The Republican journal., 1875-07-01

shall have to suffer at all. If you, any one of
you feel that you have wronged me, l freely
forgive you with all my heart, SO don't blame
yourselves for any thing. AS it draws near u
O'Clock, | must close this last letter to you,
Read my Bible, and earnestly pray to God to
forgive my past sins, and also to forgive the
sins | am about to commit, if it be a sin, but
as am forced to do it. don't feel that it is so
bad as otherwise. Dear kind and loving
friends, l bid you farewell.
Faithful unto DEATH JOHN TRUE GORDON.
Besides the foregoing there was found
in Gordon's CELL alter the execution, the
following letter.
THOMAsTON, June 24th, 1870.
WARDEN RICE, Ny Dear FFjend: | feel it
my duty to pen these lines to you. | have ever
been kindly treated by you and your family. l
have received many tavors from Mrs. Rice; and
for all your kindness | can only thank you all
with the deepest gratitude. | 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. have 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 !gnomnlous
| death for a crime that | am innocent of, and
| the thought of the disgrace it will leave behind
| has brought me to fulfil my determination. |
| nave ever ana always Deen prepared W TAKE
| this step rather than suffer death on the gal
| lows. | have often been assured that nIy sen.
| tence would never be executed, and no man
would ever dare to execute my sentence on the
| evidence; still, from the time soon after was
convicted, prepared myself so that | should
never have to go on the gallows. This Is
death that | did not deserve, and, being limo
cent of the charge, deemed it my duty to pre-
| vent it if could. and shall do all in my power
to prevent it; so if fail. it is not my fault.
prepared myself in three different ways, so tina
| if | was detected in one | still had another Re
source. 10 clear your suspicious, | will say
| truly that neither any officer nor convict ha'
| ever passed me ANYTHING whatever TO help my
self with. | consider that it is easier to bleec
to death than die by poison, so | have takel
my chance. 1t is not insanity that drives M
| to this. NJ mind was never clearer than Whel
take this step. | am forced to it. Still The
world will say that | was Il coward, and dar,
not face death on the galloWS.
| care not what the world says. Set any MAJ
in my situation, and if he is an innocent MAJ
he will be justified, in my opinion, if he pre-
vents his being executed on the galloWs.
| Perhaps the world expects me to confess tina
am guilty. Here must say that know pos
itiNely that am innocent i'll every sense of thu
| word.
| just as soon as ii was started against me.
| was already convicted bv the community.
claim that did not have an impartial trial, tina
| prejudice did more towards convicting ne THAI
the circumstantial evidence did, even after
WAS strengthened by false witnesses. | WA,
| not able To show my innocence from the Yer,
fact that ii should have shown itself. Their
must be a clew to the pcrpetrator of that crln
somewhere, and think and feel that the tint
is near ut 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 a relief to my friends; for if
| deserved this death, they would not feel so ba,
about it, and it colld certainly do me no harm
not in the least. But have nothing to confess
| The whole guilt of that crime lays on some othe
persons head than mine. But still il does III
| good to say it. The world knows, or thinks il
| knows. better than | do. | leave this worl,
without any malice against any one. | am onl,
! sorry that some have gone so far as they have
Mr.. Rice. thanking you and your family to
what you have done for me, | will now bid yot
| all good by.
Faithful until death. farewell,
| j. TRUE GORDON.