The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1883-05-15
AN ELOQUENT APPEAL.
A Quadroon Surprises the Court by His
Remarkable Powers as an Orator.


Remarkable Powers as an Orator.
quadroon named w. IL. Finck, convic-
ted of murder at Fort Smith, Arkansas, on
the 9TH inst, In answer to the judges interro-
cation why the sentence of death should not
be passed upon him, he addressed the court
in the following terms:
"May it please the Court: know not
which weighs the heaviest upon me-wonder
or grief. Both weigh heavily upon me. l
must first call to mind the occasion which |
am called upon to make my appearance be-
fore the court to-day. This 10 me is most
solemn and serious. II is as the sadness of
death itself-death which in a brief while
will come to me with sickle and terror. Alasl
alas for such unlucky stars that beamed at
my birth. But | am not possessed of that
obstinate stubbornness Characteristic of one
who is about to have sentence of death passed
upon him, or, more generally speaking, har-
dened criminal. Being truly sensible OF the
singular and serious position in which | am
placed, cannot help but shudder, and must
say that these are the saddest moments Of my
life
"Death is the destiny Of all men and being
a debt OF nature which must be paid / do
not fear to meet it in its natural form. But |
shudder--I fear-the best OF us do 50, to die
a disgraceful and ignomnous death. do
not make this talk as an effort to save my
life. 1t is an effort to seek justice, and to save
the reputation Of my family, whose honor is
dearer to me than my life. For what is life
1t is but a vapor; it appears but little while
and then it vanisheth away. II is but a spark
struck out of nothingness and expires in dark
ness. Nay, it is but a flash out of darkness,
soon again TO return. AS the old Saxon
imagination pictured it, it is "like the swift
fight of bird from the night without, throul h
a lighted chamber filled with guests, heated
with the breath of passion, back into the cold
night again" The strange uncertainty o!
life is but a mock theme of pathos. No de-
scription can touch all the sorrowful tender
ness which death in me excites, now become
so tragic and so bitter. o ignominy thou
art bitterer to me than the gall which Socrates
drank. 1t is not death fear--it is the form
of death-its ignominy and the shame of the
gallows. Under my present circumstances
connot but fill my mind with the gloomy
images of death, and to torment the present
| by apprehensions Of the future.
"But religion does not countenance any
such morbid anxiety. She comes. bearing in
her hands the flowers Of hope, and, like the
angel which she is, whispers Of the crucihed
Christ 'He is risen The star Of hope that
first beamed upon men like me shone from
the murderer's dying faith, as he hung upon
the cross, a companion in death with Christ,
and that same star Of hope scatters its rays in
my heart. Yet find lit hard to Danish the
dread events from me. Yet why so? | have
always been honest, and stand guiltless to-
day of the crimes for which am about to be
sentenced. l stand here and boldly say, and
with clear conscience, that did not kill
those two men. If I speak falsely, misera-
bic or happy souls, whoever you are, make
your appearance upon the threshold of this
room and cry out, Thou liest' And to you
addressing the Judge whose duty it is to be
tender as well as just, ask all clemency you
can give. And now farewell earth, made
wet with tears and blood, farewell, and to my
enemies farewell. Times brief work in the
face of eternity, ray of celestial JOY falls
upon me and takes away every fear, and
now know how easy it is to die"
The prisoner had very pleasant musical
voice, and the eloquence and pathos of the
speech surprised the court but he was SEN
fenced to death
Finck is a very intelligent man, having an
Italian cast of features. His father is
preacher in the A. Nj. +. church in Georgia
As musician he has a fine reputation anC
now entertains his unfortunate companions
in jail with equisite performances on theguitar