The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-18
HORSE TRADING AND WHISKEY
To These Willard Moore Says are all
His Troubles Due

To These Willard Moore Says are all
His Troubles Due.
Willard Moore. whose death sentence
was commuted to life Imprisonment i'll
the State prison was taken to that in
stitutiOn yesterday morning by deputy
sheriffs Separk and Riddick.
The night before. his last in Jail. he
wrote letter which he left with Sheriff
Page, asking that it he published.
The following is the letter:
Raleigh Jail, Feb. IS. 1899.
TO all whom it may concern:
| have past from death to life. | am
Under many obligations to my lawyers
and friends here i'll Raleigh and TO Judge
Brown, Solicitor Pou, and the Governor
for relieving me from the gallows. !
have no hard feelings towards the jury
as they done the best they could under
the circumstances.
The sheriff, his deputies AMI ths,Sailor
have been good to me. TheNa arc nice
gentlemen-above the average, and feed
we'll for Jail.
To all drunkards and hores-traders-
take warning from me, as | am wei
known in Robson and adjoining coun
ties. also in South Carolina as horse
trader and sort of a horse doctor, and see
where / am tonight in the prison Jail.
and will go tomorrow for life in the
State prison at Raleigh.
Strong drink and bad company was
my first start down hill. and from that
to worse When left home four years
ago last fall to go to Lawingburg to
trade horses / left my dear wife and
child and dear mother who is 81 years
old. They begged me not to drink which
/ disregarded, so you see where / am
tonight / got in trouble before | got
home. / got in the penitentiary for five
years. Mother would write to me that
she wanted to see me bad, but wanted
me to come home right when | did come
and not to run away, but | disregarded
her again, and you see where | am to-
night. My dear wife has died since my
stay in prison, and / can never see her
again in this world nor dear mother
again. Bad company and whiskey and
not minding my parents brought me TO
this.
| am thankful to the ministers and
good sisters of charity for praying for
me. / feel | have been benefited by
them. Mr.. Archy Mclaughlin, from Mt.
Gilead. Montgomery county. and Rev. X.
Is. John, of Newbern and Mr.. Dowd, of
Saratoga, Columbus county, kept pray
ing for me and referred me TO certain
passages in the Bible. Thank God they
did not forget me in the time of trouble.
There were also ministers who came to
| see and other good praying men and
/ praying sisters Thank God for their
/ prayers.
| / will close. May God be with you all
| L.. we meet again.
WILLARD f. MOORE.
| Attached to the letter was a piece of
! a leaf from bible with the following
| passages marked:
| And this is the case of the slayer.
which shall flee thither, that he may live:
/ Whose killeth his neighbor ignorantly,
| whom he hated not in time past;
| As VII : a man goeth into the wood
| wi rs neighbour to hew wood. and
i his hand fetcheth a stroke with the AK
/ 10 cut down the tree, and the head slip
/ peth from the helye, and lighteth up
on his neighbour. that he die; he shall
| flee unto one of those cities, and live:
| Lest the ayenger of the blood pur-
| sue the slayer while his heart is hot
and overtake him. because the way is
long. and STAY him; whereas he was
not worthy of deaJh. inasmuch as he
| hated him not in time past.
| In reference TO these verses from the
bible. he pencilled the following:
The laws of God is fulfilled. You
read what these passages say about IT
and that was the way in my case.
Four children were burned to death
in a dwelling at French Run, Penn.