Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-03-20
A CuRIOUS CASE.
MRS. PUTNAM's PETITION FOR THE PARDON
OF EOsTER

OF FOSTER.
We have already noticed the fact that Mrs.
Putnam, the widow of the victim Of the car
hook murder, had pleaded for mercy to the
doomed Foster, the slayer of her husband.
The following is her touching appeal to Gov.
ernor Dix:
To the Governor of the State Of New York:
I wish to address you on the subject which,
as you can we'll understand, is in every re-
spect most painful to me. I refer to the case
of VIM. Foster, convicted of the murder of my
husband, Avery D. Putnam. The intense
suffering which 1 have endured in my own
loss and in seeing my child left fatherless has
made me deeply sympathize with the widow
ed and fatherless, and so I plead for his life
for the sake of his innocent wife and children,
who are involved with me and mine in never
dying sorrow. Itwould in no way ameliorate
my sorrow to know that the law had taken his
life, thus, perhaps, robbing his family and
friends of the hope that by heightened years
that husband and father may, by repentance
of his sins, become worthy of the mercy which
infinite love extends to ALL do not presume
to put forth my views on such matter, but
if my wishes are Of any Importance I do i'm
plore you to regard those innocent ones. For
myself and my family it could only reopen
our wounds and add another horror to the
past to have to reflect that this man has died,
and that another wife is widowed and other
children left fatherless, besides being dsgraced.
I believe that many persons, for whose opin-
ions I have great respect, think that the pun.
ishment should be reduced to imprisonment
for life, and to their petition Iwould earnestly
add my own. Respectful yours,
ELLEN M. PUTNAM.
Providence, February, 1878.
This appeal would seem to be one hard
to resist; but different aspect is given to the
subject by the following dispatch from New
York, which came over the wires yesterday:
The case of William Foster, the car-hook
murderer, has assumed new phase, and pc
titions of different character from those re-
Gently sent to Governor Dix are, it is stated,
being prepared for Transmission to Albany:
The merchants in the neighborhood of Broad
and Beaver streets are, it is stated, greatly ex-
cited over the statement made by VIM. L..
Allen, a butter merchant of Pearl street, that
fifteen thousand dollars had been paid to Mrs.
Avery D. Putnam, the widow Of Fosters vic.
tim, for signing the letter recently sent by
her to Governor Dix. Allen, whose wife is a
relative of Mrs. Putnam, says the money paid
her for signing the letter came from rich
relative Of Foster. In view of the publicity
of the fact, large number Of merchants have
prepared petition to the Governor, praying
him to wholly ignore all petitions, letters, &C.,
in consideration of the unholy means employed
to defeat the ends of justice in Fosters case,
and to decide only on the points of law and
of the evidence, such as the corrupting infu-
ence of money has not touched. The mer-
chants who have signed the petition are all
prominent in the Produce Exchange, and
among them is Putnam's former partner, H.
Humberger.
Notwithstanding the intercessions of friends,
the influence of wealth and other causes which
have been presented in this case, the indica-
tions are that Foster will yet be hanged. A
New York dispatch of the 18th says that the
private Secretary of Governor Dix has an
nounced to the Sheriff of the city that the
Governor had written letter to the Rev. DR..
Tying saying that public safety and justice
demanded the execution of Foster, the car
hook murderer. The deputy sherifs are now
guarding Foster in the Tombs.
THE TRADE SrR1KEs.-A general strike
of all the leading branches of mechanical Ia
Dor in New York City is in preparation this
spring, similar in character to that which took
place there last May, but said to be more gen
eral and more alarming in its character The
strike oflast spring involved a loss Of 81, ,OO0,-
900 in actual business, but the indirect losses
were much greater, as the falling off in the
building trades alone involved loss of S12,-
$4,000. As a consequence Of this many in
dustrial works have been removed from the
city. Nearly all the packing boxes used in
the city are now made in Connecticut, vast
portion of the printing is now done in London;
the sash and blind manufacturers are prepar-
ing for an exodus, and the greatest piano es-
tablishment has been removed to Astoria. In
expectation ola strike the manufacturers have
formed an association, and made preparations
to resist. Yet in the face of this, nearly one
hundred trade organizations, it is alleged, will