The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-12
[csrsinued from q. Fir.t rna..l

Yost heard of the murder the same day, and
came to Reading on the following day. After an
investigation of the circumstances process was
sent to Schuylkil county, and Deal was brought
to Reading, the charge of assault against him
having been withdrawn.
The Parties Who sold
the hatehet to Deal testified that the hatchet
found upon him closely resembled the one he
bought. The latter had gum varnish on the
handle when new, while the one in Deals pos
session had the. appearance of having been
scraped. Deals hatchet, together with the cloth
ing which he had on when searched by Detec-
tive Lyon in the Schuylklll County Prison, were
subjected to a chemical analysis by DIR. z. M.
Zieger of this city, who made number of
experiments upon them with powerful micro
scope, some of which were conducted in the
presence of another physician, DR.. Ruedi.
Blood was detected upon the pantaloons and
upon the upper end of the handle of the hatchet,
though whether 1t was that of a human being
or that of an animal the Doctor could not say
with certainty, the chemical tests for this pur-
pose being, in his opinion, as well as according
to the authorities upon the subject, exceedingly
subtle and unreliable. The wounds upon the
person of Harlan we're testified to be such as
might have been made by hatchet, their shape
justfying this conclusion. No other instrument
was suggested as having been the means of their
iDficton.
An AIibi Attempted.
letter addressed by Deal while in prison
here TO a person named Cornelius Snyder, at
Stoddardsville, Monroe county, with whom he
appears to have been quite intimate, and for
whom, it seems, ne was a substitute in the army,
was read in evidence In this communication
he talks quite religiously upon the merits of his
case and the subject of his own innocence, but
requests the party addressed to testify positively
that he passed him between and o'clock on
the evening before the commission of the MUIR
der on the road that turns off from the Black
Bear, three miles below Reading, observing that
this testimony alone can clear him. This letter
was inspected by the prison authorities, and
withheld from the mail for obvious considera-
tiops. Two other letters of Deal to the same
party were also offered in evidence, but rejected
oa account of the want of competent legal
identification. 1t will not be improper to men,
ton since the verdict has been rendered, that
in these letters he admits having been a witness
to the murder of Harlan, but says the deed was
done by couple of negroes, with whom the
victim had got into a dispute about some
whisky.
No Testimony for the Defense.
No testimony was offered upon the part of
the defendant; but much stress was laid by his
counsel upon the fact that the murder was
without apparent motive, and it was also con-
tended that if the homicide were fixed upon the
defendant, the offense should be found to be
murder in the second degree, there being no
malice proved.
The Jury retired about half-past on Saturday
night, January 90, the Court having stated to
them before dismssing them that while it had
no desire whatever to hasten their deliberations,
the bell might be ruug when they agreed upon
their verdict. At o'clock on Sunday morning
the appointed summons was sounded, and within
twenty minutes afterwards the decision was
rendered, the verdict being verdict of
guilty of
Murder In the First Degree.
The prisoner, who had remained in the court
house during the deliberations of the jury and
had passed several hours of the interval in Sleep
received the announcement with the same appa-
rent unconcern that he manifested all through
the trial, and since the signing of the death
warrant. The prisoner, up to this time, had
Protested His Innocence,
and had refused to state anything of his former
life. To all such questions propounded by his
counsel, he would enter into dissertation upon
the similarity of certain portions of the New
Testament with others of the Old Testament;
and, in fact, gave evidence of q familiarity with
the Holy Scriptures which until recently could
not be accounted for, when 1t was discovered
that he had already spent five years of his life
in the Eastern Penitentiary, the larger portion
of which time he devoted to reading the Bible.
After his conviction he talked freely to his
counsel on the subject of the murder and
handed one of them the following written state
ment, which was read in Court on the 31st of
January, when sentence of death was pro-
nounced by Judge Woodward
HIS Statement.
BERKs COUNTY, Pa, READING Friday, Jan.
%, 1S70.-Statement by John Deal, prisoner
and victim, made to the most honorable Court
of Reading, Berks county,
1t is with the greatest humility that / address
you. l shall be very brief, nor shall attempt
to disprove the charge which was made against
me- but confne myself to a few facts, the con-
sideration of which will | trust operate upon
your feelings in mitigation of the punishment
to which may be sentenced for my fault, a
fault which proceeded not from any evil motive
of mine.
You have all heard how at the town
of Leesport drinking, and so we were. The
last place in which we stopped was the hotel,
from which we set off for Pottsville, friendly
as when we first met. Going on from the tav-
ern some distance, to where some trees darkened
the road, at the same place a stream of water
crossed at which place l was saluted by my
comrade with these words:-"Stop; don't let's
go any further" 'Why" said l, ''are you
going back there to the tavern to stay till
morning 2" He replied, II am not, but
and your new hat that you've got" re-
replied, II would If you were deserving of 1t,
but you drink your money as fast as You get 1T,
so Think you are not worthy of the gift.
will give you enough money to keep you at the
tavern if you want" He replied mo, but give
me what you've got, or d-n your eyes, III
drill ball through you" He at the same time
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