Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-28


T------- - -
her husband wrote the following letter
10 her home-folks:
RIVER VIEW. JAMES RIVER,
May IA, 1867.
To Al at Home.
Your very welcome messenger came
10 hand few days ago. We were de-
lighted to hear from all. En-. wrote to
sally and Mrs. Dishman, but received
no answer as yet. She would have
written again, but has been suffering
with very sore finger. The doctor
called 1t a whitlow. / do not know
what it is; it is dreadful. She takes
morphine and laudanum TO compose
her. The doctor is fearful she
will have the lockjaw. She is looking
dreadful from it; neither eats nor
sleeps. Ii was caused from sewing. |
wrote you all about my situation that
we were housekeeping-that is, En-.
wrote to ma and told about having
chickens, &c. We are some distance
from market; do not go to town
oitener than once a month; then it is
for the doctor. have sent you great
many papers sorry they did not reach
you. There is a great
deal Of sickness about. Both Of us
have been sick. but are better. Kiss
all for us. Good-by.
JETER AND EN-.
En-. was his wife. She was about
ten years older than he was.
The identity of the murdered woman
with Mary Emily Phillips was fully es-
tablished by the evidence of her sisters
and others. The result was that Phil
lips was fully committed for trial.
SENT ON.
1t is unnecessary to follow the case
through all its tortuous windings in the
courts Of law. By the examining court
he was sent on to the Circuit Court,
and after great difficulty in getting a
jury he was placed on trial. An enor-
nous mass Of testimony was elicited,
and on the seventeenth day the case was
given to the jury. On the nineteenth
day the jury was discharged, having
failed to agree. Ten were for conyic-
tion and two for acquittal. He was then
tried at a special term Of the court by
a jury sammoned from Albemarle and
Alexandria. it being impossible to pro-
cure one in Richmond. This time con-
victiOn was assured, and Judge Chris
tian pronounced upon the prisoner the
sen ence Of death.
] he prisoner for defence had tried
to prove an abb from February 18th
to the 22d and beyond.
LAST DAYS.
Philips on one occasion had an OPP
portunity to escape from Jail with other
prisoners who liberated themselves,
but refused to avail himself of the
chance.
Not long time before his execution
he was carrying on a frivolous corre-
Spondence with some lewd women Of
the lower part Of the city. and only a
few weeks before his life ended he
spoke of sending for a dentist to plug
an aching tooth. He didn't want the
tooth pulled out. Latterly he sought,
religious instruction. and was frequent
ly visited by Rev. Drs. Jeter and
Dickinson, who spoke to him, and he
to them. upon the idea that he was a
guilty man.
THE EXECUTION.
Having vainly appealed to all the
courts and to the Governor, and having
exhausted the several respites granted
him, Phillips was brought out for exc
cution on July %, 1870. The scaflold
was erected in the inner yard Of the
Iisnrico county jail. Dr.. Jeter and DR..
Dickinson accompanied prisoner to the
scaflold, and after some preliminaries
DR.. Dickinson read the following paper
RICHMOND, July %, 1870.
Il, James Jeter Phillips, condemned
to be hanged on the charge of murder
ing nv wife and expecting soon to ap-
pear in the presence of my Creator and
my Judge, do make the following con-
fession and statement:
~ acknowledge that | am guilty of
the crime for which | am condemned
and deserve the punishment which the
law pronOunces against me. ] need not
detail the circumstances of my crime /;
they are mainly as they were presented
in the testimony on my trial.
~ lived unhappily with my wife.
II scarcely know when | formed the
purpose Of getting rid Of her. While
on my last visit to her mother re-
yolved the subject in my mind. After
! brought her TO Richmond my purpose
was settled. | borrowed pistol, and
on Sunday evening took her from the
clearinghouse, and we walked to the
place where her body was found, and
murdered her. | confess the greatness |
of my guilt. and | do not understand |
how | could have been led to commit |
such a dreadful deed. have confessed
it with sorrow before God, and |
hope that He has forgiven me |
through the merits of Jesus Christ.
Acknowledging my sin before the world,
| hope that all will forgive me now. !
die in peace with all men, but with
deep sense Of my guilt and mworthi-
ness.
II wish to say distinctly before God
and all persons present that am alone
in my guilt. No one suggested my
crime to me, knew my purpose, or
gave me the slightest countenance in
my deed either before or after the
act. All the rumOrs that | was en-
gagged to be married or that | was
in love are entirely false. | had
no motive for the commission of
my crime but to escape from a
connection which seemed to destroy
my prospects for happiness in life. l
bid you all farewell, hoping we may meet
again where sin and sorrow are un-
known. Let others be warned by my
example and fate. And now / yield
my body to the dust in the hope of
:o,c,1 raeurroction and / commend |