General Intelligence: Execution For Murder

The Christian Freeman con tai ns the following account of the honging of Hall at Menden, Conn. as stated by S. M. Booth. Hall, if we remember rightly, hadentered the house of one of bis neighbors on Sunday to steal monev. Bein surprised in the net by Mrs. Bacon, to avoid detection, on the spur of the moment he killed lier. The thoughtof coramitting murder had not entered his tnind before: "He slept well for a week before his execution, a fact which will be readily comprehended by those who know the tendency of deep sorrow to induce to sleep. The night before his execulion, he slept little, but ate heartily in the morning. About three weeks before his death, he told me he feit unprepared to die, and was anxious for his soul; but a week ago, his feelings underwent a great change, and he was baptised by an Episcopal clergyman. He spent most of the time yesterday, in con versa tion with ministers and in medilation and prayer. He praycd most fervently himself, and extemporaneously, exressing the deepest penitence for his gunt, and earnestly imploring the Divine forgiveness. I givea few of his remarks in the forenoen as indicative of his feelings. He was anxious to know how a person would look after being hung. "I suppose the tongue and face will look bad." "How long do they generally hang - are they disiigured much ?i3' " I never had a bad disposition - was always willinsc to do." His nulswas 110. Whala pressure was upon bis heartto force the blood so swiftly through his veins ! Read the Scriptures. The 51st and 88th Psalms were his choice. How appropriate to his case ! On beiiig asked how he feit - " I stand it prcttv well." Mr. Baconj the husband of tïic fnurdered woman, came into the cel]. Rev. Mr. Huls asked Hall, "Do you feer to ask Mr. Bacon's forgiveness V ? I desire to from my heart,' was his replyj- Mr. Yalef of Meriden, to Mr, Bacon - 'Can you forgive' h'ini V Mr. Bacon - ' I think I ought to - I think I can - I have seen no pemitence.-' Hall - 'You have been wrongly informed, Mr. Bacon.' Mr. Bacon,-=-'I think the law ought to havo its just demands - I freely forgive you--if God forgives you I ought to.'At abouí half past one o'clock. he was bronght out of his cell, dressed m his grave clothes, on the platform. The gallows was enclosed in a frame, nerhaps 12 or 15 feet square, and boarded up 10 feet high. Rev. Mr. Hilis of the Episcopal Church, read a prayer, and Rev. Mr. Iloward of the Baptist Church made aiïfostsolemn and' affectirig prayer. Hall read the 51st Psalm, and a prayer from the prayer book, aloud. He thanked Mr. Yale and the family, Mr. Gal pin and his family, Mr. Wartt, the jailor, and his family, and all other friends for the kindness they had shown him duriing his trial and imprisonment, and heartily asked the forgiveness ofevery one he had injured, as he hopedto be forgiven of God. (Mr.. Bacon, his to' scyns, aad' all the near male rehitions of the mtirdeied woman, were present-and including officers, ministers, physicians, and others, about 60 in all.) He looked arotfné upon 'the crowd - at the gallons and at the.bíue sky above and said, '' It is hard1 lo1 die.' He groaned audrbly and and ejaculated, Lord, have mercy on me.'-'At the end of 25 minutes, he asked how much more time lie should have. The Sheriff told hirn to set his own time. He named fifteen minutes. At the expiro, tion o[ the time, Hall said he thought he was to be told of the time íive minutes befuvc it expired. The Sheriíí" said he would give him live minutes more. The cap was drawn his face, -and tiïe minutes counied, one by one. At the end of four minutes he rose Trom his seat, the choir was taken clown - he said, ' Farewell, Mr. Yale.' Mr. Yalc bade liim look to the Savior, and forget every thing else. In a minute, at ten minutes past lwo o'clock, the Sheriff said, ' Cut !' At the first blow, thedeputy cut but two strands of the rope - it stretched and let the platform down a little. Hall cried out with an unearthly groan, which was heard by the multitudes in the street, and at a great distance; but before he could draw another breath, the rope was cut - the drop feil - he drew up hisshoulders twice or thrice - his bosom heaved a few times, aqd then, without another struggle, he passed into the. land of spirits. Whaf a warning is his untimely end, to all who have taken the first step