The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-16

stated all recent events had at times 6p
peared to him like q vision or a dream
adding that he had passed in solitud
through many terrible hours since his al
rest in America. He was full of meek
ness and resignation, forgave freely all hi
enemies, requested me to write to hi
father that he should die . happy and re
pentant man, and spoke in terms of affeo
ton and gratitude of the. prison officials
particularly of Rev. Mr.. Davis and MI
Jonas, the governor. And I desire t,
confirm his sentiments towards all the of
ficers of the prison, and cannot sufficient,
express my admiration of the firmnesa
combined with touching kindness and ten
derness of heart, with which Mr.. iona
fulfilled his most trying functions. 1t is
blessing indeed to have such officers j,
such a prison.
Gin conclusion, 1 feel constrained re-
spectfully to call the attention of the prop
er authorities to what seems to me crue
and crying evil in Newgate. Again and
again on Monday morning, in those last
solemn moments, our prayers were inter.
rupted by the savage yells of the multi
tude assembled to witness the execution.
Cannot the condemned cells be placed in
position where the noise of hammering
and the shouts of the mob do not reach
the ears of the miserable culprita
HORRIBLE SCENES IN THR CROWD.
None but those who looked down upon
the awful crowd of Monday will ever be-
lieve in the wholesale, open, broadcast
manner in which garotting and highway
robbery were carried on. We do not now
speak of those whom the mere wantOn
mischief of the crowd led to "bonnet" as
they passed, or else to pluck their hats
from off their heads and toss them over
the mob, amid roars and shouts of laugh
ter, as they came from all sides and went
in all directions, till sometimes even they
fell within the enclosure round the drop,
and were kicked under the gallows by the
police. The propriety of such an amuse-
ment at such a time admits of question, to
say the least, even among such an audi
ence. But even this rough play falls into
harmlessness beside the open robbery and
violence which had its way virtually I'M
checked in Newgate street. There werere
ular gangs, not so much in the crowd itself
within the barriers as along the avenues
which led to them, and tlsse Migrants
openly stopped, bonneted,". sometimes
garrotted and always plundered any per-
son whose dress led them to think him
worth the trouble; the risk was nothing.
Sometimes their victims made desperate
resistance, and for q few moments kept
the crowd around them, violently swaying
to and fro amid the, dreadful uproar. In
no instance, however, could we ascertain
that Police !" was ever called. Indeed,
one of the solitary instances in which they
interfered at, all was where their aid was
sought from some houses the occupants of
which saw an old farmer who, aftel long
and gallant struggle with his many assail-
ants, seemed, after having been robbed, to
be in danger of serious injury as well
This, however, about the farmer, is mere
episode; the rule was such robbing and
i'll treatment as made the victims only too
glad to fly far from the spot where they
had suffered it, and who, if even then they
ventured on giving any information to the
police, could hope for no redress in such a
crowd. Such were the open pastimes of
the mob from daylight till near the time of
execution, when the great space around
the prison seemed ohooked with its vast
multitude. ...f,-.., DE-. .,...,#... .
COMMENTS OF THE LONDON TIMES.
The London Times of the 18th, com
menting upon the execution, says:
- "However crushing the evil
dence. of the murderers guilt, however
flimsy the defence set up on his behalf, the
terrible and irrevocable nature Of his pun
ishment paralyses in some minds the pow
or of approaching moral certainty, and
induces q craving for some higher kind Of
proof In the majority of cases no such
proof can ever be forthcoming, and the
prisoners own confession is the only pos.
sible substitute for it.
"There are countries, We believe, In
which, not long ago, capital sentenot
was never executed unless an explicit con.
fession bad been procured, and where the
NEST refined tortures were applied to the
conscience of the criminal until it could
be extorted. i,i,o la.. l..,.',., oo,,-
Gin this county official interrogation
of the convict, with a view to make hi
life intolerable, would shock the publ
mind far more than his execution upon tn
honest verdict of ., jury. Moreover, i
society possesses the right to inHict capita
punishment at ALL it possesses the right t.
ascertain for itself the facts which ,justif.
Is infection. s5.,, .ra..t 49,. =.
| Murderers ofwhose guilt no doubt coul'
exist have been known to face death wit
a lie on their lips. How much more in
vincible would be their persistence in false
hood if they knew that their own admis
sion of the truth could alone bring ther
to the gallows! Still, while earthly jus
tice is fallible, it must always be consols
tory to have prisoners own confessio
from his own mouth. .-?o . =.
| 1t sets at rest the groundless but lingel
ing doubt which, until it be stilled, de-
prives the penalty of its due effect, and or
lists some humane but treacherOus sent
ments on behalf of the sufferer. 1t di:
perses the shadowy cloud which seldor
fails to light On some innocent perso
when such doubts have not been quit
cleared up. -.. .--s-
1t is a testimony to the influence {
religion in lending its sanction to the juds
ment of human tribunals, and enables U
. | %l,;rl, &c kho cooco ~ a 1;fo o,,% about l.