The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-12-09
HESTER TIlUGH1N.
A Ptteous story-Eforts to save an Err
ing Girl from the scaffold.

The sensation of the hour in New York is the
effort now on foot 10 secr.re the pardon Of q
poor English girl, now lyiog under sentence OF
death at Philadelphia For the alleged crime of
infanticide. Philadelphia having utterly ne
elected the poor conyict-though twenty-five
thousand Of her people are petitioning for the
pardon of negro murderer-New York takes
caro- that the world shall know that she is out
for Hester Vaughan. A zest is given TO the
public sympathy for her owing to the coinci-
dence that this poor woman bears the same
given name with Hawthorne's heroine OF tho
''Scarlet Letter"-Hester Prynu.
Tho case hiss some features OF romance.
such as one rarely finds in the columns OF u
daily newspaper. Hester is described as
pretty, innocent-looking, and respectable young
woman OF twenty-three, who came to this
country with o brute whom she thought her
husband, but was soon deserted, for he had
another wife. In her friendess state she fell
victim to the violence of another villain, whose
name, though it's disclosure might have saved
her life, she has steadily refused to tell. He ID
now married; and nothing will ever induce
me-" said Hester, "to send terror and disgrace
into the heart Of an innocent and "trust-
ing wonlan." In wretched room IN
Philadelphia, while she was insenslble
from physical pain and mental misery
DAYS without assistance. When she was found
by a neishbor and brought to her senses, the
child was dead, with slight indentation OF the
skull, which might have been caused by the
pressure of finger. She was arraisned for
infanticide. Having no friends and no money,
and being as ignorant OF tho law as child,
she was 80 poorly defended that the trial al
4 i,1ru 1,alIa hNr
guilty; the public mind was excited about IN
fanticide, and thejudge sentenced her to death.
She lies now in the Moyamcnsing Jail awaiting
her fate, while afft ctonate relatives in Eng
land, ignorant of these terrible chapters OF her
history, are writing her 10 come home, and her
chief anxiety is to keep from them the know-
edge OF her sufferlngs.
4 number Of kind-hearted ladies' and other
persons, satisfied that the girl is not guilty,
that the child was either suffjcatcl or accldcn
tally wounded while she was totally uncon-
scioous and that if she had been properly de-
Tended in court her innocence T6uld have been
made clear, have made great cXertions to pro-
cure for her free pardon from the Govern or
OF Pennsylvania, aud the movement eliminated
on last Tuesday night in largo public meet
ing ut Cooper Institute. Horace Greeley pre-.
side and made u few remIrks. A series OF
resolutions was adopted, which declare that i'll
all civil and criminal cases women should Dc
tried by jury of her peers; should have
volco in making the law, in electing The judge
who pronouncos her sentence, and the sheriff
who, in case OF execution, performs for her that
last dread act; that the case Of Hester Vau han
should startlc cvely mother into sense OF her
responsibility in making the laws und:r which
her daughters arc to live or perish, aud demand
ing that capital punishment be forever done
away with. Mrs DR.. Lozior and Mrs. Kirk detail
ed the circumstances attending The conviction
of Miss Vaughan; Parker Pillsbury objected to
the trial because the jury were not women;
Miss Anthony and Mrs. Stanton puffel tho Revo-
luton, and enlarged upon the benefits Of female
suff. age; and Mrs. Ernestine l.. Rose denied
that man was the natural protector OF woman.
A collection OF s31S 96 was taken up, and tho
meeting adjourned.
The upshot of all this. as we learn by tele-
graph, was that committee of ladies from
New York called upon Governor Geary, OF
Pennsylvania, at Harrisburg, on Friday, to urge
the pardon OF Hester Vaughan. The Cover
nor informed them that their mission had been
anticipated by many others, and that tho case
was thoroughly understood and his action de-
termined upon.