North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-02-17
.S,.ellRtt Storp,
A G. o. N V [ CT .
STORY. .r~F
BY A NATIVE OF CANADA,

self, heavily ironed, in dark, damp, noisome
cell ofa gloomy prison.
Whom had murdered
Moses Gilworth, the usurer.
Ha Moses Gllworth Let me think
had been to him to get bill discounted. He
had charged me sixty per cent, for l had
needed ready money and he would touch it
| on no othes terms. He was small mean
wrlpkled, dirty skined, sordid old wretch,
with an eye like hawks and nose like his
bill; and [ remember having wondered if such
a thing had soul.
So had killed him, had IL How g.
When2 Where
With BURGERS crow-b bar, in the dead
hours ofnight, in his own Office, where he
slept. L had beat in bis bralns, and myself
and co partners in crime had robbed the
place and made off with the booty. / had
been taken, all hesmeared with blood, with a
portion; but my accompleeces had escaped.
Then, along with my confederates, I had
committed murder and robbery and there
was proof enough to hang me. This was a
strange tale for me to hear for the first time
in the place where [ was, with no remem-
brance whatever of anything after leaving
the usurer's Office except going into drink
ing saloon and calling for some brandy
| Could it be possible that / had drank too
much, had fallen in with wicked strangers,
and while IN state of temporary insanity
had been persuaded or forced into the awful
crime of which stood charged2 1t must be
so, if the story was true : for 10 other hy.
pothesis could frame my explanation of the
mystery.
had been committed to take my trial, and
| in due course of law it came on. Meantime
had secured eminent counsel, who were not
able to set up any better plea than that
had drank freely through the evening preced
ing the murder, and was insane at the time
Of perpetrating the horrid deed And that
had crank to excess was conclusvely proved
by several witnesses. Also, that had been
seen, at late hour, in company with two
suspicious looking men, reeling down
through dark, narrow street In the
direction of Gilworth's office. Some
hours after this had been stumbled agains t
in dark, narrow alley, about quarter of a
mile distant from the place of crime, by q
man who was returning home from a print
ing office where he had been at work through
the night, and who, calling the police, deliv
cred me into their hands could then
walk with little assistance and on being
taken to the lookup and found besmeared
with blood, had stated, in answer to aues
| tions that had been killing wolf and get
| ting we'll paid fer the act, exhibiting the
money stolen from the miser's Office as a
proof. Early the next morning the murder
had been discovered and fixed upon me, and
had been committed to take my trial, with
no remembrance of the facts, as I haye already
declared.
The plea of my counsel, which was true
and honest one, and amounted to nothing
with the court and jury, and I was found
gnuilty of murder in the first degree A mo-
ton for a new trial also availed nothing, and
in the proper course of justice I was senten-
ced to be hanged by the neck till dead.
| pass over the intervening time between
the sentence and the hour of execution, and
come to the strangest part of my story.
was conducted to the gallows attended by a
minister of the gospel, the high sheriff, and
other officials, and found myself surrounded
by vast concourse of people, who had come
to am1use themselves by seeing me hanged
for one Of the darkest crimes known to the
law. could perceive at glance that I had
no sympathy-that all believed me guilty
that | was looked upon as q wretch for
whom hanging was too mild punishment
and yet, in the very depths ofmy soul, I was
Innocent as a child of the crimes fos which I
was to suffer.
Do you feel, my friend, that the grace of
God has yet marked change in your soul7''
inquired the clergyman, in mild tone of hu-
mlty as, side by side, We asoended the
steps OF the dreaded scaffold, upon which so
many poor culprits had gone before me with
suak'ng knees and sinking hearts. "Do
you humble ourself in the dust, truly re-
pent and confess all, the vilest criminal alike
with the lightest transgressor 2"
1t was evident that he still believed me
guilty of the crime with which 7 stood
charged, Notwithstanding my oft-repeated
declaration to the contrary.
should suppose" answered 7, in a
somewhat offened tone. "after all the eonver.
satlon we have had together, that il would
hardly be necessary for me to again assert
that | am inocent Of the guilt Of murder. and
that is all my sins, so far as / know, I have
repented long ago, and humbly and sincerely
aRkad fOrrivonaaa %