New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-03-27

..n,qnired how many persons i was likely wouI5 re
mere TO see it, She always spoke of her sves
eution as { ~ Her last night sis spent a. No
ne stars and taking farewell, as It seemed ~
thear inenable beauty. Bat this phase III hey s.
ancS was exceptional; and believe that srars ~
ss, oaf ~ hef conviction to that Of her deafh M
.noagst of reprieve was never out Of her wskias
.sa. ,ana icr many consecutive minutes. When ia
slept, however, poor girf-for she was scareeix q
sroWn laeoa woman--shs dreamed Of the days Of ker
hood and her last look upon the sesffaId ,ras i;
rected behind her, towards ne ial wherre 81 ~
knew, reprieye, reprieve there was. ranst ~.
The case OF Robert So pndsv
death at the same time, exhibited marhad s1ss "
trast to that Of this unfortunate woman ~ u III
been convicted Of burglary with violence, sln anS
there having been previous conviction recorded
against him, the law, as it then stood would rsoss
certainly take its course He seemed fully ID mn
derstand and even acquiesce IN this The law and
he, as it seemed to him, had been open enemies an
his Iife and at last the law had got the better of
him. When the Judge had told him to dismiss from
his mind all hope Of earthly pardon, he did disnsise
it. / always found him, if not resigned and peni
tent, at least respectful and uncomplaining. He
grossly ignorant Of religion, as almost every
thing else, but he was not one of those stupid
phIegmatic Doors who form most Of his class. He
Showed lively and laudable desire to leave some
thing behind him for those who had been mainly
dependent for subsistence upon him. The course
he took TO accomplish this would have been imposs
sible in these days, but it was very common tiep.
was cognsant Of the matter without either assiat-
ing or opposngit. The prisoner asked leave of the
Jailor to send for surgeon In order that he might
dispose Of his body to him before execution; and
his request was acceded to. Mr.. Nj, of our as
size town, accordingly had an interview with the
culprit; he had reputation more than provincial,
and was exceedingly assiduous In the pursuit OF his
darling profession. He was indeed pretty wen
known as buyer of bodies, and guessed what be
had come about when saw him leave Robert
SIS cell on the eve of the fatal day BE had, It
seemed, given the poor fellow q sovereign but de-
clined to have any dealings with him regarding the
this, but asked questions about it at that time
The next day Robert S-was executed iu pursu-
Of his sentence, and buried within the prison
walls. He was perfectly quiet and seifpossessed
to the last and never appeared to me to have en-
tertained any hope Of escaping his fate. And yet
the case had been in reality quite otherwise
Meeting Mr.. NJ few weeks afterwards at
the house Of friend, he informed ME Of his rea- +
sons for not purchasing the body Of Robert s.
The fact is, said he, A bought that poor fell
lows carcass once before. He was hung for bur
glary two years ago in the next county and was
carried to my house after execution. He fright
ened Mrs. M good deal that night by the
noise he made with his returning animation. II
was annoying, of course, but my trade being to
cure, and not to kill, / was obliged to do what
could for him, and he was well in . fortnight; and
yet that lesson, severe it was, had you see, no
effect upon him, andhe has now been hung in real
earnest. He did not know that was To be the
doctor sent for, and taken terribly ahaek when
he saw me. The rascal had never returned me my
ten pounds, You see, and was not going to pay
for the same thing twice over. should have de-
clined any further dealings with him. besides, since
his manner assured me that he had some device in
his head of escaping the hangman yet. have
found out what that Is now for, between ourselves
l did get the body after all. He did not trust to
chance, which, through the acknowledgement Of the
\ rope, saved him on the former occasion, but had
i provided himself with silver tubea thing not Of
the slightest use, poor fellow, but which many OF
aged to keep about him, and tosplace unobserved
in his throat on the fatal morning found it there
4 myself
Thus, even in the case which had judged to be
an exception to the general rule, the cause Of
apparent fortitude in the person irreyocablY DOOM
ed to death, was the secret hope Of escaping it.