The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-08

After every agency outside of the law has
been exhausted to avert the sentence of the
court against the boy, Jesse Harding Pom
eroy, the law is to be executed. Governor
CASTOR and the Executive Council decided
almost, If not entirely, unanimously to reject
the petitions for Communication of the death
penalty, and the day of execution will soon
be announced by the governor. Every
well balanced mind will endors
profound respect to the majesty
OF law, while vicious murderers will feel the
sslutary influence. 1t is not necessary to
comment with severity upon the terrific
crimes of Pomeroy. His case has been fairly
Investigated by the proper tribunal and the
award of justice has been made. So there
is no place for passion and no cause for ap-
peal to sympathy. Yet it may not be out
of place to give a succinct statement of his
career as published in the Boston Post:
About three years ago a number of small chill
dren in Chelsea and Charleston suffered terrible
| cruelties, consisting OF wounds from knives
and other weapons, but the perpetrator was not
/ then discovered. A short time after these
occurrences a little boy residing in Chelsea,
named Balch, was found in shed on Powder
D.
| ing and bleeding from several wounds in his
body. The little fellow stated that his wounds
were fn ~ by large 50y s vigilance g com
| of investigating the matter. About one hun
dred lads were brought by the committee before
the Balch child and others who had suffered
similar cruelties at the hands OF the then
unknown torturer, but the little victims failed
to identity any of those as being the "big boy"
was offered by the city of Chelsea for
cess. The matter soon passed from the mind OF
the public, and in the meantime the POmeroy
family removed to South Boston. Soon after
named George Pratt suffered similar indigni.
ties as did the Baleh coy, and circumstances |
arrested and ioeFe1 20 up in the SIXTH Police s
ton, where the boys Pratt and Balcn identified 1
him as being the boy who injured them.
Court, and after several hours examination, /
during which large number of the lads who
suffered nom Pomeioys bruialitles were pres \
ent and recognized him as being the pRrpetra-
tor thereof, Judge Forsaith sentenced him to /
confinement In the State Reform School during |
his minority. He remained at this intuition
little more than one year, when, through |
the the efforts of some persons, ne
nome In south Boston. coon after his |
liberation several little children in South Bos- |
great large boy" had beaten and otherwise
maltreated Them. Though Pomeroy was strongly |
yet ne managed TO escape detection until the |
murdered body OF little Horace Millen was
found the COW-p2Stur6 marsh, Dor /
chester, on Wednesday afternoon, April 2, 1874
Pomeroy was at once suspected of the crime and |
arrested. His trial soon followed. and he was
convicted and sentenced to be hanged. Some
days previous to the finding of the Millen boys
body on the marsh a little girl named Katie
house in south Boston, and after a long search
by the police IL was thought that the child had
been abducted by some of her fathers friends.
This theory was accepted by the public as salts
accounting for the little girls disap-
pealance. Mrs. Pomeroy, mother OF Jesse II.
at that time carried on the business
Of dressmaking and millinery at No. 3l2
South Boston, having her residence
store. Her family consisted of herself and two
sons Jesse assisted his brother in carrying
newspapers, and Ii was his custom to open the
store for his mother in the morning and remain
In charge until she came. During the latter
part of the summer of 1874 Mrs. Pomeroy vacated
the Broadway store, the building being solu. A ,
engaged In altering the lower part of the prem
ses found the remains of Katie Curran buried in
an aSh-heap between q wooden partition and the |
cellar wall. The evidence taken before the coron
srs jury pointed to Jesse as being The murderer :
)f the Curran child, and he subsequently con-
essed to Chief of Police Savage that he was /
,uilty of the crime. In his confession it will be
title girl into his mothers shop, he took her I
Town cellar and cut her throat with small ,
'ock et-kniie and then hid the body in the place
where 1t was found. 7
On trial his defence was conducted with the Y
greatest ability, and the science of mind was t
with all the evidence to palliate G
he horrible deed. The court, however, de- q
ided that the enormity of his crimes was c
lot an excuse against the penalty OF law, [
md held him murderer. Here came in the Y
passage in the history of the l
ase. As soon as the sentence was pro- c
bounced all Massachusetts divided into two a
PARTIES. One was in favor Of respecting the {
constituted authorities, and magnifying q
he law even at the expense of a G
Wild beast in human form. The other I
party, and it was not weak, came in with all t
he moral pressure which could be made {
and laid siege to the executive for '
lis interference with the course of law. He s
rave full hearing to the petitioners and the
process amounted almost to a second trial q
If the cause. Testimony and counsel were v
brought, and the means of influence were t
in this wholly unjustifable man a
Ter, to practically reopen the case The L
most valuable lesson of the whole c
ase is the defeat of this irregular v
Ittempt to avert the force of law t
when fairly administered. No figures nor b
words could measure the mischief which O
would grow out of successful effort of this S
Kind. If the decision of law explicitly o
made be not final, as against popular re- t
then its force is all gone. t
oomeroy's case, important as it was, be- t
comes of secondary moment in this position o
If affairs. A great clamor is not stronger y
han the government of Massachusetts, and &
ociety, from the East to the West, may re- y
dice in the reaffirmation OF that fact. G
When man has stood so long and so II