The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-08-26
FOURTH EDITION
FROM FORT MIFFLIN.
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7 HE JEN ECU ION.
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William H. Howe Executed for
Murder To-day.
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history OF HIS LIFE.
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FIRMNEss OF THE PRISONER.
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An Account OF the Murder.
HIS DYING SPEECH

fN NNN| Asl1A VI " lllhln IL lAlNft f4'lt n OF
Perkiomen township. Montgomery county, Penn
sylVania, takes place this morning, & Port
hifiin. As number OF missta;smeuts have
appeared in the public prints IN relation 10 his
case we have been At considerable trol'io 70
ascertain the true report, and append i. as fol-
lows
william ~. HOwe-HIs LIEe. aud ,be
story Of the Murder.
The condemned man was BORN in PerkIonen,
Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Before pin
Ing the army he was engaged in farming. sud 10
the manufacturing of toblcco into cigars. H.
enlisted 10 CompGuy A, l6th Regiment Pen nl-
syvania Volunteers, commanded by Captain
Thomas Ewing, In August 1862, and rem dns
with the regiment until the 2ith OF Decent r, OF
the same year. As a soldier, he stood very high
In the estimation of his officers.
He was of a mild disposition, aud always per
formed his duty with cheerfulness and alacrty.
At the battle OF Froderickaburg ho was Quo Of
byo men who came OIL the ield with she oolSc3
of his regiment. Having been a:cusWned fro
his youth to the use OF the riHo ,ho prid h,uS'olt
upon being 4 remarkably good shot. At tho b H.
tie Of Fredericksburg, very early ,n the day, his
regiment left the field Of baIso after A sCgor5
combat.
Howe, however exchanged his musksl for IN
Enfield rifle, and again wont uplu she ioii with
our skirmishers, aud remained IL all niglt
until tho next day. So intent WI. .H up,n his
duties that be came very near being ,ptur5I
by the Rebel foe. He, however, escaped by
swimming the RappahNnuock river.
At the time he loft the regiment ha was sutr,r-
ing from inflammation Of the bowels, AMI the
regimental hospital being burned down, and hly-
Ing nehher surgeons nos medicines, he, with 50 ne
twenty o hers, determined 20 look out for them
sc yea Tor n atment, and reported the ussyes 10
the bOspi ats at Washington. Afterwards he aud
Augustus Beiting, member of his company,
return, 10 their homes.
For some two months Afterwards Howe was
COZ fined 10 his bed.
About Midnight on the 2lst day of tho month
Of June, 1868, Abraham Bartolet, the earolltns
officer OF Howo's district, With three assis,aots
visited the house OF the prisoner, In Montgomery
county. The party called for Howe, anh hi4
wife being in bed, and hearing the cali, AUS Eorei
II from the window
"wbo Is there 2" said Mra. Howe, "aud who
do yCu want p
BaIlolet replied at is me, Augustus B,l-
ting. Toll Bill to run, as the Provost MArsnu !,
after him."
The wife repled;--''I 1 do not believe yol."
uONe tueu SiulS 70 Lnb WiQiOW, aud Wlcu
BaliOlet told h M he had come 20 arrest nin 40
lHo"e) discharged two shots Gt him tB ut I!st)
The shots took eff Ct in his breast, and Killed hin
instantly.
His TriaI.
The trial Of the accused took place in thi4 city
in February, 1864. COLONEL Ffnk va, Presilont
OF the Court Martial. Howe objected % the ,r,Ii
on the ground that frnk was tae p'0sa:utor
and that ho had preferrod ch rges aga ust him.
The court, hOWeN er OyerruIed the Ohjs. .giDns and
d with the trial Witch raaulTnH ia ha rom
Victlon and sentence ~ death Of Hove.
IIis COunseI.
Edmund Randall, Esq, vas the counsel OF tho
accused. Q. p. CLARK, E9q was tho Judge Al
Vocate.
The Sentence
was, that the prisoner 30 exoca.ai on ta5 a.tl
OF June. hr. Randall, however, prO:3s lad ~
Washington, and after an interview with JGdys
Holt he gained respite for the prisoner uh,il hG
(HolD and the PTesdont should have !ln1 fully
10 consider the case.
The result of the consideration wss that tho
execution shonld take place sho25sh Of August
(this day..
Tis Confinement.
During the trial tho prisoner was confined nc
Fort Mtiin, but dnring this time he endoayored
70 feet
Al Escape
by tunnelng the Fort 20 the outside. Iu this
attempt, however, he was discovered, but NOT
until no had scaled the ditch. Tho guard
fired Twelve shots at him, but his capture finally
was due 10 Lieutenant Higgins.
ISIS Description.
Howe is man ab0nt 4 iVe feet eight inches 10
height, and OF u light complexion, Before his
Incarceration hc was qni weIgnty, but now aas
lost much in weight. lie IL man Of m0dor4
Intelligence yet woll informed upou tho Top Of
the DAY. lie leaves wite and three chitd,ou 20
mourn his loss.
Writ Of EHbeas Corpus.
On "Wednesday morning Mr.. Randall mAdo an
4. aI..H...
United state District Court, Tor a writ uf h45gag
GOLpls, in order 10 bring Howe before the Court
Tor his discharge, on the ground Of his nos pClnS
n soldier in the service, and thus not bong
anenAble b. the jurisdiction Of cJGrt-m ,rtia
The On'y authority cited in the case Of HIwo vas
that Of Archibald Tore, noted cas5 In the lrlsl
Rebellion OF lbs. The case was precisely the
same in fact.
Tore was tnlson on board OF q Fronch ycss'l,
lighting against tho English Government tie
Was triel by a couTt-mIrtial and convicted, and
sentenced TO be hang drawn, and quarterC {.
John Philpot CnTran applied 70 the Court Of the
Kings Bench for n hdboGS COrpVg, on tho ground
that Tore had never received n commission from
the FTonch Government, aud that, therefore, he
could not DO tried by the military authorities.
Tie Court granted the writ, but before Il could
be served Tore committed suicide.
The Court, In the case of Howe, acknowledged
that this case was somewhat similar 20 that Of
Tore; but Judge Cadwaladcr refused to take Il
rs authority, as in Howe's case the question of
MS pt4ub bOlulcI Lbu appeared DelOre tue court
Martial, and had been decided against i'm, and
50 lac CO nsidcyed II res ait4icata. Nc therefore
declined allowing the writ.
The Parting
between Howe and his wife took place yesterday
morning at the Eastern Penitentiary, where he
has been confined since his attempted escape
from Fort Miiiin. 1t was Of the most affecting
character, and even the jallor, accustomed to
such sight acknowledged IL was one Of the
most heartreudng scenes ho had ever witnessed.
The remaining family occupies farm OF about
six acres in Perldomen township.
Preparations for the Execution.
This morning, at q quarter 10 O'clock the
tugboAt Do', Jlaii, containing on board detach-
ment OF the ls6th Pennsylvania Regiment, num-
bering some ninety mon, under the command of
Captain Jack, left the third wharf below Vine
street for the scene Of execution. Rev. Mr..
Krotel, the religious adviser Of the accused, and
a number Of representatives Of the press, together
with several officers connected with the office Of
Major-General Cadwalader, were also on board,
The scRnOId
used Is the same one upon which Mattooks, the
kknpinsh Brothers, Armstrong, and Fox, who
was executed in New brunswick short time
since, were hung. II is sixteen feet In height,
and has Il "drop" of three feet.
IL WAS erected by II, II. MOrFell who put up