The New York herald., 1866-05-26
THE DEATH PENALTY.
EYssutioa Of George W. Sage at Nonh
Vernon, Ind, for Child Murder
CONFESSION OF THE CRiMINAL.
SCENEs AT THE sCAFFOLD.
&C. &C. &C. h

seen ES al AAAD ''
&C. &c. &C.
NoRrn vEnxoS, Ind, May %, 1893 =
Tho execution Of George w. Sage, the child murderer
sook place at Vernon to-day In the square attached to
Che court house. The cupnt made iull confession Of
H,s guilt and expressed his deep at what had
occurred He appeared to be truly penltcnt and died
expressing the belief that all who believed in God would
Dc saved. - go. !. ~ , .essti d. ,
THE MURDER
or which Sage was convicted resembled the Deering
massacre at Philadelphia in many respects, and
without doubt was one Of the most cold.booded
and hear,less crimes enacted In chris
sian community It appears that Sage worked
occasionally for Mr.. William Todd, OF Paris, q
village about twelve miles distant and becoming some-
what familiar with the family learned that his employer
was in the habit Of keeping his money In bureau
He at onco formed the idea Of stealing the wealth. and
watching his opportunity day during the absence Of
Mr. and Mrs Todd entered the house unperceiyed and
proceeded ransack the premises. While he thus
occupied the children Of his employer three In number,
eame into the and caught him in the act Fear.
u discovery aud actuated by tho spirit OF the very
devil himself the thief conceived the idea Of numbering the
noccnt and picking up brick bat which lay upon the
hsarh he proceeded with his bloody work. The eldest
child girl about nine years DID, struck down first;
then her sister, years younger despatched, and
lastly little wllie their brother aged two years The
children all insensble and apparently dead when
che murderer left them; but thanks To mercful Prov
dence two Of them, the girls revived AFTER and by
sAer cries the attention Of the mother who
working in field by Tho oldest girl who appeared
% have been injured the least related what had occurred
and gave such information led to the arrest OF the
murderer in less than three hours afterwards The other
II
enabled subsantaie her sisters story the murders
but little Willie passed away, and for the murder
Of this innocent that Sage suffered the extreme penalty
Of the law
THE TRIAL AND CONVICTION.
The MURDER which created Intense excitement in this
sommuni,y committed tho 7th Of March last,
end the trial. which not less interesting, OF in
. fortnight afterwards The evidence Of the prisoners
guilt conclusive and overwhelming that he made
effort to defend himself and looked upon his convic
Mon foregone conclusion .i..
ne trial and his doom being xed he manifested
great for what he had done and 70 his spiritual ad
vssr, the Rev. Mr. 4 l. Doph he made full confession
81 Ab guiIt In writing. Il updesstoed, however
that the confession not be made public until after
m death, and II placed In the hands Of the clergy
nan until AFTER that tsnspIred The following isa
sspy Of the document:-
rnE CONFESSION.
1 George Washington Sagc was born In Smyrna
sevaship Jefferson county Ind, May o. fssl. 4 lived
n ,As vicinity Of my birthplace until de yeEr 1880 The
Of my removal may bs learned fsem brief his.
soy Of which occurred about year before. On
moonlight uight, before had rerod to rest, at my
fsaAers house. knocked on the window Of tb'
ssom in which slept, which answered, and on 70
ss found company Of my acquautanccs, who said
they going after appcs The company consisted Of
Henry vaughp, Daniel Duncan and the two Dunham
boys named Henry. tho others name have for.
gotten. JameS hcCarttAy was xkh me. and o.
shey wished him TO 80 along, I awokc him
and he went with us under the impression
shat going after apples Am confident MeCar-
suly knew OF other object neither dd l. On way
ws stopped for John Lowe, who went with US As we
passed Mr. Wiley Whites hay stacks Vaughn said he
going to burn them. As returned after getting
the apples by the hay stacks and Vaughn pro-
sceded TO carry out his threat Mr. Caxtuy and re-
monstraed with him and did all could 10 stop him
hut he went on and ret fire to them We were charged
with IL and arrested and when McCartuiy was tried
Vaughn sworc that McCartuy and Sc ire to them, and
xcCartuly was sent to the Peiitentary Lowe
and i consulted together and, knowing what
Vaughn had to- feared that ,might share
the same fate "a Cartuly, so We ran away
Love- think went TO Kentucky. and TO Kansas This
what they wanted we found daring the trial, for
they afraid Mccarthy, Low and myself would tell
about their plot to Kill Dr. Hail. at Ken. They had told
Ne their plans invited us to 10 with them bat
40 all refused. They thon told US that II We ever
% % y Sou So, s v, % We sns sd ,S % 60 % Kent
failed TO kill DR. Hall, and then fearful wc would tell
hired us to 20 away. VIC went as fhr a. Missouri,
hack to tho father OF some boys who were
concerned in the plot and had furnished
stacks and proved on US TO get Us GU, Of the way
returned from Kansas to Illinois and settled within
four vc miles OF vandalia, Fayctte county, where
married R.becca Ammo I1dbc,tr ] remained there
until 1865 During tho time We had two children born
10 in o s's o yoSSsS nS who
stu hv,ng In the spring Of iseo We moved TO near
wm sa c hsa scS %a r Mr. Todd
t~s three days, for which be rad when We
scttla, which was few days before the murder was
our pror'-ty m Illinois gold, or about TO be. knew
We eosd ge, there II wosd be saved; but
troubled aboats and was thinking every day how could
rase ,ne r monsy 10 ~ 60 On the evening Of March
nile from Gs @o ea 10 ss sIpss o.. c NO o.
., home except ,ns csdron they out N, yard
me aSs cr him iUuse S playing Having learned
found Us sS eam X Ss = The lSis house. e.
s1s ssl fnsSa Sehy apparently wnoS,
Aimos. beside my self and while Mills State Of mind
y ns hs,sh r ana al oas" q brick which
my wicked purpose striking thom ss,pcv came 40 me
she eldest Orr, and ,he younsosi last last struck
great way from the house heard cryis and knew
that The children were not All dead. ~ began 10
rehect upon the great crime had commltc. and suf
Tered Intensely ia my mind as l thought aSuI n 4
would then have given oil had in the world, IA even
died myself, " that could undo what had don, \ dd
mot expect TO escape detection, the children wcfnot
sh dead aud az thoy knew ne supposed they w6ld
VEL a, Soon Of some one came ln Twas arrested AZ
Philip Jones, Esq, who sent 10 the county i,iI
70 await my ta 1T the next term Of the Circuit tosr
Tho rcsi known undertand that reports are In cr
ruaiion that have been concerned other dsgrnresui
crimes thnn Tie one fcr which was convicted. All
such reports are iase II ever before took the life OF
any human being " was While serving my country As a
teAnlber OF the seventh Illinois cavalry durna t.ses
year., and for which was honorAhy dischavpcd but
whatever did al soldier did IA obedience 10 my ON
eer ana a. bal therefore feel responsible Bcsdcs that,
fhc foregoing conss0n contains all my OF pubic
charactcr OF which IN snltY. 1hH sialeneni imaks