The National tribune., 1884-08-14
5 SENTENCED FOR LIFE.
An Appeal from an Inmate Of tine penitentl.r

An Appeal from Inmate OF the Penitentiary.
To THE EDITOR: 1t is very humiliating for
meritorious soldier and descendant OF the
best New England blood. to admit that he Is
an inmate of a prison for life.
/ enlisted in Co. A, 169th N. Y, at Troy, N.
Y, Sept S, 1862, and served till the end of the
war. Was wounded in charge at Cold Har-
Dor, for which draw pension. / am COM
rade belonging to G. l.. Willard Post, No. "a,
located at Troy, N. Y, and am sadly grieyed
to state that unforeseen ncircumstances-broUght
about through the most extraordinary and ex-
cessive use of alcoholic cstimulantS-have placed
me in prison for life.
You may say that one who has so little self
control is not deserving Of pity. But there is
some excuse for me. During my term of Serv-
ice q hernia was produced Just below the pit
of my stomach; it has ever been enlarging.
and always caused a severe collie pain, from
being partially strangulated, and | always i'm
agined that stimulants assuaged the pain, and,
therefore, INDUCED to excess. Several emil
nent physicians were subpenaed to attend my
trial, who boldly expressed an opinion that l
was alcoholically insane at the time of the
homicide, and Irresponsible; but the jury
thought different, though corroborative evil
dence was adduced through the testimony of
my family and some of our neighbors. But,
alas was in strange city and among
strangers.
I've been confined nearly eli ght years; am
go years of age; have wife whom i married
80 years ago last April, children, and grand
children living in the city of Troy, n. Y, all
of whom sadly lament my misfortune (rather,
theirs, for they worry more concerning my
condition than / do, and say they never sit
down to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner
without becoming choked with sad emotions
while thinking of unworthy mel. and are con-
stantly striving to interest some phllanthropist
in my behalf, who could bring about my re-
| lease.
The Post TO which belong have petition,
and, l hear, intend to present it to our Gov
ernor soon; but to make success more sure, il
lin your wideiy-circulated paper you could,
by notice or exhortation, induce the Posts OF
our organization, in general, to act in concert
by Immediately writing brief note TO ouI
Governor (Grover Cleyeand), asking him to
pardon me, it would evince feeling Of that
charity which constitutes part of our motto
canceling the duty due to q comrade In such
sore distress, and not only win for yourselves
the admiration of all true knights and soldiers
but afford to your magnanimous hearts that
solace which a consciousness of having per
formed humane act, involving q case of life
and liberty, ever infuses into the human breast
Pm possessed of an abnormally sensitive ma
ture, and my misfortune5 together with the
| oft-exp pressed sadness of my beloved family
preys upon my intellect. ! subscribe myself
despondently, yours in F., c., and L.-R. B
| STILLMAN.
! [Inasmuch as we are wholly uninformed a
| to the merits of this case, it would be mani
festiy improper for us to solicit signatures Il
| such a petition. The proper place for such ,
| petition to emanate from would be the prison
er's own Post and neighbors, and if they ar
convinced that he is deserving object o
mercy, they can then with perfect propriet!
address their plea to the Order throughout tn
country.-ED