Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-04-28

The Boston papers OF Saturday last
give the details of the military execu.
ton OF the two deserters who were sent
from here TO Gen. Dix for trial, The
facts in the career of the two men are
thus briefly stated
| They are believed from the contents of
their letters, to have belonged in Cohoes,
n. H. Both enlisted Dec 4, 1868, for
three years as part of the quota of
sunderland Vt, one under the name of
Charles Carpenter but whose real name
is thought 10 have been James McCarty,
and the other as John Roach, although
his right name was Mathew Riley. They
| We're both OF Irish parentage and about
twenty one years of age After being
mustered in they were sent to the gene
raj rendezvous at Brattleboro' as recruits
for Co. L, Fifth Vermont volunteers, and
received the town bounty. Two days
| afterwards they deserted and proceeded
to Springfield, Mass, where it is thought
they again enlisted and deserted. When
arrested they were very much disguised
ana were on their way to West Leba-
non, NJ H.. to again enlist. H
They escaped from the cars while un.
der arrest but were retaken Their cor.
respondence developed the fact that they
were principals OF gang of professional
government bounty swindlers. Both
were of the worst character, and figured
conspicuously i'm the criminal columns
of New York newspapers. A picture of
Carpenter in the Rogues Gallery of that
city, is said to have been copied into the
New York Police Gazette. These facts
were all certified to by Capt G. R. Crane,
provost marshal of the district. The
men were sent by Major W. w. Austine
who commanded the camp at Brattle-
boro, to Major Stephen Cabot, command
ant of Fort Warren, on the eth of last
month, to be be tried by general court
martial at Gallop's Island, pursuant to
orders from Maj. Gen. Dix. They were
tried and convicted and sentenced to be
shot; and the sentence being approved
by Gen. Dix, Major Cabot was charged
with the duty Of executing it. Rev. Pat
rick V. Moice, of st. James Church, Al
bany street, has visited them as spiritu-
al adviser daily during the week, except
on Wednesday. They received his min
istrations and appeared to gather con-
ISOLATION every day until they became
perfectly reconciled to their fate. ''s4A
The following facts we condense from
the Boston papers.
On the boat, which plies between the
city and the Fort which left Boston
soon after o'clock Friday, were the
father, mother, and cousin of Riley, and
the mother and one or two female ac-
quaintainces of Carpenter one of the lat
ter being young woman to whom he
was engaged to be married, and on their
arrival at the Fort they were allowed
interviews with the doomed men, but as
Father Moice desired fully to prepare
them for the end SO soon to come, these
interviews were made brief, and after
the two men had given each some part
ing gift, a final farewell was taken which
was OF course of a most painful character.
The relatives and friends We're then con-
Quoted back to the boat, which had
been ordered to wait for them, and came
at once up to the city lfi't#A' Gs
In order to give the men all the time
his orders allowed him, and to enable a
reprieye to reach the Fort, should one
be granted, both men having petitioned
for communication of the sentence, Ma
jor Cabot deferred the execution I'M
til quarter before two O'Clock, and
about one O'Clock the five companies at
the Fort, all in .lull dress, formed on |
their company parades. re-u
If As soon as time had been given for |
the battalion to reach the place of exc
cution, a procession was formed in front |
of the place of confinement of the pris- |
oners, and marched to the terre- plain.
p As soon as the prisoners were in their |
places the order was given to march, |
and the mournful procession moved to |
the terre-plain, each of the condemned |
men marching in perfect time with the
music the entire distance. In marching
in their position in front of the troops |
they had to pass the graves which had \
been dug for the reception Of their boz
dies, and while doing so each turned his |
head aside to view them, but beyond an |
unnatural palor in the faces of both any |
one not acquainted with the circum- 1
stances might have supposed they were
merely going through with parade.
As soon as the procession had got in
the proper position the bier was lowered |
and the two collins taken off and placed I
on the ground little distance apart, and
the prisoners took their places between.
them The firing party then moved to,
the front, six PAGES in, advance of the
prisoners, and facing them, and the es-
cort moved to the rear Of these. Father
Moice then exhorted the two men, both
kneeling, to prepare for Heaven and then
left them ao is5rIoo I3dsl 81 bsgB2ns 4
The finding of the court martial and
the order for the execution were then,
read to them by Lieut.. Ray who asked
them if they wished to say anything,
but each replied "No." Father Moice
then returned to them and again PRAYED
with them, after which he kissed them
both and finally left them, The Provost
Marshal and the, two sergeants of the
iriDg party then went to them and took
of the manacles the prisoners were
desired to take Off their coats and vests,
which they promptly did, and then their
hands were pinioned behind and their
Eyes bandaged with white cloths. Each
was then requested to rest on one knee
md this was also promptly done, nei-
"a ,ortu ~; fhnc Il ;.rI.x