioIo. as from the wing of raven, and the
: happiness and brightness (which hadjUst filed
nv heart was changed as by wand Of an en-
- :. : = H. Ill,