Indiana Palladium, Volume 6, Number 44, Lawrenceburg, Dearborn County, 6 November 1830 — Page 2

EXECUTION OFKNAPP. On Tuesday last the drendfulsentence of the taw was executed upon John Francis Knapp, who had been convicted as principal in the second degree in the murder of Joseph White in this town on the night of the 6th April last. Some particulars of this mournful ceremony, and of the conduct of the youthful criminal, during the last hours of his existence, will doubtless be expected by our readers. On Monday, he had a second interview in his owu cell, with his brother Joseph, which wa3 of long continuance, and took their last farewell of each other. The elder brother, who is much

enfeebled in body and distressed in mind, was overwhelmed with grief and remorsa, but the younger sustained the interview with much firmness. His father and other relatives also visited bim and took their final leave of him. On Monday afternoon, the prisoner requested to be left alone for the night, but the Sheriff considered it hie duty to refuse the request, stating that there should be no interruptions to his devotions or pursuits. Two officers were accordingly placed in his cell, who re mained with bim till morning. They State that he slept quietly for live hours, and both before and after his sleep conversed freely and with calmness on the subject of the approaching ceremonies, and respecting his trial, &c. He partook of hissupperand breakfast asusual. Very early in the morning of Tuesday, the Right Reverend Bishop Griswold, of the Protestant Episcopal Church, visited the prisoner in his eel), and the venerable prelate continued with bimduring the remaining hours or of his existence, He had requested that all the religious services should be performed in the prison in order to prevent any delay after he should ascend the scafFdd. The bishop remained an hour in private conversation, prayer and devotion with the prisoner, VVe learn that during this interview hewa greatly fifF cted, wept much, and conducted with propriety. Just before 8 o'clock. Sheriff Sprague announced that all the arrangements were completed, and asked the prisoner if he wished any delay. The prisoner requested that he might be allowed another half hour, which whs granted. During this time, a young man who had come with a message from the family, was admitted to the cell. At half past 8, the prisoner was conducted from the cell by the Sheriff and his Deputies at the prison door, he put his bands behind him and submitted to be pinioned with great composure walked' to the ecaf. fold, on the North side of the prison yard, about 100 feet distance, accompanied by the Bishop, and attended by the Sheriffs; his step was tirm, his appearance calm and his countenance unmoved. As soon as he arrived at the scaffold, he tried the drop with one foot before ascending it; then placed himself in a situation to allow the noose to be adjusted, which was immediately attended to by one of the Deputy Sheriffs. He was very neatly dressed in a dark Irock coat, blue pantaloons, light vest, boot?, &c. lie had a white hand kerchief in the breast pocket of his coat v?-hich he took in his hand and held there till his death. He was very pale nnd appeared precisely as in court. He did not look much about him, but turned M body hy direction of the officers, after his legs were tied, so as to face the "fiifier who read the death warrant. Sheriff Spragoe then read in an audible voicp. with remarkable distinctness and impulsiveness, the warrant for the execution. The Shenffaskp.d the prisoner if he had any thing to say he said "NV (the only word he 6poke upon ihe Scaffold,) and instantly the drop fell I The neck was bared, the nwoae adjusted with great pressure, and his sufferings Were apparently short. For halt a minute there was not the slightest motion of the body.. Que or two slight convulsive motion? were afterwards observed, and in three minutes he was to all appearance dead. It was 16 minutes before nine when the drop fell; he was suspended a little more than forty minute;, when he was taken down by the cfli:er,put into a coffin which had been pi teed under the gallows, and carried into the prison The body remained there till one o'clock when it was delivered up to the family and, in the evening was decently interred. Essex Register. Maine. Jonaa Fame worth, esq. has, on ihe second trial, been re-elected fmm the representative district, compodofDonnysviUe.&c. This makes eigtity-three Republican members alleady erected to the House, and we shall probably h.ive two or three more from the disricts that are yet to choose Wo may calcutate, at least,on 20 majority in joint ballot. Lincoln tnteL . An Irish preacher,late from Doublin, decanting nn ihe strength of Sampson, informed his audience that with the jaw bone of an ass he put a thousand Philistines to the point of the bayonet

COMMUNICATION.

