Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-12-15
From the West Chester Local Ne,Os.

/ T TT1
triet Attorney WanRer then moved that the |
judgement and sentence of the Court in the
vindicatiOn OF the law be passed upon the pTis-
oner.
The Clerk Of the Courts Wynn arose with
Undertook and asked IL he had any reasons to
present as to why the sentence should not be
passed upon him.
Undertook replied with some emotion that
ne had been requested to say nothing by his
Judge Butler then delivered the following
sentence upon the prisoner:
THE SENTENCE
"An impartial trial, in which you were
prosecuted with fairness and libeTality, and
defended with zeal and ability, has resulted in
your conviction of murder in the first degree
And the result is just.
That the corpse found in Bar's woods was
that Of Winfield Scott GOss, is not open to
doubt From the building on the York road
which was burned to cover the flight of this
man, he IS traced with unerring certainty. to
the desolate grave in the woods Changing
his name, aud seeking to hide himself, he yet
| left behind wherever he went, evidences of
identity, that preclude all danger of mistake
| His stiking peculiarities of person, his habit
/ OF intemperance, the remarkable ring he wore
MS hand writing, parts Of his dress left be-
hlnd, his photograph, recognized wherever he
went, and especially his "patent screw dri.
yer, exhibited from time to time, his pecu-
liar habit Of addressing you by the title of
| Doctor, and your own graphic description
/ of him to Rhodes, "aS a man who had been
lost for long time, and was supposed to be
dead" enable us to identify Cess, In the man
| called "WilSon," with as much certainty as il
he had worn his proper name. Traced from
place to place, few days before the body was
discovered, he was seen In the vicinity of Bler's
| woods going in that direction and was not
seen alive thereafter. You, who were there
| with him, had informed Rhodes only a few
hours before, that the woods was his contem-
/ plated destination. When the grave was
opened the same remarkable personal pecu-
liarities of GOss were found in the corpse
the resemblance agreeing in everything
down to the color OF the hair, the shape of
| his whiskers, and the length Of the uushaven
beard. The ling was gone from the finger
but it was found virtually in your posse SsiOn
upon the seat of the vehicle In which you
had been riding, All his clothes save the
| shoes and shirt had been destroyed but
these, remaining articles, TeSembled his
go closely that the shoes are virtually iden-
tined, az the same. They were not only
in two respects, as his had been. We repeat
with uneTring certainty GOss is traced TO this
grave.
And with the same certainty is his murder
traced to you. First, 1t is shown that you had
q motive to commit the crime-the success OF
your schemes, as we'll as your personal safety,
lcounseled, If they did not demand it. Second,
1t IS shown that you expressed your purpose to
do 1t at first dimly, as in the letter Of Decem-
Der, and afterwards distinctly. as In the con-
versatlon with Rhodes. And thirdly, 1t is
shown you did it. Five days preceding the
event, he left the William Penn Hotel in your
company three days later he was found in
this county, still in your company, maRifestly
under your influence, passing westward, ana
stunning observation. In the evening of the
next day. as night came on, he was again seen
in your cOmpany-seated by your side, in the
vehicle procured at PenningtOnVille ; nOO In
the neighborhood OF Beers goods, and going
in that direction. Thus you were near him
Immediately proceeding his death, near tO, and
approaching the place where found directly
after you were alone; and he was no more
seen alive; the vehicle in which you were rid
ing together was broken, the carpeting torn
from its floor, the blankets missing, and the
door stained with blood. But a few hours
previous you had expressed your purpose to
commit the crime, and sought the aid Of your
brOther-in-iaW In its accomplishment.
To the crushing weight of these terrible facts,
you opposed nothing but an improbable, incOnsis-
tent statement, proved to be untrue in some re-
spects, aud supported by evidence in none. No
rational mind with this knowledge can enteTsa saln
| doubt OF your guilt.
Aud it is not the guilt Of sn ordinary murder.
With full average mind and fair Intelligence, you
entered upon gigantic scheme OF fraud. An ele-
ment in this scheme the false assertion Of GOss
death, supported by fictitious crea-
ton OF your acts supplemented by your perjury
Possessed OF strong will, you carried this scheme
almost to auccessful accomplishment When, at
length, threatened with discovery, your plans and
your personal safety endangered, you resOled 10
secure yourself by taking the life OF your accom-
pllce in this crime. You had known him long
and intimately, and were closely connected with
him by marriage. You had obtained his confidence,
a. he seemed TO follow your suggestions with IN
queeiOning trust. You dragged his weary feet
from place 70 place, under pretenee Of seeking an
asylum where he might still be secure. At length
al ha 7nhh NaA Raun A.
youth-Where 1t might well have been hoped the
recolleetions OF that better, purer time in your e
would have awakened some spark Of tenderness,
and arrested your cruel hands. But hersresoluIsly
and fatally bent on your wicked purposes even.
ing faded into mighty committed this mOst horri
bio OF crimes. Leaving your victim for time,
you returned at the solemn hour OF midnight and
with tie peaceful staTs looking down upon you,
and the sad appealing eyes casing up, you carved
aud quartered him as Il he were dog,-spendinR
the night In futile effort to cover up the evidences
OF your guilt. Then vlsiting your aged mother,
you returned TO your Wife and children, with a.
little concern as q man siurna from Journey Of
pleasure. The long record Of crime scarce furnish
IS parallel to the case.
These things are not said to Increase the misery
Ofyour present situation, but to vlndlcats the sen
! te1ce which the law Il about to pronounce Nor
are they said without soToW; for we are not un-
mindful that human jnstles is imperfect, that
the weakness Of your moral nature, and the force
OF your temptation cannot enter into ais lndge-
ment. That they will be considered, and Justly
weighed In the balanee, by Him who kRoWs the
secret troublo8 Of the SOUL Whose aaliee ta perfect
and whose mercy is bOundless, Ne cannot doubt. ="
: The three Judges here arose. and The eentenco
: proper was given as follows
D "rhe court does now order and adjudge, that
|. y0n, VIM. 3. UddeFEoOk, be removed hsnee 10
! the prison from whence you came, and there be
: simply confined. Rutil sneh 4 day as the Govern
: or may appoint, wnsn you shAil % taken from