, 1875-06-19

Tho crime for which Nathan Durgcss to-day
hutfetsi sbe extreme penalty of the ian MAS one
ot the most cruol and heartlesB doedA csos on.
tered upon tho &unals OF crimo.
THE MURDERER
Whs worthless ya3aboud. Who worked between
ttnles, aud ilved no ono knsw how ths rest Of Lis
days; man With 8ullen countcnance, and =
mean, hangdog look about him that rendered
him 1t once Al object Of suspicion aud ayerstou.
Ta1ce before had ho 'k,lIed lls man." aud It
waa his wont to boast Of IL to such degraded
companions ~ ho could aud,-Aanys adding,
With wicked leer, that ho had tile
law on his side. Ho wan % ycarp Of ago. about
b feet lnehos In hciglt, wlsh loose, shom-
b!luR gait, tery-red hair. largo nose, scusual
mouth, thick lips, and one ego With decided
cast. Ills manner, when consersug with sus
one, was that Of being Ill At easc, and his eyen
mover met his questionerB. lilo had no cuntl ol
osor tho muscles Of hin mouth, aud was wont to
sometimes totally devoid Of htlmor. such man
wns Nathan Burgess the murderer. 1ie wAa
tuaa OF nb1ect Ignorance In ,naoY things, though
Abio to read aud write iidi1orently.
HiB VICTIM
Joseph Robbins. uae 4 man with a face filed
with tile g0odueKs and calmneBs OF one Nhote
life OF Il years had been that Of pioue, pl,-
right Christian.
1ne puol!c NIL perhaps Tenenbcf The deed.
which. at tho llo,e OF its commission, MAS COM
mented upon throughout the leugth aud b. cadth
Of tho laud.
TIE scEHE
was lonelY cabin OIL the line OF tho Ydnda1iA
lla!t1oao, abuut nj leB east Ut ranualia ILL.,
sta.iou midway between Tcrre ilausc, Ind, aud
81. Louis. Robbins waa employed As uatchnau
Ut Al extensive trestle-work at that poIpt It
uas lonely spot.-thero heihg no habi:ation
nearo1 than Tho little toMn,-ln tho el,at'os Of
mn T1h fraFY inn
dismal notes IT nl8ht-tirdA and hafaa-toucu
frogs, cane waited to ths watcher as ho sat ont
his 'unely rigil. No interruptions ver.occused to
mar tho 4u'es and tho solitude, except tho occa-
Hlonal rush and clastcr Of the iton ho1so a. it
rushed by, like phantom OF tlo night, with ts
human freight. It was 4 tit place Tor tho cott1-
mlason Of decd Of blood by ooxardly assas.
ttn.
On tie 2ath Of October, 1874,-. stormy, in
clement nigHt.-it Was II O'clock, and tho night
1xpress had inst rushed screaming bY, The
watchnan, Hith his coat buttonod TO bia chin.
had Just come III from hIs examination Of tha
seated hmaeIf for a peru.A OF papor, when,
without : tnoinonts Warming, ahot Was lcnrd.
followed Immediately by another: Tiers was u
crash Of glass tho lantern fell to tie floor, e.-
tinguiaaod and tue wa:ctman rolled from tho
ocnch upon which he sat to the fuor,
nLEED1Sa FnoN sEyEx WOUNDS,
mndo by tho DO .th dealing leadon misaics which
tho assassin had fired with only too good aim
Aud Aese waA whcro the Chsls.ian assorted 1t.
self In tho man: Lying On tbs door bleeding
from wounds that hs kuev must b. fatai Jo-
seph Roboins struggled to hiB kueee, nut III
fow ainplc, davout words, plascd for the par
don Of tho aou! Of the nau Who lad thus cut
h% en ~ tnS prime 81 !tsts .1 who had
hs three Children ofPf: ~ ,npt,uat more sublime
oituAtion2 What -noptAl
oop-L1Rx FORGIVENESS?