EXAMINER No. X. Fellow citizens, the Dearborn circuit court lias lately closed its business, afiera cession of 8 or 10, days. I am not advised of ..he number of compl.wits and biiU of indictment found by the grand jury, bui I understand that the following" gentlemen were complained of before the gran t jury, for usurpation in office, in violation of their oaths and the coustituton ol Iu diana, viz: John Spencer, for holding three lucrative offices, (sheriff, collector, and deputy marshal to take the Census for this county:) James D.II, for hold Kg the office of clerk of the Dearborn circuit court, the last seven jears, (he not being eligible to that office but one term of seven years by election.) tor holding the office of recorder of said county, for holding the office of cleik to the senate of this state several times, for holding the office of clerk at an Indian treaty, for holding the office of inspector of aland office in the state of Missis sippi, Qthe clerk of a circuit court and a recorder of ... county are permitted by the constitution to be held by one person, and no others ) all lucrative offices ; Thomas Palmer, for holding two lucrative offices, (justice of the peace and treasurer of the county of Dearborn;) Jsrnes V. Hunter, for holding two lucrative offices,) justice of the peace and postmaster,) and George H. Dunn, for holding two lucrative offices, (judge of probale and marshal of the town of Lawrenceburgli The foreman of the grand jury admitted, that the above complaints, were ail, with one exception, (deputy marshal,) within his own knowledge, and that was sustained by testimony, so far as CoL Spencer acts in that capacity. After the grand jury had had the complaints under consideration nearly one day, the foreman of said jury informed the complainant, on his second visit, that they could not do any thing with the complain s; they could not indict those violator tor perjury nor usurpation in office, although the constitution was express against them: But there was a remedy in the court below, (as he termed it,) by a writ of quo warranto, or by impeachment before ihe legislative assembly of the state. On hearing this, and having an injunction laid on the con piainant, to prevent receiving any further testimon against those gent;emen, a very earnest inquiry wis generally made by the jurors, to know if the complainant knew of any horse racing, card playing, or fighting in the course of the last six months. The anxiety apparent on this inqu.ry was truly astonishing; it excited iu the complainant an involuntary sigh, wuh almost an exclamation at the same time: My God! where am i! 1 it possibie these men set here to take cognizance of crimes and bring the transgressor to a just tribunal, where all are dsalt with according to their deserts! Our grand juries are like a magic net ; the meshes are so constructed as to catch the small fish and let the iarge ones pass through. The course of our grand juries, in letting crimes ol the first magnitude pass ui noticedy and using their authority in hunting up crimes the least offensive to the public, puts me in mind of a farmer who wa? very rt.uch troubled with vermin in his granery; and to prevent the total destruction of his grain put a very formidable ctin o his gram house, to punish those animals for their transgressions. But unfortunately for the farm-r his cat had a very delicate appetiter and a great aversion to rat stomach and appetite was very great' for mice; ! nesu, anu let mem pass unnotictd: but her by which means the rats, who destroyed most of the grain, were left undisturbed in their hvoc, while the poor little mice were treated with exemplary severity for the most trying misdemeanors. The state's attorney, for this circuit, is- a gentleman I am not acquainted with ; but he is said to be a very clever little man. I fear he is Uttie in too many senses of the word. I have been informed, by one of the grand jury, since their session, that the state's attorney was doubtful on the constitutional question, but there is no doubt of h's united efforts with the jury in fetching the offenders in horse racing-, card -playing, and fighting to answer to the laws of their country. 'Little boats should keep near shore; But larger vessels venture more." D miel Jackson, of this township, wa3 convicted olla.ceny in one or two pair of shoes. The amount of property s.olen (if I mistake not,) less than four dodars. He was then a youth, of about sixteen. Any reasonable person would suppose his age and inexperience, would have been taken as palliating circumstances, and his first trangress ion punished with less severity, than a state's prison for one year: which sentence has fixed an irreparabie stain on his moral ch'aiacter. But crimes, in open violation of obligations and the constitution of this state, are too small to be noticed by our grand juries. But I trust the time will come when the constitution wilt be supported, and its invaders punished according to their deserts. II our constitution vs not good; have it altered and amended until it is right ; but in the mean time let us use our united efforts in its support I it good policy to have our laws administered with great severity, on the uninformed, inexperienced, youths anil children, and let the cunning anil sly transgressor pass unnoticed? In sendmga jouth to a state's prison, the nation sustains a tv-'o fold loss j 1st by depriving him of his liberty, whereby he is prevented from aiding in defence of his ceuntry ; 2d, by the loss of that number who are necessary to secure ' he confinement of the prisoner V mild it not be better to have our laws so modified, that their nrincipal tenor would be rather to reclaim and save, than cut down and destroy? Gaii not the parents be made accountable for their children's acts, in some measure, until they are of a sufficient age and experience to know the consequence of violating the laws of their country? The first objeet in all wise governments, is to hare the constitutional rights maintained, and every infringement, which affects the fundamental principles of the government, punished with severity. But in the same irovernrnents, the errors of rnnth onrl mi npnn( have been tolerated : ana 0 aproper allowancemade for the passions, habits and dispositions, in making up a righteous and i iudicious iudsrment. in all criminal casesIf we cannot live up to the landmarks of our state constitution, and support our government on its broad basis, let it fail; who wants a constitution if it is to be trampled upon by the strong and opulent part of the communityr and bear with more than ordinary severity on the youthful and weak part cf society? The very idea of partiality in the administration of government, is appalling to every well wisher to his country. Hut as the foreman of the grand jury gare a hint that those gentlemen complained of, could be tried try impeachment, I wdl leave tliem to the decision of that tribunal. i'.xaminer. Massachusetts. John Quincy Adams, late President of the United States, has been nominated by a convention to represent the Plymouth district in congress, and it is said that he will not decline thepomination Mr. Richardson, tbej present member, wishing to retire.