in the road of transgression.After hanging about 40 minutes he was taken down, placed in his coffin, and delivered into tlie custody of his friends. - A hollow square was formed by the soldiers, in the centre of the street, in front ofthejail, from which an avenue, hned by soldiers, extended to the house - the corpse was brought to the centre of the square, and the people in an orderty manner, passed between two files of soldiers ou each side of the coffin, viewed the corpse, and quickly dispersed to their homes. The body was brought to Meriden, at Hall's request, and interred in thecommon burying ground in the presence of a large concourse of people. - There was considerable excitement in Meriden at having a murderer buried there, and it was said that 200 persons called on the sext on during the day. and requested him to desist digging the grave. But when fhey viewed the lifeless rernains of Hall, their feelings appeared to bechanged. The face looked natuaal, and pleasant - no distortion. as is frequently the case, when persons are hung. Hall left two letters to be opened after his execution - one to his wife, and one to Mr. Levi Yale, 2d, Esq. The letter to Mr. Yale is truly affecting, expressly his own guilt, - taking all the blame to himself - manifesting penitence for his sins, and trust in the Redeemer. I have given publicity to these facts, because I know the publio feel an interest in them and because Hall has been pursued, living and dead, by professing Christians, with a vindictiveness utterly repugnant to the spirit of Christianily."CC?5 The cost of extending Morse's Mögnetic Telegraph frorn Baltimore to N. York, is estimated at $95,000. Thedislance is 203 miles, being nearly $500 a mile. The expense of Communications and of the necessary repairs would be small, after the route had been constructOd, the principal items being the salaries of the necessary clerks.. gl A Vcry Sad Case, - A student of low in this City was arrested yeslerdny under Ihe netv laiv ngninst se('uction. The case is a cofnmon but a peculiarly hard one. The victim is a lovely young woman, Iwentyyears o( age, beauliful, modest, truly pions, n member of' the Bunow's Church, Sansomstreet. and on orplian. She was visitcd a tong time by her betrayer, propoeals ofmarriage made and nccepied nnd the wedding day arranged. She loved and was lost. She confessed all to the lady vvith whom she reuled. The acctused confessed the promise of marriage and his wrong; but refused to marry his viclim. Il turned out thnt he had similarjy wro.iged anot.'ier, aad was about to be married perforce to her, so a criminal action wasentered against him. The character of this poor orphari girl storids high. She is praised as every thing modest and exemplary, by all who know her.- PAtV. Spirit of the Times.Murria ge of President Ty ter. The marriage of President Tylbr and Miss Julia, eldest o'aughter of the lare Hon. David Gardiner, of Long Island, took place yestert!ay rr.orning, ïiï the Church of ihe Ascensión, Fifth Avenue. The cercmony wrs perfonn ed by Right ReV. Bishop Onderdook, and was strictly private- t.'íe brida] party consisting of the Presïdeut and í:is bride elect, with lier brother and siater, John Tyler, jr. and lady, and five o'r s friends. Tlie lady is aaid to be about fi'veis a Irelle, an heiress, ondofgreat personat beudty.The conclusión of the nuptial cercrnmy wa6 announced by a fu 11 National saíutii from each ofhe U. S. vessels in port and frpm the sevcral forls. Üpon leaving the f hurch ihe bridal party proceeded lo the Gardiner family residence on Long Islund. A. F. Tribune,lm menso Rtanuftu i iring Opera lions. - Th e Preston. (Eng.) Guardian mentions the erection of a gigantic power lóom shed. said to be the largest in theworld and built for Messrs. Ainsworth & Ca. Thc s]ied ís 3'50 fcet in Jtngth, by 187 iu breadih.