Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-10-27
A MuRDERER's Confession.
Edward Eari's Remarkable Description
Of the Deed for which He Has Been
Hanged.


Hanged.
The following, taken from the
Rochester Union, is the confession Of
Edward Earl, who was hanged at Sage
vile, Hamilton county, N. Y, for hav-
ing killed his wife last February:
When that woman took the witness
stand in the courtroom, at Johnstown,
and swore to what she knew was false.
she did it coolly and deliberately, and at
the instigation Of George Brown. She
did it believing that would not survive
the disgrace of the blow she was deal
ing me. As I looked her in the eye I
swore then and there that / would take
her life at any cost to myself. / would
endure any amount Of suffering, brave
any danger, make any sacrifice in order
to accomplish my purpose, and as her
eye caught mine she felt assured that
her death at my hand was merely a
question as to my getting out Of prison
alive. While in prison each day was q
day Of suffering. After I left the prison
and saw my little girl there were short
intervals in which 7 relented, but the
general everyday feeling was one Of
hatred and revenge.
About the 18th / began to reason
the matter in different light. Though
I had sworn to take the woman's life, I
had resolved to end my own existence
at the same time. This would leave
my child desolate and alone. rea-
soned the case with myself, and my love
for the child overcame my hate for the
woman, and on the Monday previous to
the 10Th I went to Browns house, and
in the presence Of Brown, his mother,
Mr.. Lewis and his son, humbled myself
before the woman and begged her to
"pity me and give me back my child.
She was all I had left, and wanted my
little girl" Nc, she would not. I was
in the streets and had no home. What
could I do with the child? This was a
cruel taunt, when you consider that she
was the one who had robbed me Of my
home. / then begged her to allow the
child to visit me at some of the neig h.
bors' instead of her mothers. No, if
her mothers house was not good enough
for me to visit I should not see the
child atall. While there I noticed an
other little girl. Poor little thing, her
very existence was dishonor to me,
but she laughed and played with Jane,
and felt pity for her. I resolved to
take my child from that place. Once in
my possession, woe betide the one who
attempted to take her from me. With
that resolve stole the knife and en-
tered the barn Wednesday night, at the
same time thinking that If I failed I
could at least get glimpse Of my child
as she played near the house, and that
of itself would compensate for the cold
and hunger that I would have to endure
while in the barn. Here let me state it
was not the first time had been in the
barn. Once before that winter, after
doing my days work, had walked four
teen miles through the woods and
storm, darkness and gloom, sometimes
in the snow-path, sometimes out of it,
and with clothes wet with sweat con-
cealed myself there and waited, waited,
but the next day I was rewarded for all
my waiting The little one rode 'sdown
hill" on her hand-sled, laughed and
played all by herself, little dreaming
that behind the boards of the barn
was watching every motion and taking
a stolen part in her innocent sport.
I said I entered the barn Wednes-
day night. Next day, the 18th, the
woman came to the barn several times.
Twice she was SO near to me I could
have touched her with my hand. Oace
she carried away part of the straw in
which I lay concealed. hadno thought
of injuring her. I heard a conversation
between herself and her brother, who
took the horses and went to the fish
house that day. She was in the barn
just at dark. About o'clock that night
cold, frost and hunger drove me from
the place. Ny limbs we're SO benumbed
that I had but little use of them. left
by way of the door at the back of the
barn, leaving the door unlocked. I went
to Randolf Burgess and remained that
night. Next night / returned to the
barn.
Next morning / saw the poor woman
coming toward the barn, and the man
ner in which she appeared shall never
be forgotten by me. I had lived with
that woman years, and I could inter-
pret every look and action OF hers cor
rectly. As she came nearer her step
became slower, The ground was COW
cred with frost now. She paid no at
tention to it. Her head was up, eyes
riveted on that barn. Her gaze seemed
to penetrate the boards and see danger
lurking on the other side. Her step
showed timidity, her face fear; every
action, look and gesture gave evidence
OF suspicion that I was in that barn.
But how did she know? She had been
told that / would start for the woods
that very morning. Oh, yes; she had
found the door unlocked the morning
before. As she neared the barn her
pace became slower and sloweruntil
she scarcely moved, eyes looking earn
estly at the barn, and oh, what plead
ing, pitiful look. Gold, frozen as was,
4Ix.u Il. H. L