Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-06-29
from the Portland Press. I
GORDON'S LAST LITTER.

|
The following is literal copy of letter fount
in Gordons cell after he was removed to the gal
lows, addressed to Warden Rice. He left several
letters TO his parents relatives and others, in al
of which he solemnly protests his innocence. The
folio wing letter is undoubtedly the last written by
| the man and done the night before his death:
| TuoHAsToN, June q, 1879.
Warden Rice,
| Nv Dear Friend Il feel ii my duty to pen these
| lines to you. ! have ever been kindly treated by
YOU and your family. | have received many IA
vors from Mrs. Rice, and for all your kindness |
can only thank you all with the deepest gratitude
| L.am aware that you have done all you can to
| save my life, and appreciate all you have done
| for me. also have been treated kindly by the
| other officers in almost every instance. nave
| ever intended to do my duty since have been
here and of late it has been far easier for me to
| do my duty than it used to be-
/ have been forced to die an ignomlnious death
| for crime that am innocent Of, and the thought
| of the disgrace it will leave behind has brought
me to fulfil my determination. | have ever and
always been prepared to take this step rather than
suffer death on the gallows. ] have often been
assured that my sentence would never be cxecu-
| ted, that no man would ever dare to exc
| cute my sentence on the evidence; STILL from the
| time soon after was convicted prepared myself
so that | should never have to 90 on to the gal
lows. nat Is a deatn tnat ana not deserve, anu
| being innocent OF the charge, deemed it my du-
ty to prevent it if could, and shall do all in my
power TO prevent it so if fail il is not my fault
/ prepared myself in three different ways, SO that
| if | was detected in one | still had another re-
source. To clear your suspicious, will say truly
| that neither any officer convict has ever
passed me anything whatever to help myself with
| consider that II is easier o bleed to death than
| die by poison, so have taken my chance IT Is
| not insanity that drives me to this. My mind was
| never clearer than when take this step: am
forced to it. Still the world will say that wa5
coward and dare not face death on the gallows
| care not what the world says Set any man
in my situation and if he is an innocent man, he
will be justified in my opinion if he prevents his
being executed on the gallows
Perhaps also the world expects me to confess
that | am guilty Here l must say that know
positively that am innocent in every sense OF the
word.
Just as soon as it was started against me, was
already convicted by the community. l clam
that did not have impartial trial, that preln-
dice did more towards conycting me than the
| circumstantial evidence did even after 1t was
strengthened by false witnesses. ! was not able
| to show my innocence from the very fact that 1t
should have shown itself. There must be clew
to the perpetrator of that crime somewhere, and
think and feel that the time is near at hand when
that clew will be found. Then how all will feel
| about the matter.
| If was guilty Of that crime should say so, for
it would be relief to my friends; for if de-
served this death they would not feel so bad about
it, and certainly could do me no harm, not in the
least But have nothing to confess. The whole
guilt of that crime lays some other persons
head than mine. But still it does no good to say
it. The world knows or thinks it knows better
than do. l leave this world without any malice
against any one. I am only sorry that some
have gone SO far as they have.
Mr.. Rice, thanking you and your family fol
what you have done for me, will now bid YOU
all good bye.
Faithful until death. farewell,
j. TRUE GORDON.