ánd divided into oo liays. The roof ís supported by 25? columna. lt s calculated to comaiu K(50 looms, and when complete the nuinber of hands ntftualíy employerfin the room will be 855. The produötion oí thc looms wiJl avernge 18.330 piecear, 20 yards eadí or 3 J-5 pieces per minute. Thiff opppl'ieá to tlie WenVhig shed alone, independent of thc spinning -nd" uther departinente.Later Jrom China- -A rrivul oMr. Cushing - The Argyle, Capt. Cooper, ofBaltimore arrived yesterday froin Conton, having saüed from thence on the I5th of March 'The oiily important ntelligence we have from that place is the arrival of Mr. Cushinír, tlie American Minister, who arrivednl Uong Kong on the 5lh of March in good health He was lo proceed to Cantón aa soon as he could rhake the necessary nrrang-ements to leave Uoncr Kong. Tiie Americnn Cónsul ts mnking preparations to receive him at Cantor with due honor. A Liberty pnle Xviss to be raised on the occusion- .V. Y. Tribvne. StarUing Discovery - Tho Philadelphia Gnzotte of Salurday evenmg says;"So linie cxcifemerit has just been crented in the Stock Board aml among the wholo cjrcle intcrested in the Stock business.. by the dscovery of a tolegrnphic comtnunication b.etween ihia citv and New York. We remember that ihe New York correspondent of the Nonh Vmerk-an sev'ïrnl montbsngoput the public on iheir puard against tliis mode of inimediate despatch practiced by ccrtain pañíes in both citiea. The (act. then doubted, is proved now beyond any question. Wc need not say that a eombination of this sort is entirely nt varinncc with the safe trnnsaction of business by parties not in the stcrei."Salli, nniler's Case- This extraordinnry ense still occupies ihc the court at New Orleans. The Picayunc, Mny 29, says: It is the strnngest afHn'r we ever kneu-. A white woinon upwards of twenty yenrs in negro bondage; married and ihe mother of reputed slaves; sold at auction; and now saèing her soidieant first owncr, wlio name she bears! It is mostexiraordinarv anda sad romance of reai life. The trial will Iaat for eome time.lan-jrance.- lt is impossible to make people understancl their norance, i'or it rcquires knowlcdge to perceiveit; nnd therefore he thalcan percoive it, hatli it not.- Bislwp Taylor. Qnuf-ons and Ansutrs. - Questic nt.-Wto is Mr. l'olk? Why was he nominatcd? Who nominnted hiin? Answers.- Mr. Polk was a gng-spenker of the House of Representaiives. und m in lavor of Texas and slaxery. Thia is ichy he was nominated. and ihis too aliows who nominated hini.- Cin Hcrald.The judicinry commiite of rho Connccticui Legislature reported agninst ihe bill to puaish seduction by iiiprisoiinient ra the State prison not less than three nor more than five years; bill neg'atived. The Suprcme Court of R. Island, have senteiiced T. W. Dorr, to Siaie Prison for life.- The Journal of Commeice snys, that it he petitions .or pardon und swcars allegiance to the government and constituiion of Rhode Jsiand. he will be di charged. Seriousapprehensionsare beginning to be entertained in tegard to thesafety of Mi. Cüshing. Minister tu China. Nothing has been henrd of him or the ship in which he sailed sincft he. led Bombay. and it is feared the vesáel has gone down h'ith all on board in sume of the tremendous gales that visit the Eastern bsus.-Jiuff Adv. 29.■ Ex ra Sission of Congress.-lt is rumored ihat it has been paitly deienuined by the Cnbinet to recommend an Extra Session of Congress to be held on the Ist of October. It is nlsó rumored that Mussrs. Calhoun, Masón nnd Nelson, have made t n fine qua non thatif they are to rcmnin ia the Cabinei. the Presidem must re1 nquisli his inieniun lo be a Candidate or tnc Presidency.O'Connell.- Speaking of 0ConneI]'s imprUonment, a Dubliii correspondent of the London Morning Herald says that "Mr. O'Connell selected rooms n the South Circular Penitentiary, for faimse.f and friends, severa I days before liis sentence- the Governor of that prison having given uo bis own apartments fot lije better accommodatfon of his ;'illustrious gneets." The prison to which tlie repeul lenders have been consigned is very ppacious and salubrious. There are two extensive gardens- one of which contains about three acres,weil cukivated and neatly laid out, to which they wil] haVe free access from an early hour in ihe raorning1 to an ad'vanccd period in the eveningvA Couple of Duels.- Thé New Orleans Picayune of the 7lh inst. says: A duel was fought yesterday near Terre Bceuf, in Ihe parishof St Bernerd, betwaen two'pfenters on the coast. The weipons used were pistols, and at tiie first fire, one of the parties was, it ssaid, mortalty wounded. Another duel took place in the afternoon bet ween two Creóles near the Buy on road. The weapons used were small swords. One of the principáis was dangerously wounded, and at the same time, by some unbappy casualty, hé inflicted a wound upon the frieud who accom-panied hira to the ground.'