, 1866-05-23
ANMDIANA MURDERER,
Sage, tho Murderer In Fftsau-tt1s
Confession mud ContftItnn-The FFc-
palatiouA for Death

An INDIANA mUkDEbEKs
Sage, tho Murderer, In Pr8saD-tHls
confession mud Contrt1ipn-The Fre-
para1ions for Densh.
Correspondents OF the Chicago T1ibnpeI
FULTON, JENNINGS Co., Ind, MAY 10, 1866.
Alone IN the chilling, uurty dungeon,
pressing close to the window gratings Tor a
breath Of fresh air, or CLEAN OF sunshine
starting at the loud re-eehoiDE Of some faint
noise IN the gloom Of the long, untenanted
corridor-striying In Vaio to fix his attention
upon the precious promises Of Him who hath
said, ~ am the resurrection and the life !; he
that believeth In me shall never die,n sits
George " Sage, murderer, in tho last week
of bis life. He Is confined In the jail beneath
the court house Of Jennings County, Indiana,
in the pleasant little town Of Fulton, and al
ready, In the grassy courtyard, beneath the
thick branches OF grand old trees which
seem to breathe Of peace, beauty and life al
most eternal, stands the gallows upon which,
on Friday next, he Is to explate his terrible
crime. The murder for which be ia condemn
ed 10 die was brutal, f1eudlsh one, almost
equalling In atroclty Of purpose that Of the
Deering family BY PTobst, the - blood flend,"
being the killing, apparently without motive,
Of a little child not quite two years Of age.
THE CR1ME.
The facts Of the case as stated are ss fol-
lows: On the nth Of March list, tbs man
Sage went to the house Of his near netghbor.
WIN. Todd, eleven miles south Of Vernon, and
finding that 10th Sir. and Mrs. Todd were
away, robbed tho house, and In cold blood
attempted to murder the three children there,
two little girls aged respectively six and nine
rA o f,1 mt 3rr n1&
beat their heads with brick until he deemed
his Slaughter Of the innocents complete, and
then deliberately walked off about half mile
to where bis cousin was building house, aud
there engaged In pleasant chat with some Of
his acqualntances, and remained until he IVES
the horrid crime. The two elder children re-
covered from their injuries; the youngest,
Willie F. G. Todd, WIS murdered. Great was
the Indignation Of the people In all the coun-
| try round, aud It Is very serious matter Tor
| surprise that With the etFoug feeling existing,
| the murderer was not hanged as soon us lie
was caught. He Was tired before Judge Berk-
shire, In the Circnlt Court OF Jennings Couu-
| ty, about the Goth OF March, found guilty
| and condemned to be hanged on Fiday, bIay
25th. ......--,...
| HIS ASTEcEDESTs.
| Sage was born in Jefferson County, where
| his father still lives, and has lived q some
what rowing. and 1t Is said, IN evil life, ever
| since. He lived several years in Illinois, but
1 tor two years before the murder resided in
| Jennings County, Indiana, a near neighbor OF
the Todd family and was on terms Of friendly
Intimacy with them. He denies the truth Of
come Of the stories which are told regarding
his past life but as they seem to come from
| good authority we give Them In this connec-
| lion, with au the benefit he may derive from
! belief in his ycrncity, as IN offset to them.
| He volunteered In the Federal army, near the
beginning Of the war, but soon after deserted
and rendered himself invisible to the inqufr-
inE gaze Of solicltous Provost Marahal, un-
| til President Li1coln's proclamation or par
don to descrters who returned 10 their COM
| mands prior to a certain date, drew him from
his nioing place. Under that pardon he re-
tnrned to bis regiment and served until the
expiration Of his term. Then he came home,
became invisible for some time and in some
wny escaped arrest, when he asaIn turned up.
This bounty jumping exploit and his
dcsertion he denies. He formed one Of q
party Of some. FIVE or SIX years since
who burned the wheat and hay stacks OF an
dent Of Jennings Comfy, and although two
OF his companions hare sinct been doing the
State service in the penttentiary, and a
warrant was outfor his arrest, he managed
to elude the officers Of the law, and wis never
arrested for that crime. lie says that be was
| CHtlCEu lukQ lnH pNt$ WHICH Co1ll1ltLEu LIE 1T
son, without knowing their object, and that te
did ali In his power to prevent 1t. Whether
he speaks truth or not, Is not for us to say,
Hc Inns family Of q wife aud one child two
years old How diabo1fcal must have beer
the heart Of the wretch to whom the remem
one emotion Of pity or mercy tor the pool
helpless infant whose brains he deliberately
| beat out.
