Year: 1861

he took occasion to refer to some Of the ev-
idence advanced against him, and said he
had not had fair trial, and went into a
strange argument to prove the improprety
of capital punishment, in which he said
he never believed Judge Graham, in a
very solemn and impressive mannar, then
prounced the fQllQVing sentence:


After a trial before an impartial and in
teIIlgent jury OF your own selection, defended
I by learned and Jealous counsel, whose ability
and energy were exerted with the magnitude
and aoIemnity Of the issue pending, You have
Leen found guilty of the crime Of murder in
the first degrce-the most aggravated offence
known to the laws of our Commonwealth
1t Is seldom that the community is startled
with such evidence of human deprayity. The
murder was deliberately planned, and execu
ted with heartless cruelty, which, after
wards, in relating to others the sickening de
tails OF the horrid tragedy. you could only
attribute 10 the instigation of the devil. You
approached the dwelling Of your victim. with
your companion in criE!e, in the darkness of
the night. BY a rap at the door you induced
the unsuspectng and hospitable old man to
direct his little grand daughter, about fosp-
teen years OF age, to unbolt the door and per-
mil you to enter, and, after arousng feeble
old man, who had passed his three score
years and ten, from his bed, with a pistol
presented. You demanded his money, and on
his refusal to comply with your demand, You
deliberately discharged your pistol ut his
head. Failing to infict mortal wound, and
discovering chat your work was but partially
performed, you rushed upon him with hat
chet, with which you were also armed. and bv
repeated blows on the head you terminated
the fearful work Of death. And afterwards,
when arrested and in the hands of the officer
who was conveying you to the county Jail,
without solicitation or inducement, YOU cool
~ stated, more by way Of boasting than in
penitence and remorse, that the arrangement
between you and your companions in iniquitv
was that you were to do the shooting and Kill
ling and then you were to divide the money.
We refer to these details of this cruel TRACE
DIV, not to lacerate your feelings or sensibili-
ty' for you must certainly feel the remorse
consequent upon your gni.t and crime, if
aught of feeling or sensibility exists in your
nature, and the perceptions of right or wrong
are not altogether obliterated from your con-
science, but TO impress you with the enormity of
your crime, the business of your conviction,
and the certainty of your punishment Your
own voluntary declarations, in the absence of
all other evidence, establishes your guilt be-
yond the possibility of doubt, and the 9th
er evidence, in the absence of your own
statements, is Just as satsfactory-in the two
combined your guilt is donbiy proved.


We therefore admonish you to Danish from
your mind all hope cf human deliverance-
Ey the laws Of our Commonwealth the death
of the wiltul and deliberate murderer is the
penalty Of his crime and this death penalty
is sanctioned by the Supreme Lawgiver of the
'uiv vsrb, bat lor1,rnl IL,
sheddrth mans blood, by man shall his blood
be she'd.


Your days gpo2 earth are FAST fitting
away. . few more bright suns will "illuma
your cell. followed by the gloomy shades Of
night, and then time to you will be no Ion
ger Standing rs you now are on the verge
OF life and threshold Of eternity, we earnestly
entre&t you tq prepare fer that great and sol
emn change which soon awaits YOU Al
though sinful and gQilty, the blood of Christ
cleanseth from sin, and thEogg3 the Gton;ng
efforts of once crucifed but now glorifed
lntereessor and Redeemer, you can only hope
for pardon and reconciliation with an offend.
ed God


You will soon appear before the Great
Judge of al the earth, and be assigned
your place throughout an endless eternity, in
bliss o. eternal despair That God by his
grace may enable you to repent of your sins,
and to seek and obtain his pardon and forgive,
ness, is our solemn and fervcnt hope at this,
which will probably be. our last meeting in
this world


The last solemn duty, which must now be
performed by the Court, is to pronounce the
sentence of the law upon you, which is,


That you John Lowering, be taken hence by
the Sheriff of Juniata county to the Jail Of
said county from whence you came, and from
thence to the place OF execution, within the
walls or yard of the Jail of the said county of
Juniata, and that you lie there hanged by
the neck until you are dead-And may God
have mercy on your soul.