Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1873-07-11
Sentence of Frank Walworth, the New
York Parricide imprisonment for
Life.

Life.
Frank Walworth, who wns convicted OF the
murder OF his father in the second degree in
New York, and the penalty for which is i'm
prisonment for life at hard labor in the peni-
Tertiary, was sentenced on Saturday lie
was accompanied 10 court By his mother, with
other relatives, and his counsel Mr.. o. Conor,
contrary to expectation, did not make any
motion in the case. To the question as 10
whether he had any thing to say why sentence
should not be pronounced, the prisoner made
no audible response.
! WHAT THE JUDGE SAID.
Judge Davis said; Walworth, have never
been called upon in life TO performa more
painful duty than the one which deyolves up
on me now. After a trial In which you have
had the benefit Of counsel not surpassed if
equaled, In ability and learning, and of jury
selected SUBSTANTIALLY by yourself, You have
been convicted of the crime of murder in the
second degree. The punishment OF that crime
is fixed BY statute. No discretion is left to the
court. IL is severe, but, as the court deems
your case it is not too severe. II separates
you from your friends and your family, and
consigns you for life TO the State prison, from
which you probably can have no hope of
escape, unless possibly, at some future day,
through executive clemency. The evidence
in your case, in my Judgment, fully justified
the verdict which has been rendered against
you, and have fearful doubts that it would
not have justified verdict Of murder in the
first degree, fo- ] cannot conceive what motives
you could have had in preparing yourself, as
you did, with pistol loaded, coming to New
| York, seeking an interview with your father,
and almost Immediately shooting him down,
except upon the idea that you had deliberate
ly determined that his life should be termna-
ted by your hand. hope, however that the
] Searcher of hearts can perceive from your con-
duct that you were not animated by that pre-
meditation and delberation which the statute
now requires to constitute the crime in the first
degree. The duty am to perform is rendered
doubly painful by the fact that you belong to
a family honored and distinguished both in
the civil and military annals Of yoHr country.
Your grandfather, on the one hand, was, as
has been truly said by your counsel, for long
time the chief equity Judge of this great State,
and he left a record for purity and integrity,
and for oil the private virtues that adorn and
elevate man, second to none who have attain
ed so high station; and, on the other hand,
a grandfather on the mother side fell molly
| fighting for his country on the field of battle,
and left record of v hich all his descendants
| bound to express my sorrow that the memory
of those great and distinguished ancestors
should not have restrained you from the COM
mission Of snch q crime as that of which you
! are convicted. Your poor mother had indeed
great cause TO regret her relations to the father
whom you have slain; you also undoubtedly
had great cause to feel not only griered mere
ly, but ashamed and indignant at the long
course of outrages towards her and towards his
family; but bad as he was, you were not to
be the avenger of those wrongs. He had done
nothing to forfeit his life even to the laws of
his country, and least of all had he done any
thing to forfeit his life at the hand Of his own
and eldest son. When look back at that
moment when you constituted yourself his
executioner, and slew him in that ROOM with
no one present but yourselves, l cannot but
feel that that death must have been more hor-
rible than thousand deaths in any other
form. Called by yon to your presence appar-
emily for the purpose of n peaceful interview
10 settle family difficulties, invited to seat
in your room, and apparently almost Instant
ly confronted with weapon of death in his
own sons hand, what thoughts must have
rushed upon him at that moment, when he
found that the person whom he expected had
come to him for the purposes of peaceful ar
rangement--what terrible thoughts must have
rushed upon him when he received the leaden
messenger of death in his bosom from the hands
of his eldest boy | shudder when think of
it, and | think you ought to devote your
whole life 10 repentance such as God only can
accept for SO horrible deed.
The sentence of the court is that you be i'm
prisoned in the State prison at Sing Sing at
hard labor for the full term of your natural life.
The prisoner stood the trying ordeal with firm
ness, without moving n muscle Of his features,
and left the court with his mother after the
Judge had concluded. Mr.. o. Conor, il is said,
is trying to induce the sheriff to leave Wal
worth in the Tomhs few days, that he may
apply for pardon to the Governor.
While on his way to the Tombs, after the
sentence had been pronounced, young Wal
worth retained the self-collected appearance
by which he was characterized throughout
the trial. He remarked to the deputy sheriff !:
II am glad that did not have to endure the
long lecture had anticipated that Judge
| Davis would inflict upon me. thoroughly
understand my position, and did not desire
| any instructions in relation thereto. simply
wish time to arrange my affairs, and shall
then submit myself to my fate with all the
equanimity can command.
The deputy sheriff had previously received
instructions TO take three convicted criminals
to Sing Sing prison on Monday, and it would
be impossible for him to return for Walworth
before Wednesday. Besides this the sheriff is
disposed to grant the wish of Walworth's
friends and relatives, who are extremely anxi-
GUS that he should not be removed before, in
order that he may settle his affairs.
->-o.~