Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-20
Chicago Excited,

wife murderer, Walsh.
The story, briefly told, runs thus: =
Walsh, several years since, in the State Of
New York, married and had children
But becoming, from some unknown reason
disaffected with his matrimonial and
parental relations, he set his face toward
Chicago, widely but wrongly known al
the Jerusalem Of all divorce seekers. Here
he became acquainted with Rose Weldon
who possessed as beautiful character a,
name. He sought and obtained her hand
they were married-she, as she supposed
to an upright, sprightly, uninpeachable
man,-he, as he knew, to an innocent
lady, whom he was cruelty to constitute
an unavoidable adultress
She soon heard Of his previous marriage,
and from that time acted part truly adj
mirable. She did not prosecute him, and
pack him off to Joliet Penitentiay, as a
bigamist, but quietly left him, and from
that time earned her own living IL honor
able ways. What else could notle and
loving heart do?
But he could not bear her purs life.
His black heart teemed with hate. Call
ing one evening at the place of he en-
ployment, he desired to ACCOMPANY her
home. But she refused. He waitd for
her till she came out, took her arm and,
against her will, accompanied her tt her
house. AS she was going in he drsw a
revolver and sent the fatal ball through
her body.
Walsh was seized, imprisoned tried
and convicted, by Chicago jury to be
changed by the neck until dead" on the
10th of December, 1869. But, as the
Chicago Evening Journal quotes rom the
Springfield Ill) Republican, bei,re the
10th of December-the day appointed for
the execution in accordance with The sen.
tence of the court-a strong interest was
taken by number of leading citizens OF
Chicago, including Judge McAllister,
Barney G. Caulfeld and others, il an eff
fort to secure respite for the doomed
man, and a committee visited Springfield
for this purpose. At first Goyernor Palm
mer refused to grant their request; but,
when informed by telegram fron Hon.
R. B. Mason, the Mayor of Chicago, and
other prominent citizens, that one of this
committee, after an interview With the
Governor, had telegraphed B. G. Caulfeld
"All right-will be home next train,
and that this having been interpreted to
mean that the application for respite
had been successful, intelligence lad been
communicated to the criminal to this eff.
feet, the Governor decided to pstpone
the execution simply because, in his
opinion, the refusal to have done 0 would
have been to needlessly shock ths whole
community by consigning to the gallows
a man who had been led to belisye that
he had thirty days longer 70 live
Whether this was justifable or not, it i:
probably just what any one else, under
like circumstances, would have dane.
Thus the execution was postponed sc
days, during which time, the mar, Walsh
became broken in spirit, under the dread
full feeling of suspense-worset han death
In the meantime, also, the shariff had
absoonded, some say to get rid of thu
painful privilege of hanging a guilty man
Others say he, himself, has eloped with 6
strange woman; still others say that he il
defaulter to the amount of $4,000
Everybody knew that he was gone, ant
had not been heard of since the 21st o
December, 1869, and that-the law being
ambiguously stated on this point-ther,
was nobody to hang Walsh.
But after while, the Deputy Sheriff
came to his sense of duty, and agreed t.
do it.
But before this, the following petition
had been drawn up and signed by Hon
r B. Mason, mayor of Chicago, by thirty
two out of forty members of the Com
mon Council, and by other distinguished
"Your petitioners, having maturely
weighed every point and particular il
relation to the cause and commission o
said murder, conceive the sad case of tn,
man Walsh, to be such a one as pitifull,
to call for you Excellency's extension
toward him of the Divine prerogative o
mercy--it being clearly case of love anC
jealousy in the man, and of infdelity il
the woman murdered"
Everybody knew this to he a lie. Every
body knew, too, that the signers mus
have known it to be lie, and in view o
it, the public sentiment reached higl
pitch of excitement, and demanded ex
PLANTATION.
The explanation came, but it cleared
some of the signcrs from the charge o
downright falsehood at the expense of tn,
impeachment of their intelligence for i
was that they had not read the petition
but signed it, upon the assurance of {
supposed responsible party that there wa
nothing in it save common petition foI
communication of sentence whereas it con
tanned base reflection upon the characte
of the murdered, and assigned this as
palliation of the murderer's guilt
This petition did its work, no othe
would. But being, as it proved, the fabri
cation of crew of spurious, and libelou
philanthropists, and its subscribers bein!
dupes, You can well imagine the effec
upon the public mind, which demanded
full execution of the law.
Several important differences, think
may be drawn from this strange and in
teresting case.
First, it is possible to impanel a iur,
in Chicago which will bring a verdict O
equity" against murderer, and viii
affix to that the severest, the most politi
and the justest penalty, viz. : hanging.
Second, the people, when such vel
dict is rendered, will demand that tn
penalty be inflicted.
Third, at the present time and plac
the laxity, in enforcing law, lies not wit
the people, nor yet with the pardonin
| mower bnt with tbooa ofEoor, -. u, -