EFen As Jesus dying upon tho c.ose, reviled and
ter+ kvt I'm hru} II r.rA
Hts frame was r&cked in agony: +" Fathe- ~
give theln, for t4er know nnt Hllat they do.Isa.,
NAlle 10 prayed, tho nuIhersr crcpi uear tho
door 10 carry cut tie echenao OF robbery Which
reached tue Threshold, aud paused for momout
to pteparo himself to Withstand the bloody scene
TINT ho kuew naust present issoif. Tha words OF
lha holy man fell upon hla ear: Father OF grace
and mercy. forgiVs aud rai:tlop. as TO. tho ner-
Hon Who las done this dsoi and sent mo unbld-
den to your bosom. AsnetI.H
Tho wretch paused tho words fell upon bis
hearing. aud rooted hitn to tho spot. lie WHO
bad, fof the possess1ou Of . few psltry dollars,
staiued bin soul With the darkest crime against
tAe laws Of God mud man, was unneryod by tho
few simple, piuus words of tue dylng Christian.
lie dared not ctcr and nloet that face upifted in
supplicAtson he dared not Look upon his victim,
eutrsatlpg hls pardon boforo the throne OF God.
lie FLED INTO THE WOODS,
the to-hm-terriblo Hosds ringing III his ears like
. death-lnel. On and on ho rushed, unit! ho
reached the hut OF his father, located in ! Wild
spot IN tho forost.
Here be soctetod the gun With which he did
the decd. Hc threw himself on ILLS COT to sleep,
but swoko terrified from short na,,, In which
tho appAeltion Of tho murdered man appoascd 10
him.
In tho meanwhile,
the noDY or TIE MURDERED NAN
had beon discovered by . balateJ farmer making
his way homeHsEd over tho crosa-&les. Lilo wAs
NOT yet extinct. and the dung man Was removeI
10 Faadalla, whore ho sooa cxpieed-reyiyIng.
fa~ moments before death, loug enough to lal
what he knew Of tue deed.
III the morning = jury was imraueled and 40
Inquest held. George i. Odsll, tla fassnet who
had discovered the cflnle, mas held ou suspicion.
and ho waa being examined, wlcn in steppod
Hu,gess, drawn to the spot BY that
EEANfuL AND WONDERFUL FASCINATION
that IL always said to possos - criminals, to visit
tAe acenes o! their deeds of violence
lie Was put Oh the atand, a. 1t had leaked ont
duriug the morning that ho had. = fsw days bs-
fro, stolen hobb!as gun. and had said that Ao
would "mata tue old man sick for Hqusa!ing"
HIS anaNess ~ To whore ha had spent tho night
wors 10 unsatisfactory, aud III" statements 30
contradictory, that the jury felt Justified in
ordering hIlu under Arrest. lie mas pnt IN ja,l,
and, being 1lsitod In Lbs afternoon by Methodist
minister,
coSgEasEp THE DEED,
saving !hat tie prayer OF tho nlnrlorol man
haunted him lika All avangiuK demon.
Several dAYt lAtor bo pennal tho following
confesnlon, which 10 furnished TO tho VaudaisA
ftputfiean:
vANpALlA, ILL.,, Nov. 4, 1e7a.-ou Thursday night,
the 2h Of October 1871. u ab,ut e: O'Clock, left
YAndAliA With man " tas nano OF MaltsE TuEneri
vent east tho v.nLs,a N-troad about one.Aah
1nlis aud turned north iulo tls woods. From there
ws Msnt to tito s1rsto-Nork. about ono mA sud 4
half from Vaudalia. This br!Igs VA watched aud
guarded W : man named J. ". lkol,bin.. liz and
dad some tlrouit1 about The stealing OF gun.
~ hs chafgsd me with stealing ths Gun.
wsns under ths laatlswork to bur1.osk hna, about
twenty stsps ffo.a xhe<s Robt!na wa4 s!.slng At ;
window III tue lidge-houss shot Robbins from tls
q my LIT aide w!th revolver my face, saJ!pg that
Il did not shoot Robhtnst hs would shoot me. liz
fTuFutT1 6Wofs hs h had nla1s many dollar With =
revolver, end intended 10 make more. shot bath
hs1r \ nnhi,Ina hrHt II nns ibst