The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-05
no Founda1t;!iot,n yt,l7 10, for / 4 Re- Re
|. poOrt'Thati Made Con-
feSsion Before Death. D i
HE WAS 8lNDIG NlAN''T-l5 I J. 58s..
AIT THE SUGGESTION.
Rev. Dr.. Hatcher, Who NJ Was Y the
Unfortunate Mans Spiritual
Adviser, Breaks Long 81
lence and Tells What \ hat IS
,.45 the c ndainncd Man
N Said.

lsE n
# the 4 SConde dernncd Man
Said 3 Nh
u am not guilty am innocent OF ls83
the blood Of Llllla n M dison.,n Z, Z L, I5S; n
u. rfcse a were the word ds y spoken s44 py5
III THomns j i. Cluverius to his spirl ltual nd
yIscr5 While In the Richmond .ail await.
ing execution for the 1nurucl'5. ON III ms
cousin. This was q ftcr every fforL orr ~ q
& secure n new trial had failed and Coy
}crnor Leo had grant ted q respt teE OF thirty
lays. .55& III KS n
4 few months before he vert to the
~ sea fold & on the morning or January l4t ~
1857, Cluverlus, whileSalone with MS spir'
e slIal adviser. said again, in reply g To- q q
question 3!s 81 s3 5fg ,8 .5553 s3
sss :,sss nss''i Ct: s%s & e: e
h These two statements set al rest allS
doubt as to whether or not. Cluyerllus 'l
made q confession. They are furnished
to Tic Times Dispatch by Rev Dr.5tS,1l.
liam II, Hatcher, who was the splrltua!
/ adviser of5itiie condemned man. Up \ to
this time DR.. Hatcher hns stead lastly
.s declined to say neither or not cluYerlus,
ia private Interviews with him. adn,it tted t
Ills guilt. IInYiilg received a plumber qf
letters to the effect II that re ports h were
being circulated that cluyerius made q
confession, The Tirness spatc M Rro!e3 g
4 to Dr.. Hatcher nnd asked q him Tor Z .i g
statement that would III dispose OF the: n
III matter. sS55sS
\ His Spiritual Adviser.
S.5 Dr. Hatcher. complying With this re
K quest. has prepared tho following state
3s ,ncnt whichRwill4b be read wit wi deEpread'
y our n Ole touching the question OF the
N CIuYerius confession Is before Ine. 81 AS Is
@ widely known bore q to that nhappy
4 young man the relnt ton of a. rel sious
counsellor in5 iise5 closing days. ON tie
morning after his cxecntfo ii n41 had In; The
q concerning his cas ca stn tethe1 n urgently y
sought BY the paper and az 5l though de-
rna1,ded by tile condt ttions OF publ ic Escnti-
1ncnt sat VI that u time, From IL hat day TO
I the present my evident duty scerne q Ito
consist In. observing the utmost silence
This I would much prefer 70 do no NJ but
the courteous tone o. & 80 ursS ote 5of IN.
uiiry, he fact that 4 he su beet g Grim
inal confessions hns u reesn tly II bee n ~ rem
a dcrcd 50 Intensely interesting to- the Viz
ginin people, and the further ia that
not a few suppose that ! carry q ecret
which ought belong to the pu bill caAcpnz
strain me to break the seal of slle lend4e;; IA
gi55It might be enough for me to s5f IN
brlefcst terms that Cluverius did not
make tome any confession Of his guilt.
There was not In aall his frequent and and
frank conversations with me even he hint
4 of a confession, and while I kro y moth
Ing as 10 his making aSconfcssion to an
other, X would be slow to believe Wit thout
~ fullest proof that he eve made any state
4 1ncnt to any mortal involving a. conles-
sion that he was the murdercr8of Lillian
Madison & IS
Denied His Guilt. Z
si At the time Governor Lee refused #t 9
interfere X, his case. IA respitcg OF a month
was given him upoilNnly own q PIP ltcat Ion.
When THIS kindness was granted him, !
Is %communcnt ted to- Cluvcrius the fact IN
doing this said to him hat as he had
asked me to look after his spiritual well
fare i felt constrained to say to him
that humanly speaking, his execution
could not be delayed beyond tts end of
his respite, ana that \ felt that he8 ought
TO face tho dread issue before y NJ IN and
prepare & to enter into the presence OF
God. told him also 4 hat 1t was oSwisil
OF mine to invade tho secrc cies3 OF his re
and thnt he knew i had never In my In
terviews with him dealt wlthSthe question
Of his Innocence or guilt, but that II
was to be of5any service to him, ! ought
really to4lnow the facts In his case-thnt
A IL he was innocent he would need one
&lineb Of trea tment and n guilty, he would
III need another assured him that iRF
would not invite his conf fldence$ with a
view OF revealing aught that no might
commit to me In confidence Naturally
~ said to him that3if In reality nc was
a guilty and hid dcllberat ely his guilt by
denial, i could not hope for tho mercy
Of God in his behalf. y assured him that
I I would Fnota seek toacxtort any confess
sion from Shirt--that to be worth anything
38it must 'be open and provldential
R closed by saying to him tint would
accept any statement that he gave 'Rne
as final and act on tlt. ThereuRon he
replied. T. B. &, {,
Innocent Of the blood or II Ian Madison y
~ i simply replied tint II { he meant that
~ statement to cover tho whole case, 81 !
would accept I'll ana treat him according
@Sly, ThlsfI did with 3unyaryng consistency
Ito the houlss$of his death,
&8 When / was las alone With him IN hls
A1 cell al few minutes before we went 3 &c
the scene of eXecllt Ions y reMa rked, Is Slt
s him 1 that ] supposed that was the lns1
a moment when weE3wou.d loe entirely tc
Il ourselves, and that IL he desired to spent
confldentally TO MO aubout any mai ter
he must do It then r. his was not sale
with any reference to his guilt or limo
cence, but he evidently thuught4it WAS An
tended to broachlS that subject, for ht
glanced searchinglS at me. and said:
s,No, doctor; my statement to you mus
stand, {, IT Is true, and shall die b1
IT, S #sss fl y A
# s. And he did, II ts.$IA q Il Nj Fs5 I
Never Had ANY, II ope,5
S 4 The young man tod ne that he hat
~ never had any very strong hope of de-
&tliyerance from his dom after tho Yer
dict az the jury, butltlle added that h
g heldaIire as the gift Sr GO and he fsl
,Stp save himself FROM the shame ant
%8oruelty of the ga allows VI III was possilo;'
to do so. He added tint the love sof III,
@ was strong within him. Abutt !. that 'eSWa!
h not In the least afraid 10 meet death
Nor did hs seem 10 be fhen The fearfp