IN PRISON.
The prison In which he has been since fis
f.a1rcst, and still is confined, consists OF ont
cells along one side. The windows are moi
merely heavily grated, but In addition to the
g1utings hive huge sheets Of the heaviest
Goiler iron set firmly Ia tue wall at distance
from the gratings, and, through small hole:
perforated In these plates, thin pencils O
terror. Faint pulls Of spring breezes stir the
! heavy air pear the9o uetlo aPortutps, t11,
seem not strong enough to dispel the polluted
prison damps- The massive walls are ol
the eye, cl0mmY to tho touch, aud echolug
fenrtully the iaintest noises Here the doomed
mau sits alone all through the day, striving
to read in Testament or hymn book which
some pions comforters have left with him,
Or perchance gazing. Wlstfally. out at the
music and llberty-the heaven from
Which he, lost soul, is shut out forever. Joy
ous voices reach his ears, aud children at pliy
upon the grecnswasd Tilt before his vision like
accusing angels. reminding him ever of his
hideous crime and its reward. Here lie lies
aloLe, through the long hours Of darkness,
tortured by who can imagine what visions ci
horror, o PREF to agonies Of remorse unfiath,
omable to souls which hare not entered, like
his, the abyss Of eternal bl8ckuess and de.
spalr, W'earied and worn BY sorrow, lear and
vlg1ls, the nun Is gaunt hollow-e7ed, ncrv.
i t,1- E1ce j1&x = rt,.
Ing monotone, as If fearful OF awakening the
dreadful echoes Of his dur geou. His com
plexion Is salloW, his hair aud beard long,
giving, with tho addition Of his sunkeu nnc
lust1eless eyes and hollow cheeks, a wild ani
nnspeakably wIstched appearances to hls1ace
a dingy blanket shawl, and whether
which comes upon him, he shiyers
endeavors TO cover the motion bY cough AMI
as be raises his 1nanacled hands to his lips
the long bong fingers tremb1e as II pa'sled b!
silent dread. For an instant he meets hi
VISITORS gazc, then nervously glances over hi
shoulder toward the gloom ut the farther eut
| Of the dungeon, IS if be expected there to sea
some hideous phontom, invisible to all eye
but his, a bcing embodied OF sin aud death
linked 10 him in honfd brotherhood bY hi
notonously IN general aud In short sentences
+. and that which he speaks Is
Il HIS CONFESSION.
"My wife had been over thar to Todd's, til
day aiore, spendiu the day with Mrs. Todd, I
she left some work oYer thar II I went ore
to 81 ct .s itmGed T., knows nov The there ,ss, warn
fn1 ny - wss sHs %ork VIII Nv Went gs into si Il
front room n ther want nobody thar. The
1 went INTO the coukin' room, "a they was al
Enne from thar. Then when I seed they VIZ
-tf e. H. &u1.
some money. I knew Air. Todd had SON @
money, n thought I'd take It, n ret bacl
to Fayette County, Illinois. used to liv
; thar. I'd been sick In Iadiancr with fever \
ager sence last June. Hadn't been able to q
q stroke Ct work, n 'peared like as il r.
back to 1lliuoy. So went n got the money
!: It was In the bureau drawer. I only got s1[
There wns another pocket book thar wit
) about e4o0 iu it, bat didn't gilt that,
J ! didn't see then what got. was too muc
hurried. Jlst then the children came fn, n
knocked them all on the head with piece 9
; n brick. I don't know what made me do IL
| I thought I'd killed them.
. quefu. 1.-THE two Oldest children, the girls
have recovered, have they not:''
, An.. ~ b'leevc 60. I've heeEd so. Than
God.''
t,iSiss Xix; \; "ne" old was the little boy 20
Ans; I'm choking voice) "'Bout tw
years."
Curry. "Why did you kill the poor It'll
one-you hare said you had no ill-wl1l towar
the Toldsf The innocent little infant coul
not have told Of your robbery and the mu'
| der of the others.H ..
Ans. II don't know, Mister; pears to N
IS II, II I'd a been at myself I'd never haT
done IT."
at this point he was overcome by uncou
ttollable emotion. 2obs shook his frame, an
from between the fingers with which he COY
: cred his eyes, tears OF penitence and gria
| poured forth. When be recovered his eel
. control, In some measure, he went on, still
however, choking and weeping ue repea.
, ed that he had no bad thoughts when b