Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-11-09
A Dying Speech.

Allen Z. Eggleston, who was hanged
on the 2sth Of September last. at New
port, KY. for the murder Of Capt. Almon
P. Menser. made the following speech up
on the scaffold:
l don't know, gentlemen. a. I have
much that ! want to say to you. I shall
give no history Of my life, more than to
cay that I was raised without Christian
parents, and that when / was quite young
l ran away from home. I went in bad
company. I was trained into such habits
until I have been brought to ruin. I
wish to correct one or two things which
have bsen published in the papers which
are not true. 1t has been published that
I was in the rebel army. This was not
so. I have never been in the army, on
either side. to take an active part. 1t has
been published that l was At Mr.. Mem
ter's house the night before he was killed.
Il has been published that I was there the
night before and examined the premises.
l only want to state these things that the
truth may be known. A great many
here asked me II I was going to publish
the history Of my life; l think it would
exer, a bad influence to do so. 1t had a
bad influence upon my life to read the
lives of criminals, a. they are written for
sensation. and l feel that it would have .
bad influence upon many young men to
read the whole Of my life. l have re-
eues,ed the Rev. Mr.. Spillman not to
publish what I have given to him. Many
Young men would like TO read my crimi-
nal history. l have given Mr.. Spillman
all Of II, and told him to use il for all
moral influence, for Ihope it may do some
good in that way. I have written no
history to be published. I feel truly sorry
to see so many people here, for l feel
thai, most Of them came here through idle
curiosity. l feel that they don't realize
that they have got to die themselves, and
many may die on the gallows, like ne
just as I am about to die. I Am sorry,
very sorry, to see so many here to look at
this. and to sec so many women and chill
dren here to-day. l didn't 60 to that
house to kill Captain Menter. have al
ways tried TO avoid shedding blood. I
bless God that he has opened my heart
aud filed it with christian feelings. l
have no fear of death. All that terror OF
death | lave 60, over. feel to-day tina.
if all Of US loved God we would not be
here. I wish that il anybody has hard
feelings against me they will forgive me.
l have no hard feelings against anybody.
l want to return my sincere thanks to the
Sheriff and the ~jailer, for l feel that they
have treated me very kindly indeed; they
lave let my friends come to see me, and
have given me every chance to talk and
think about religion. But for this l
nigh, not have been brought to think OF
the future. l feel that l have been a
grea, sinner, but il God pardons me it is
all well. I al to give my thanks for
the religious influence l have had. l feel
that God has pardoned me, and that l am
now as good in the sight Of God as all
others whose sins have been pardoned-
as good as all the saints that have gone
before me and now I want TO say to all
Of you to do all that you can to influence
your fsllow-men for good. Ifeel thank
ful for religious instruction. What would
we do without religious influences? But
for that I might have died in my sins. l
hope you will all think Of it. We cannot
crll our lives our own one moment God
has planted his spirit in our bodies, and
we ought 10 consider our lives his. l
hope you will think Of me-, my friends,
and Of what I am telling you, when you
90 from this place. I hope that God
will receive me; my trust has been in
Him. I will state that my history is not
for publication, for the reason that it has
a bad influence. Reporters will embellish
TO make il more fit for sale. I wanted
to open my heart, and should have opened
it but for a man Of God. l confessed my
sins to God. and I trust that it may not
be published to the world /; but that Mr..
Spillman shall use it for good influence.
And now l want to say 70 all these peo-
pie to respect their parents. When we
throw all parental authority aside we
commence a course Of sin. Il is terrible
10 be disobedient to parents. Sabbath
breaking and lying, too, are awful things.
There are many here that have children.
| want to state to them that it is their
great duty to God and their children to
guard them we'll in their youth, and give
them good influences to surround them ;
10 take their children into their confidence
more, and make home inviting and happy
to children, and talk to them more. My
father was a church member, and so was
my mother but they never gave me any
advice. They went to their church every
Sunday, but they left their religion at the
church. They never explained to US the
doctrines of the Bible. All parents should
see that their children have q love for God,
and they should let them know what the
Bible is. A great many children are rum
ming around in the streets, and they get
them in the jails, and that only makes
them worse. We should make home hap
py, and a blessing for them. 1t is a duty
that God devolves upon US. I hope that
God may pardon all our sins, and that he
may receive my soul.