, 1873-12-13


pE2TEETs CoNFEss1ON AND RESPITE.
Tho intelligence whlcl, rcachcd this city yca-
terlny, TINT tho Governor had granted weeks
respite to Perfect, the wifo-murdoror. who was
to have boon hanged yesterday Mt Joliet, cloated
a general foolng Of surprise, tho moro 10 ae
former dlapntches conveyed no roason Tor Ills
unexpected actiou Of tho Executive. Lator ness.
however, disclosed that Perfect Ind n1ado n
confession to tho Governor, and asAcd tor
woolz's ,imo to prepare himself for hls doon',-n
request which, tho Governor granted. Tho
wrosched man, therefore, las Scok lonSor III
whiuh to make Ills rcaoo with the world aud bis
God, and 1t Is to DO hoped that tho t'mo will DO
spout so probably by him that ho WILL be In 4
suitable franc of mind at tho on1.
tn Wow Of tl,e confession wlich he laa made,
tho letter written by His counsel. Judge hno"l-
ton, to linn, aud which was published IN The
TRIBUNE Of yesterday, il certainly avery romars-
nb1o docnmont to be wilton In such Bo!cnln
crisis. Portoet. in his dispatch to the Governor,
published elsewhere, asks ior a wcoks ti1nc, be-
cn,,Bo he Is no! yet ready to die, acknowledges
that ho III d guilty sinner, nnd confossca lila
crime. Judge Knowlton sRys III his lotler:
Should you be requested by uuy one no matter whr,
to make my conessoua, hope you Will be trn, fn
refusing to do 10, could 10 you 10 good Ill this
life or world, or ully other. IuHls Upon your inno-
you havn heretofore doue anu sa, uhuer tho
solcmn!ty Of at, oath.
uayIng urged him to make no confession,
Judge Kuowiton thon attempts to case any
qualms Of conscience the wrctchcd nun may
havo by theological disquis!tion, calculated
only to bowildor aud beclond Pcrtcots mind as
to Lis future state. ue says:
After death, our souls conscious, or they arc
not. II not. tho Reep ts etcrna and VIC arc out Of
trouble. If they aro relieved Of tho clog of tho
body s na!Ns at cnac, mud NC nro Nlla Is termed
happy. 1t IL not possible that a-wlEe powerful,
Merciful God would ullow lsoiubolted spirit to be
miserable III existence. have Eecn tho time when
dill not think could livo mother mosuont, md was
tlcn lesB anxious thnn lava often been at other
times.
In other worls Ills counsel raiseB q doubt aB
to the future state in the mind Of Perfect, ind
then urges him to die with what is perhaps tau
| tamouut to lie upon his lips. Tho suggestion
appears to be that either there is 10 hereafter,
aud hence 1t makes no difference whether Per
tcet died uttating the truth or untru.h or thoro
is an hereafter, in which every one is happy, and
consequently, IN untrnth would not affect him.
Wo muy allow great deal for Judge Kuowlton'e
desire, 10 q professional point Of view, to shield
| Perfect as far as 1a7 IN Lis power, aud We may
also allow something for his anxiety with regard
to his publication Of Tho trial with ''conlmentk
and arguments" and also for "the deep dis
grace aud oblivion in Which ho proposes to bur,
the opinion Of Judge Craig but, oven making
these allowances, the advice which ho gives Ii
open to grave objections.
Tho impulse of human nature and tho pangs
Of conscience, however, have been stronger
tlau tho lawyer's advice and the confession
will bring to the doomed man moro OF peace mi
comfort than volume Of such assurances aut
recommendations as Judge Knowlton conveyed
to him. If, as the litter suys, tAeto may DO nj
hereafter, tho confession caunot harm him, ant
it leaves him The record of telling the truth Il
AiB last hours. If tAoro il an hereafter, IL
which memory reaches back to tho doeda don,
in tho body, tlon lo will laayo tho consolation Of
remembering that Ae did not die with false
hood III his mouth. His lifo las bocu, at best
L worthless QUO, and was marked by one Of tn
most unprovoked murders Oh record. Ile la
rid himself Of the horrible burden, mud oaso'
his consclence by confession. The week whicl
remains to him in this world ia but ahort tim
III comparison with the etornity to which le i
10 near but lot us hope that, oven iu this aho1
timo, ho may prepare himself to entor into It
not trusting to his counsel'a dubious spocula
tions on eternity, but relying upon tho more
aud forgiveness of Almighty God.
------3@------%----
THE CANADIAN CANALS.
Tic merits OF tho ST. I.awrouco route, fro.
the great lakcs to the ports Of tho Atlantic, oye
that Of tue ERIC Canal, az a n,oans Of chea
transportation between tho East aud tho West
is the subject OF I'll nble communication lto1
t1,n HIM Jnhn N.t,nu ofN Noufr,oi +n 4bo Mn