The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-02-03
last. lCr OF THE STEPHENS TRlGEDY.
FULL HISTORY OF THE CASE.
Refusal of Governor Morgan to Pardon
the Murderer,
o.. he.. IA.

kAcIu66A Oh 1ONcAAOA A"~O~oe~~ ~ ~~~S~~
the Murderer,
be-, Ae., -.
Fou morning. come time between TIE hours Of nine and
svssve O'Clock, Stephens The wife poeoner, who
was convicted worry nearly year ago, after long and
sesieus investigator before Judge Roosevelt viii be daily
executed the rombs Centre street, expiration Of his
60 After lapse Of than ateen months s.ace
hs arrest by the Coroner during which time his counsel
have the jealous and perseveripg efforts 10
him from the dreadful penalty OF the law the cub
prn seems now abou. suffer isnominous death on
TIE scsod, unless saved by miraculous intervention or
paroonsd at the eleventh hour by the Executive With
she discovery Of wha. be termed he diaboca In
tnon Of the prisoner effect bis escape the sacrifice
d blood OF two Of the prison keepersa plot which
there to believe providentIaiiy frustrated
the very day 70 have been carried into deadly
ekct-has persisted ali probability OF Communication Of
sentence by the Governor and certainly the hopes OF sal
ysaon through superhuman do not appear to be
very promising The fate of james Stephens is there
fore sealed, and today the last Of tragedy which
10y be numbered amongst the most remarkable OF the
celebges will be enacted James Stephens Will be
hanged by the neck until dead.
Ample provision has been made By the shera and po.
Dec authorities guard against the possibility Of the pr
soper escapspg dong any injury 70 bis person
Though the circumstances which led to the arrest and
subsequent conviction of Stephens have already two
~ OCCASIONS been given extensive publication,
peon Of the leading facts Of the evidence against him,
produced the several trials will prove acceptable at
MS late PERIOD by way OF refreshing the recollection Of
Cur readers
James Stephens, the murderer Is dark, forbiddiug.
booking man. about forty years Of age and native Of the
county Cavan, Ireland where he has father and
brothers all older than himself who said 70 be
SsAbe farmers the great Farnham estate in quar-
tar. The prisoner Is I've feet eleven in,nes In
hight, and Is said to be very strong athletic Individual
ough certainly not very powerful in appearance to the
casual observer Shortly before hts arrival in this
Try, nov some thirteen years ago, he became welded to
sAe daughter q respectable farmer named Bell, who
Sssded in the same portion Of Cavan The Bells occu-
ptsd At that time and still do respectable status among
Ne people of that section Of the screen Isle and
are informed that two brothers Of the murdered
woman are at present officiating Methodist ministers
was some fifteen years older than her husband,
Me PRISONER and this d parity 10 their ages represented
having first led TO the domestic discords which
ased IN such painful tragedy However, things went
pretty smoothly without any very violent outbreaks of
ger hatred until their arrival in this country and
Tor song period thereafter when, unfortunately for
all parties, Misses Fanny and Sophia Bell, two neces Of
The wife, also this city and took their residence
~ Mr. stephens house. No. lde East Twenty seventh
street. Very shortly following this occurrence the nfa
project Of getting rid Of his wife by poisoning
- have taken birth In the mind OF the husband Mss
Sophia Bell, Of the young ladies, happened TO be pos
Of personal attractions which drew upon
her the dshonorable attentions Of her uncen law and
as natural result, according as the guilty passion be-
intensified the feeling Of hatred and oatnng for his
hwul wife took deeper roo: in the mind of Stephens
Goodness and neglect followed by the most marked
contempt cruelty, which sometimes eliminated in the
cton Oh bod,y punishment on the wife, and the niece
Suitos for the hand Of the latter driven from
Me house with insults and every article was resorted TO-
even to positive vioience IN order to force the niece 70
gay bis brutal He threatened TO ruin the girls
character should she attempt 10 inform upon HIM and
also wrote cunnlng,y conceived anoDymo lser
gentleman VINO was engaged to be married to her,
arauliy ,nsinpa;;Dg tina. she had been guilty OF
grave indkcIetions with himself, and that such
fhigs were well known 10 others. The object OF
eIiste plainly TO break the engagement, by
vbeh be hoped 70 the girl for pur-
POSTS But failing all these schemes, aod reinqushng
The hope Of composing bis nieces dshonor be set about
Tie eofk OF accomplishing the death Of bis wife, ami ma
tarcd his plans with elaboration and consummate vii
lany that have few par ailcs He st by careful inqui-
res and study uniformed himself respecting the poSers
aud virtues Of the various poisonous medicines, and hay
ING folly snnsNen himself in this respect proceeded 70 the
execution Of bis hel'sh design with the utmost fki and
csa.on Il appeared the trial that Stephens, few
weeks prior 10 his w dc afb, purchased large quau
try aisenc from an apohecay by ard ina, with
this poison he procured death Of his vcin. About
excessive vomiting aod puIeing. What was most anusu
al her husband brought IN doctor, and mlnstercd to
Der wants in person. he went for the medicines himself,
gave III, m 70 her from his hands, and almost
constantly by her side during her illness. All this he
dh nnder pre.pce OF socude for his wifes recovery,
but really With the view carry on, his object
E6|y. BE worked In coach factory Just Ia Tue rear
Of his residence, and instructed hs neces whichever
the aunt should require medicine to let him Know oy
putting up towel on back room window as
. signal. In this way he was enabled to ad
poison in every thing that his wes stomach For
twenty days The unipr .uDaie woman continued 70 suffer
nost iptt agony from violent pains In the het
and stomach and burning sensation in the chssta'i
marked ~ mptoms of arsericai poisoning When she
would be writing the creates. pam he
would give her laudanum in largo doses with the Wow
20 aay the agony without lessen'ng tho ocaly ect Of
pS. ensre me lex ana .sero
Stephens with q turuber IN hts hand, CONTAINING auda
mum, which he the act Of pouring Gown his wifes
interrupted be star ted and thrusng the glass aside,
griy ordered the niece from the room Another susp
sous circumstance was related by Miss Fanny Bell at the
Investigation The evening preceding her death MRS.
pheps called Fanny to her and told her hat she going
70 die, the requesting her "o TO III
her death On being questioned BY Fanny as to her mean
hg the Dying woman replied "You know all nboat
es s me as ms as 40
expired IN ighsfa commissions and was buried the AZ
.9 Of the same day p e ,ss with as Little
But though Stephens had thus successfully accomplished
hs purpose, II bad not beea done without exciting the
suspici0na Of the nicces, whom the dying words
81 their aunt weighed heavily Having no friends
with whom 20 consu and being wholly unproccte they
however, unable TO do thing, and whe they de-
sired stephens house ne threatened their
characters should they persevcrc In thc intention. They
were thus constant state Of apprehen son. and COM
pees against their will 10 remain In the house with
the murderer OF their aunt They wrote letters their
friends IN Ireland communicating their dreadful suspi
CONS and asking for advice under the circumstances.
Some these letters reached the hands Of Stephens him
ee TO the great alarm Of the young ladies' who became
more terried than ever One letter, nevertheless,
reccsed by Mr. Robert Bell, brother Of the girls who
vas dong business In Dcblin In the capacity Of drug
clerk He Immediately set out for this country arriving
here some time In the middle ot 1865 when the whole
story related to him by his sisters including the at
tempt IN dshooor Mss Sophia Ii Is unnecessary 70 state
that great impression made upon the young mans
mind, and TINT after taking his sisters from under Ste
phers care he followed the latter for several lays with
fhe OF taking his life the first opportunity One