The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-17

not possibly have been perpetrated without your
knoWledge, consent and cOnnvance as well as
OF the Keeper and superintendent of the prison,
ana other respectable citizens Your regulations,
as well as that of the Governor are all more or
less involved in the as yet unrefuted statements
of the Bellefonte WdtchmGn.
AS the public mind is becoming uneasy on this
subject most respectfully request that you in
form me, at your earliest possible convenience,
whether there can be any truth or foundation
whatever in these damaging statements of Hon.
Z. Gray Meek.
Very respectfully and truly yours,
john w. GEARY
Governor of Pennsylvania.
T.. 81 will expect your answer by return
mail.
SHERIFF LYLE REPLY.
SHERFF's OFFICE, PHILADELPHIA, Sept IA.
TO Governor Geary.--Dear Sir-I have Just
received your favor of the 18th inst. together
with the publication contained in the Bellefonte
newspaper of September 3, in relation to the
case of George S. Twitchell, Jr.
My attention had been called to this publica-
tion several days since, but | paid no regard to
it, and looked upon it as an idle story. There
certainly can be no doubt whatever that George
5. Twitchell, Jr., committed suicide on the
morning of the day fixed for his execution. l
went to the Philadelphia County Prison on that
morning at nine o'clock, together with jury of
twelve citizens, selected for the purpose of at
tending his execution and we entered the cell
of Twitchel, and there found him lying dead in
his bed
was familiar with his features and person,
and had no difficulty in Identifying him, and
am very positive to his death. | made q re-
turn to the Secretary of the Commonwealth of
these facts, under OATH indorsed on the death
warrant, which you may refer to, on file IN that
department. The Coroner also held an inquest
on the body of Twitchell on the same day, and
his report should be conclusive as to the death.
l certainly never received any pardon from you
in Twitchells case, and never heard such thing
spoken OF until it appeared in the publication
rpfn tn / fha YNrtI1i f;pY al IL,
story, without any foundation whatever, and
wholly unworthy of any belief or notice.
have the honor to be,
Very respectfully yours ETC.
PETER LYLE, Sheriff.
The Governor addressed letter to William
B. Perkins, Keeper of Moyamensing Prison,
somewhat similar to the one addressed to
Sheriff Lyle, to which the following answer
| was received
| SUPERINTENDENT PERKINS LETTER.
To his EXcollency John w. Geary-Sir:-
| Your favor of the 18th inst. came duly to hand,
| and send, by return mail, the document YOU
| ask for, hoping it will prove satisfactory. The
| whole thing is such a base fabrication, and SO
| bears the proof on its face, that the object is
| transparent to injure you; but in that they will
| most signaily fail.
| am your friend, etc.,
WIN. B. PERKINS, Superintendent.
Sept. IA, 1869.
| AN AFFIDAVIT.
| CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, ss.-Personally ap.
peared before the subscriber, one of the Alder
men of the city of Philadelphia, William B.
| Perkins, Superintendent of Philadelphia County
| Prison; III. Yale Smith, NJ. D.; BENJAMIN +
| Butcher, NJ. D., Physicians of said prison. and
| Patrick Cassiday, one of the Keepers of the
| same; also Andrew Fleming and John Clayton
| who had special charge of George S. Twitchell
| Jr., who was sentenced to be hung on the Sth OF
| April 1869, on the charge of murder of Mrs
| HILL who being duly qualified according to
law, do depose and say:-That they have seen an
anonymous letter, dated Fort Shaw, Montana
| Territory, August u, 1862 addressed to P Gray
Meek, Esq, and published in the Bellefonte
among other things, that George s. TwitcheII,
Jr, the murderer of Mrs. Mary E. Hill is
| still living and was seen by the writer at
that place. This statement is absolutely false.
| George s. Twitchell, Jr, committed suicide in
! this prison on the morning of the Sth of April
| 1869, and post mOrtell examination of his body
| was made by DR.. Shapleigh, in the presence ot
Messrs. Mani, Collis and O'Byrne, the counse
who had defended the prisoner, and also in the
presence of DIR. II. Yale Smith and DR.. Benja
min f. Butcher, physicians of the prison; DR.
Richard j. Lewis, DIR. Alonzo l.. Leach, DIR. 7. S
| Butcher, and DR.. Allen all of whom were fami
liar with the prisoners appearance in his life
time, and knew the body to be none othe
than that of George s. Twitchell, Jr. His re
mains were also seen by members of the press
who had been present at the trial, by his father
and by the officers of the prison, all of whor
knew the body to be that of the man who wa
tried and convicted of the murder of Mrs. Mar
E. Hill, his mother-in-law.
At the post mortem examination his brair
heart and intestines were removed from tn
body, and the trace of prussic acid discovered
This was done in the presence of all the cour
sci and physicians above mentioned, and tn
bottle containing the remainder of the acid, wa
found by DR.. Shapleigh in the identical boot {
the deceased Twitchell. His remains wer
handed to his father and recognized by hin
and were inferred under the care of Mr.. Bring
hurst, undertaken and further deponents salt
| not.
William B. Perkins, Patrick Cassiday,
II. Yale Smith, NJ. ID. Andrew Fleming,
| B. F. Butcher, NJ. D., John Clayton.
Sworn and subscribed to before me, this IL
nth day of September, A. d. 1869,
JESSE S. BoNsALL, Alderman.
CONTAIN