Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-10

. following painful speech;
9 SPEECH OF DR.. HUGHES.
MY FRIENDS: This is indeed a sad fate, ]
! would wish you to remember it, not as al
!, example, but as the acme eff human justice,
Do you suppose that for q moment
l think that the law of man is Just in
taking my life No; mans law is but the
law of q murderer like me-. Who made
, that law? Moses. And who was he2 The
greatest murderer we ever heard of. Look
I IN the second chapter of Numbers and you
will find SOM examples Of murder, with
generalization, and purpose, and delibera-
ton all combined in Moses in taking the life
of an Egyptian, and then he comes out and
and proclaims himself a Priest, Prophet nda
hnig,and by his law l suffer, and every other
murderer. / will admit that life is dear to
all and ought TO be protected. But if a man
takes the life of another it is the greater
madness to retalitate upon him in this man
ner. Ifthe people Of Bedford had taken
my life at the time l committed
that awful deed, l would have said
that is natures law and comes from the
heart but when, after six months Of prep
aration and deliberation over the matter, ~
those in official position. I say then, they
murder-iheY murder! Gentlemen what
is the advantage 10 society to take my life
or any mans, IN comparison to employing
him for the rest Of his days in some useful
employment? III. W. Hughes has any abil-
ity for anything, then keep him in cOnine-
ment and employ him on useful labor and
make a good man of him, and turn him out
a reformed man, and give him an opportu-
nifty to atone for all the evil he may have
done society.
This death penalty is ridiculous, and if
yoa will consider over it you will find it is
wrong. One life is as good as another.
What advantage is it to take my life2 None!
IL is not an example TO deter others from
the crime. Did l remember this in that
wild, mad fit Of drunkenness. Did l re-
member pointing that pistolg No.
| don't remember it TO this hour
Yet it IS the law and We must abide by il
the law of man but not Of God. am
convinced of it. For six months now have
mad every sect of religion 10 visit me, ana
they come IN to tell me which is the way
to beayen. Do l believe themY No! What
is mans way to heaven7 The same as his
way on earth. Do unto others as we wish
to be lone to. l have thought il
all over fully and conscientiously
and have come to the conclusion that my
life in another world will be the same as in
this, with the difference that there all will
be pure. l nave considered this over for
six months, and intended to give my own
AllU W ~ III GAlb Ouk y AulE NOIAds L II
tended to take my own life, but did not sue
coed. l took enough to take me out
of the world, but it is the great Spirits will
that l should not, and / haye not done il.
Turning to the Sheriff he said) My
brotherl Gentleman, this man has treated
me like a brother from the first to the last,
aud Mr.. Thome, my spiritual adviser
is my dearest friend. l respect him as my
father. never had a father. Gentlemen,
l never knew what a father was. He is my
father and l love him as a father, and feel
my whole heart borne up to him as q
father. Aud if I could, I would thank him
for all his principles and doctrines. But his
are not my ideas. Since | have been in
this prison l have had every sect of relig-
ion visit ne. You cannot tell me one that
| have not had to talk 70 me. I argued
with them on all their opinions and learned
all the secrets Of their heart on the matters
of salvation, and dare deny them7 No.
| have talked with my spiritual adviser not
because l believe as he does. / love him as
a father, but at the same time my mind is
net his mind. don't believe to day-God
forgive me- if say anything wrong-thai
Jesus Christ was the son of God. My
anatomical knowledge and everything
says that the immaculate conception is
not right 1t is against nature and philo-
sOphy. It is against human nature. j
believe that no purer spirit, no better mar
ever lived on earth Thar Jesus Christ, and
that in the spirit world he is next to the
great Creator himself-as far as we know.
At the same time I will tell my
experience tells what I know IN my own
soul. l know from my own exp ri nee thai
there is communication with those Hho
have departed from this life. I am tosdag
about to suffer the extreme penalty of the
law, but at the same time am sure l shall
be with you after the execution as ! "a
now. don't believe in Spiritualism par
tieulsrly, because I have never seen any
mediums, nor have I ever seen the indiea
tons of this At the same time every erea-
ture, 1 don't care who he is. will
know that at some time in his life be hiss
been influenced by some peculiar idea or
sentiment he never would have thought OF
himself. So far as / know, I believe the
doctrines of Spiritualism. I thank my
spiritual adviser who has spoken to me IN
relation to heaven and the sufferings of
Jesus Christ and ! believe in him
as a mediator, but ! don't believe in
mis- miraculous birth. I believe in him
az being the purest man, the purest spirit
that ever seconded on high. And | have
taken the advice and counsel Of Mr.. Thome
as a friend and father. He came here in a
moral way TO reform every one, and he laid
such q foundation in my mind that ! nave
finally taken the belief l now have given.
II l thought for a moment that I was going
to birthstone and hell and that kind Of
thing for all eternity, l should fear, or did /
think / was going to heaven and sit there for
all eternity and do nothing but sing, l should
be a fool. They can kill this body but they
canno kill this soul. This soul scars aloit
TO the great Being that gave it being. 1t has
its work to do and I believe this moment
that l shall be as much here after this exc
cution as now before il, l believe l am here.
sherif-"Time is going"
Hughes" Yes, sir"
l will say just in conclusion, the sheriff
has been a brother to me. The jailor, Mr..
Smith, has been a father 10 me. If it were
his own son he could not nave lone more
than he has done for me. God bless him.
Good bye Mr.. Smith.
l go, gentlemen, not to the land Of per
di,ion but to the land Of progression, and
while I admit the justice Of the law of Ohio
to-day say it is foolish and vain. And if
you should say to me that because that
rope goes around my neck and chokes me
to death that it is going to prevent
any crime, l say it is foolish and vain
for in the condition in which John w.
Hughes was when he committed this
crime,n no example on earth would prevent
any man from doing Just as he did. 1 sub
NIT to the law Of the land, believing It is a
cruel murder to take my life. From
the time I fred that pistol up
to this hour, 1 don't remember the
firing of that pistol. Do you think
all the examples on earth would have pre-
vented any man in that condition from
doing as l did; No, it Is a mistake. No,
I hope m~yexample will not be remembered
as an example Of the death penalty, but
for the folly of it.
Gentlemen, good bye.
He commenced his speech at 12:45, and
closed at III. The Sheriff, with eyes in
famed by weeping, then informed the con-
demned that It was his painful duty 10 in
fict on him the extreme penalty Of the law.
Deputy Sheriff George Ridgwsy fastened
the irons on his wrists and, with the aid of
the Turnkey, pinioned his elbows and knees.
The Doctor tore of his cellar and eravat,
and tossed them below, with
a smile. During this proceeding, he
said to the spectators, "Good bye" And
again exclaimed, 20, Grave! where Is thy
victory and o Death where is thy stin n"
Before the rope was adjusted he called:
mr.. Kerruish Good bye u The rope was
then put around his neck and the black cap
dravu ovar hia face The ghar;F to,cbaJ