The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-09-11

M LIS tMV V0NtN -
ns,sonsr A. follows: "What heFe you 70
say why sentence OF death sncVN hoe W
pronounced upon your .nn,a
The Prlsoners don't icei .hs. ~
,.r envthing nov other than e thank Inc
imsy for ,he verdict. / believe they 1ave
sone rtrht. I 6elleve I have tad a iaif'
sonare trial all the way through.
Tbe Court. There Is no derot, tnlns,
On Inc cyideuse, that the ivrg nave zone
right. .y ,hsv have
aone perfectly rIghs; Just rs I you'd nave
The Court: You certainly hsge bad q iair
rial Won hare been assisted 10y able coun-
sci. woo bsye spared no pains, so iar as tue
Comrt could dudge, 10 aid you In every
matter OF law and OF fact that could be ad-
duceh IN your. behalf. The1ury, L thlnk'
baxe eareiuify and conscientiously consul
cred e. an. q think they have considered II,
"a SertaIu, ~ TIE Court has, with o desire 10
end something TO e~xteDuste this awiul
crime. but, taey have found nothing. Ihey
bsSe been .oblfged upon thefr consclences
and oaths 10 pronounce you guiity' 4
have no Eaubt 1t will be some satis-
faction 10 them, as 1t is 20 the court,
"a hear your statement that the tIlai
has been 6sir, and that the Jury nave
Aoeae rieht. I do not know what eau say
IN con that will be OF profit upon so so'ehh
an occasion as this. You cercainly are u
man above toe average order OF intelligence,
and. upon the evidence, IL Is no douot true
To say YOU sre above the ordicary average
in measure Of cultivation and educalion:
Ti,ese advantages, which should have Ilileu
Won In A socisI-scale, seemed 10 nave lS'ieu.
This can perhaps be said, as was Iemarheu
TO the Jury: that Jour provocatlon GER
taiaiy was great. But 1t did not1nstfy you
In taking the law in your WI hands; IL
ala not Justify sou I'm taking III ellie OF your
wife. IL was an awful act OF vengeance
which YOU took upon yourself re execute.
There is only one sentence which the law
allows to be imposed upon q conviction OF
the crime OF murder IN the first degree, ana
that is death. :,
The Prisoner: May / say a werd? L
wish to saw 10 the counsel who were,so Dit
ter against me that j bad no bad feeling
against them, andI think they have let me
down easy and / am thankful to them Tor
not b%lackening me more than they nave.
And | would say to my W counsel tsat ne
has not only had these people to work
against, but me to work against, and l haVe
opposed him in all ways, and / believe that
the defeat to-day is owiIg TO myself ana not
to any neglect on his part.
The Court; May | ask why you took such
a coursef
The Prisoner: Yes, sir.
The Court: What is yoVr answer!
The Prisoner: | agree with The Jury In
rendering such a verdict aS they did but,
for all that, | am not guilty OF murder.
The Court: Why notf
The Prisoner To my way OF thinking !
believe | was justified in doing Just what l
did. I don't know as l eau analyze the
feeling SO as to explain 1t In an intelligent
manner, but that has been my feeling. l
have been disgraeed so that ii is a matter OF
Indifference to me whatever becomes OF me.
| have no thought OF happiness In the fu-
lure whatever. at the same time l believe
when a man is compelled TO do aH act Ike
that TO wipe out some disgrace or some IN
Jury he has received, he ought not to sur
vive the blow and for that reason ! have
opposed him ibis counsell, and have offered
TO come TO this court and plead guilty TO the
Indictment as il is on paper. but was not
allowed to. / could have saved all this
trouble easy enough il they would baVe
permitted it.
The Court 4: Is death no terror to your
The Prisoner: None whatever. / look
upon death as The greatest blessing that
could oyertake me. Ii is life that has been
a curse to me for years, and death would
have been a blessing j would have well
coined. l don't say that because | am des-
perate and reckless, or because | don't
know what death is. ! know all about it,
and as the gentleman here (Mr. Rosa
showed, j am a man OF Intelligence; !
know what | say.
The Court: Do you wish to say anything
further?
The Prisoner: l don't know as | can ; |
feel daZed. Though this has not been en-
tirely unexpected, it does surprise ne a
little. 1t sets my mind working so | can't
collect nv thoughts in G way so as to ex-
press them in the way / would wish 10 do.
/ would like to ask favor Of you. | pre-
sumo likely l will be permitted to live a
little time, and during that time | would
like to have the privilege Of writing to my
friends, and everything, OF course, SUBJ
iected TO the inspection OF those over me.
l have said a great deal in this country that
I wish | had not said. and l think | could
not employ my time better between this
time and that day than to try to undo what
l have said.
The Court | see no objection to the
sheriff furnishing you with writing mate
rails.
The Prisoner i promise you solemuly ]
will not abuse the privilege. And more, i
believe there are folks who have a sympa-
thy with me, and l want to say that | hope
they will not allow their sympathy to inter
iere with the course OF the law II they do
they will change a blessing into a curse tor
me. | believe it is Gods own work let il
go Just as 1t will.
The Court After what has been said but
little more remains but to pronounce the
sentence which the law fixes. The law
will afford you some time for reflection and
for preparation for the awful change which
awsits you. 1t is kinder to you 10 that re-
gard than you were to your victim. | need
not enioin upon you to use that time tC
the best advantage. From the evidence II
appears that you have had religious in
Isiruction, and al. some period OF your life
were anxious for the prayers Of Christian
people. II is TO be hoped that the same
Feelings will again possess you, and thai
lyou will avail yourself Of the offices OF
religion to prepare you for death. The
sentence of the Court is that you, Edward
Earl, convicted OF the crime OF murder IL
the first degree, be taken hence to the iai
of this county, aud there be kept in clost
confinement until Friday the l4th day Of
October next, and on that day, between Tx
hours Of 40 IN the ~foresoon and 2 In the az
%ternoon, you be taken thence by the sherif
d this county and hanged by the neck unit
you shall be dead and may God have mereY
upon your soul.-Iroy ESsleS.
ADVISED GO HEDGE.-Two friends wef
discussing the merits OF Their acquaintance
One said: "Talk about mean men, nov
there's old Strassberger! Hes the hardest
driest tneanest old Shylock that ever lived
That mani WHY And there no sion