The weekly Butte record., 1861-07-27


mand for photographed horrors and narra-
tives of murders and assassinations. To satisfy
this demand, and to furnish a model for future
historians in this line, we present the condens-
alton of subjoined " confession" which is
shortly to be published by one of the leading
book firms of this city. The author is now at
Sing Sing. The public will observe that the
style of composition and grammar is eminently
that of rough, uneducatcd aud remorseless
villain.
was born at very early age, and as ad-
vanced in life, grew much older. My parents
had number of relations, all of whom were
male and female, especially those on my fathers
side. | have been very wicked wretch, and
deserve my present doom. When l w2s but
six years of age, my chief delight was to stick
pins through the bodies of innocent tumble
bugs, mosquitoes, wasps and reaches. In order
that might behold their dying agonies with
greater degree of accuracy, used to watch
their writings with an opera glass l blew
up my mother with pound of powder, to
which 1 had applied slow match. I got rid
of my uucle, whom | hated, in the same man
ner. One day found him fast asleep in the
garden. 1 speedily ran into the house, pro-
cured few ounces Of powder and slow
match, and then crept back TO the spot where
my unconscious victim lay. He snored calmly.
He lay upon his side. Cautiously, yet rapidly,
few grains at time, | filled his car full of
powder, applied the slow match, and then,
stealing into the house and ascending to a
garret window, | looked down TO note the re-
suit. Slowly crept the spark upon the thread.
Presently-bang The report was as loud as
that of a twenty-four FOUNDER. When the
smoke cleared away saw the body of my vic
tim was there unmoved but minus the head
The whole neighborhood quickly gathered
about the corpse. l, Of course, unsuspected
among the rest. TO my utter astonishment,
the loss of his head had not awakened the rest
of his body, and he still snored through the
ragged end Of bis windpipe.
The coroner summoned jury, who began
an inquest but before they had proceeded far,
l succeeded in poisoning the entire lot, by
giving them sulphuric acid in their whisky. =
The acid was so near the taste Of the liquor,
that its presence was not detected.
This scrape compelled me TO leave that part
of the country, which did one dark stormy
night, after hanging my grandmother in the
cstern, and chucking the bucket over her
venerable head in lieu of cap. l walked
ninety miles that night and at six O'Clock
in the morning, found myself in a small seques-
tered village on the banks Of the Hudson river,
| believe it is laid down on some of the maps
as Albany. Here | remained several months,
during which time passed five hundred thou
sand dollars of counterfeit money upon the
storekeepers, most of the bills being upon the
Globe bank. My landady becoming importu-
nate for my board dues, put strychnine in the
coffee pot one morning, by which fourteen of
the boarders, the landlady and two of the ser
wants were poisoned, and died at the breakfast
table. The reader will doubtless remember the
great excitement this deed of mine created
Oh feel that am TO suffer justly. l have
been an awful wretch But now repent.
From Albany came to New Y ork, when !
at once entered upon a career Of crime unpre-
cedented in the annuls Of human depravity-
l formed band of assassins, and we swore a
solemn oath to kill everybody else, and then
begin upon each other. Our band consisted
of several hundred fearless dare-devils who in
various ways, had already earned notorety in
guilt. Our first movement was to hire our
selves out as fast as we could as drivers Of milk
carts, and after nearly the whole party had
obtained such employment, we deliberately set
to work to put poison in our milk cans. For
a while the scheme operated admirably. Hun
dreds of women and children were killed. But
hue and cry was raised about swill milk"
and our designs were frustrated, and our noble
band was broken up. ] killed nine men in one
neighborhood, threw their bodies in the North
River. made a secret treaty with couple
of coroners, whereby they agreed that in all
cases, they would instruct their juries TO bring
in the same verdict, " Died from natural caus-
es," or Died from neglect" | became i'm
mensely wealthy, but gambled my means away,
or wasted them in debauchery of every des
cripton. Oh ought 10 be hung deserve
my fate l know, however, that | am going
to heaven. My spiritual adviser tells me So
and they ought to know by their own expert
ence what my chances are. | write this
confession in order that my poor tailor and
disconsolate washer woman may have some
slow of getting their dues. Oh J dear, what
can the matter be? | feel SO faint 1t is-it
must be the workings Of my sacred yet rebel
ling conscience. sincerely thank my jailor
and his keeper for their kindness in furnishing
me with tobacco, whisky and other necessa-
ries Of life, and trust to meet them hereafter,
where we will all be on an equality. In wrI-
ting this true and veritible history Of my terri
ble career of guilt, have been actuated by
regard for the feelings of my former comrades,
and have not given their names. They are
now 7 am Glad to say. engaged in atonng for