The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-12-11

murdererhed into the night. A few
days subsequently he was captured In
Portvjlle, N. Y, near the State line.
and brought to the county Jail in
Smethport, where he remained until
his corpse was taken thence on Thurs
day last. - = 81
THE TRIAL AND ooNvICTIoN.
When bought to trial Tracy pleaded
guilty to an Indictment for murder
with the understanding that the State
would agree to communication of the
sentence to imprisonment. The de-
fense pleaded temporary insanity in
mitigation and the most strenuous eff
forts were made to save his life. The
condemned man did not entirely lose
hope until the last legal resort had
been tried futilely, and many believe
that the Board of Pardons refused to
entertain the plea of mental derange-
ment because of the proofs of the true
grasp of mind and great intellectually
furnished by poem written by the
prisoner while in Jail, and which
was given wide circulation by the
press. That he contemplated death
serenely when he wrote the poem,
which mayhap proved his death war
rant, is shown by these concluding
| lines:
"why should my lips repine9 Mans life at
| Is but season; mine hath ever been
| SO void Of Sunshine that + long to greet
| Its closing scene; It's interests and desires
| Are dead within me. Health its choicest
boom,
Is vanished. But loftier aim attracts
| My aspirations. Unto thee turn
| o Heavenly Father as my spirits hope;
| Whose bounty can repay thousand fold
Az losses here? whose never failing word
1 fort to Nlx-N
| mourns."
J.. A DIRE INFLUENCE.
| Another dire influence which the
New York Herald saws, operated on
the Board of Pardons was that created
by various notes written on newspa-
per margins, and which were sent to
the Board by Sheriff Sartwell. "These
notes." the Herald correspondent
says, (which it was asserted had been
confided by Tracy to Shaffer to be
smuggled out, were requests to certain
of his friends for poison with which
to take his life. The writing was so
small as to be almost illegible. During
the last few days, however, some
doubt has been cast upon the, author
openly alleged that Shaffef, fn hope of
| y,
wrote the notes HIMSELF L have seen
the writing of the two men side by
side, but do not dare to express an
opinion. Shaffer is said to Be Que of
the best penmen in the country
Tracy's friends and Tracy himself ut
terly disclaim any intent, past or pres
ent. of committing orabetting suicide.
Father Francis Dent, who passed
nearly two hours with the condemned
man this afternoon, stated to me most
emphatically that these stories about
Tracy's intended suicide were false.
hoods" Tracy certainly had not the
faintest suspicion of Shaffer's perfidy
if perfidious he was, as the last line.
that dropped from his pen, but a few
hours before his execution, were dedi
Gated to the man now charged witt
being the author of those fearful for
geries. The writing was as follows:
"1O J. b. Mater:
Thou has been to me a brother
Kind affectiOnate, most dear:
In holier, better sphere.
| December 4, 1872"
Ten days ago the last hope of saving
him was dissipated. On Monday las
he began to seriously prepare for tn,
end. On that day his brothers, Rev
Michael Tracy, of Carrollton, Cambri,
county, and Rev. Thos. Tracy, O
Greenville, Mercer county, Pa, arrived
in Smethport and remained constant,
in attendance upon their unfortunat,
} relative until the morning of hi
death. They we're Joined in ministra
tions to his spiritual comfort by Rev
Francis Dent, of st. Patrick's Church
Buffalo, formerly Tracy's tutor,s Rev
p. j. mckinley, of Bradford, and Rev
M. Apple, of Meadville.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE GRAVE.
f On Wednesday representatives O
the press were permitted to visit, Trac,
in his cell on the third and topmos
corridor of the Jail. The reporter
s were received with as much eordialit,
as the painful circumstances of tn
case would permit, and in retlirnin,
$ their salutation Tracy said, 'I an
feeling as well as any man could unde
the circumstances"
"How did you spend the night?"
= "Poorly. / was unable TO get an,
sleep until nearly morning, and wa
early awake, before eight o'clock.
have always been a regular night
, hawk, and have generally preferre
darkness to daylight in which to stud
n anu Hleultate upon Whatever matter
{ { We're uppermost in my mind.
J. doubt much whether l have ever bee
/ a very companionable fellow.r
The condemned man here pause
E and then said, you, gentlemen, hav
u come long distance to witness thi
> terribly sad ceremony. Your peopl
y y must feel interested in my case. / ar
q fully prepared to meet the awful fat
that has been assigned me with 6
!, much nerve as can muster at th
= final moment. Yet / cannot tell whf
!, my ability in that direction will b,
,9 and as human nature is weak cannt
= /, calculate what my strength will [
! when the fatal moment comes. 1t
!. hardly right either, that I should a
> tempt to speak with any certainty {
=, to what | will or will not do. To |
" W sure, little expected that the end
y my existence would be i'm the form
- felOn's death; but the dreams
y youth are but illusionary. They a.
a a dispelled by the disappointments
u manhood, and mine are now suddenl
-" ended, once and forever
ed. THE LAST SAD NIGHT.
d The aged mother, four brothers ar
20 two sisters of the condemned passt
&c nearly the whole of Wednesday in h
of cell. .All We're prepared feS the fin
'a parting, which took place at s o'clo,
~ in the evening. The heart-broken far
- lily controlled their great grief so far
% possible, and the demonstrations