Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-11-21
CLEARFIELD, PA, THURSDAY, NOV o. I8e
NEW SERIES--V0L. 8, NO. Is.

, and, after purchasing few articles
inquired. for rat poison. Mrs. Gran
ston waited on me. i told her w
had had some before, used a part O
u, and given some TO the neighbors
] told her this because | was afrai,
Mr. Cranston, who was inst outside th,
door, talking TO some person, woul,
come in and want to know what / hac
done with the first paper Mrs. c.,
testimony as 10 what occurred and
what was said there, was true. Sh,
gave me the arsenic-the same as
had got before from her husband
and | paid her for it. When / rot
home-which wasabout supper time
Joe was lying on the bed, aud he
asked me TO give him drink of water
! gave him The water He had a rat.
ting IN bis throat and breast, aud ]
saw by his appearance that death
was not far off. and that no more
arsenic was necessary to finish the
work. So | laid the paper / bad Just
bought away, in the cupboard. |
never opened it-never used a grain
of it. 1T remained there until after
my husbands funeral, when, fearing
that IT might be noticed, and its pres
ence excite suspicion, ! put it in my
pocket and afterwards threw IL away.
along the side of small run, between
the house of NJ. B. ConoNgy and Mrs
Pretett. This was the only paper of
arsenic about which there was any
evidence and ] believe now that had
kept it, its possession by me in an
unopened state might have changed
the whole course of events, and prob.
ably acquitted me; but from the be-
ginning TO the end of my crime, the
means which / used TO escape detec-
ton only served TO fasten conviction
upon me.
Ny husband died about five o'clock
on the afternoon OF the 18th of july.
He got up off his bed, and walked
past me to 60 out but fell dead Just
after he bad passed through the ont
side door. A kind of terror came upon
me when | saw him fall, and | would
have given anything so have recalled
what ! had done. Although | knew
perfectly well all the time what would
be my fate if detected, yet | never
seriously thought how great was my
crime until | saw the dead body Of my
husband lying across the porch For
weeks after, a sense of guilt haunted
me by day and by night, was afrmd
to stay in my house alone with my
and directly after the fn. |
neral | took up my residence with |
Mrs. Pretett, at whose house l was
This is the brief story of my crime,
for the commission Of which am !
---- - s--s-s. i.e -
of the crime of numbering my husband. /
and ! feel that the penalty of the law
will be justly inflicted upon me Love
of liquor was at the bottom of it all.
| believed that by getting rid Of my
j could sell the place, get
The money, and leave the country and
20 whore / could indulge my appetite
Ior drink without interference This
was my principal motive. Our quar-
rcls were one of the causes, bat not
The only one.
| desire also to state, that no hu-
nan being except myself knew Of'my
No one else is implicated
n the murder; and all stories about
ny having an accompice are untrue,
is are also the stories lhAt | murdered
he man first lived with, and had
AIKEN the lives Of some Of my children.
never had anything TO do with the
Killing OF any person except Xavier
Miller. There may be some errors in
his confession in regard TO dates and
places; but it is because have moth
ng but a poor memory to assist me
L is my honest desire in this confes-
ZION TO tell nothing but the truth, as
Ldeed | have no object now TO tell
else. | know | have com
nittcd terrible crime. | feel sorry
md repentant for what l have done;
md in the short time thatis given me
o prepare for death, / have been
ndeavoring to obtain the forgiveness
# Him before whom will soon ap. 4
'ear. | freely forgive all those who /
ought TO injure me by the circulation I
4 false stories after ] was brought 10 ,
ail, and | ask the forgiveness OF those I
whom i may have wronged at any
ime in my life ttiasa..rii. D
! feel very thankful TO the Minis
ers of the Gospel who have been in /
tendance upon me, and the kind (
riends who have visited me in Jail |
nd sought TO arouse a true state OF :
lind aud heart within me and pre-
are me for my approaching death;
5 we'll also 10 the Sheriff and his fam
y, who have manifest so much care ,
nd kindness during long imprison-
'ent aud TO my counsel who de- y
,nded me and have done everything :
hey could for me throughout the trial 4
nd after my conviction. 2
1t is my wish that this confession
e published after | am dead v
her e
LENA II MILLER. b
mark.
The following we copy from the
DurndI it purports to be a confes-
on made to her spiritual advisers /,