New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-10

elapsed. before we had ridden from the n,
sew House to Forty-sixth street. madden.s
Nv some remark which no one but druns.N
man would mind, and which it was vsN
natural for Mr.. Putnam to make to a drnr9
on man. / seized the wire car hook ~.
struck him. l didn't know what | baa
done. and only wonder now how conS
have killed him. | suppose ir was fatsss
continued Foster, with sigh:
"Did you have no previous hatred agaps
Putnam +"
None whatever. never saw him. II,
had met him the next day | should NJ.
have known him He was, no doubt. co N.Y.,
man, Drunk as / was, / could not have y
tended to kill him, and suppose if y
should strike him fifty times with the san.
car-hook. the result would only be deas
wound
instrument
"Because it is only bent wire, about fl.
size of lead pencil suppose thres
eighths of an inch in diameter. Why, it hs,
been a common thing on street railroad,
whenever fracas has occurred, to use ths
car-hook. We have had case since wbe,,
Larkin. a conductor. was struck by Hail.
ran. the driver, and on the head, too. Ia,
kin was stunned, and was sent to Bellevns
HosDital, but in few days he was on b;s
car again; then HallOran gave himself ns
TO the officers of the nineteenth precinct
and he is now free. In this case, if HalIor.,
had struck to the right or left-if, bv .
chance, he had hit just as did when WA
drunk, he might have killed the conductor
So YOU might strike me thousand times
with your cane and never kill NE. Then
YOU might strike me just once, and. by accj.
dent. cause death. This would be man.
ba
man was struck by a car-hook in HOboken
not long since, and on the head, too, but Il
did not hurt him much"
III the Court of Appeals grants new
trial. what then ~
.Then shall have a new jury. The eY.
citement has cooled down, and | shall have
exact Justice. l have done great crime
I deserve to suffer, and God knows have
suffered, but l did not intend to Kill Mr.,
Putnam -
"How did the old jury stand''
'They retired for twenty-five hours, and
then brought in verdict OF murder in the
first degree, but recommended me to
mercy"
"Have you got family
Eyes, wife and four children. Nv ch].
dren are aged six, eight, ten and fourteen
years."
800 they come here'''
"Mv wife does, and so do my father and
brother-in-law but l can't stand it to have
my poor, innocent children come here to the
Tombs. MY wife lives with my father, John
Foster, at No. 2lS East Eighteenth street
MY children stay there, and go to school,
acquitted and a tree man to-day" asked
II would swear never to drink Then
know should be good father and good
citizen
"What made you drink p
"Well, | had bad luck. | had a liyery
stable on Avenue A and Twentieth street
One of my horses died of collie, one died Of
lockiaw, then the others got sick. | had to
sell my carriages to pay expenses. and
finally had to sell out everything. Them
went on to the Broadway railroad as con.
ductor. tried to hold myself up. worked
faithfully five weeks. The day | struck Mr.
Putnam | had been excused. and got ona
drinking spree. My mind and reason was
poisoned, and this sentence is the result |
didn't know enough to run away, or to
know what had done"
How do you feel when YOU think that
you may yet be hung in March,"
"Oh! the thought is terrible-but my
nerves are strong. When l came to this
doomed CELL after my sentence. l spent
many days and nights in agony. and when
they put Inc up on the upper floor with
Stokes felt almost free. l was glad and
light-hearted as if l had been acquitted
Now l am here again, but the old feeling Of
agony has got to be--well, I've got used to
it. tell you. sir, you people outside of this
prison don't know what to be thankful for,
but If | ever get into the pure air again,
you will see one man who will try and ap
preciate the world, and who will try and
lead good life
Il notice you don't like to talk to news
paper correspondents" remarked.
Yes. like to talk to them, but they 90
off and write things which don't say The
newspapers are all down ON me. Why
man by the name of Arrowsmith from
Gloversville, came here one day and we had
long talk. He did not say he was news
paper man. He deceived me entirely. and
then he Went and wrote from memorya
very false report of our conversation. He
even said that he himself was in school
with me at Jonesville Academy: that was
bad boy, and all that. Mr. Wilson. the
present principal of the Jonesville Acad-
envy, looked over the rolls of the school.
and he found Arrowsmith was there Just
two years after l was, and that | stood
nine IN conduct, while Arrowsmith stood
hve. Mr.. Wilson wrote me a beautiful let
ter about it. completely contradictng Ar
rowsmith:: Then he came to see me-
1t now began to be very cold and damp
in the cell. l was chilled through They
do the best they can in the Tombs, but
when cold spell comes there is a good
deal of suffering
Fosters keepers, the wardens, and the
doctor at the Tombs all speak in high terms
OF his conduct. He is always gentle, ODE
dent and pleasant. He is favorte in the
prison.