WABASH CANAL LANDS. To ihe tailors of the Ohio State Journal, The advertisement of the sale of the Can.il Land in Indiana, on

the Vaba3h and Maumee river?, induced me to Visit that section of country: and I subjoin the following remarks to invite the attention of the many emigrants to the west, to that quarter. The western termination of the Canal route, is on the north side of the Wabash, two mile3 above the mouth of the Tippacanoe. The Canal is located from that point, on the north side of the Wabash, to the mouth of Little river, a distance of 80 miles; from "thence on the northwest side of the valley of Little river, across the Portage Summit, 2G milea to the town of Fort Wayne; and from that place 22 miles down the south side of the Maumee river, to the Ohio State line. The Canal grant extends 5 miles on each side of the Canal route, and includes the bottomlands on both sides of the Wabash, Little and Maumee rivers, and is included in the counties of Carroll, Cass and Alien, in Indiana. That portion of the Canal district, on the Wabash river, is watered by the Tippacnnoe, Eel, Mississinaway and Snlamanic rivers, all of which are large streams, and navigable for flatboats in the spring season. In addition to these, are ; number of large creeks which allbrd fine mill seat?. Creek3 and branches of a smaller size are numerous; and no portion of country, perhaps, is more abundantly supplied with never-failing, pure limestone springs, than this. The character of th country on the Wabash, above the janction of the Tippacanoe, is essentially changed from that below. Near that point, a range of limestone country commences, and extends 80 or 90 miJea up the river; it is well timbered with elm-, walnut, hackberry, sugar tree, ash, cherry, &x. The river is generally confined within its banks, and not subject to overlow. The surface of the country is sufficiently undulating to give to the numerous springs and branches, a brisk current to the nvera The 3cil for fertility, is equal to the richest parts of Indiana or Ohio, and is surpassed by none in point of healthfuhiess and' pleasant ness of situation. Near the mouth of Eel ri very there is a great accumulation of water power, the best perhaps in the state. Both the Wabash and Eel rivers, within two miles of their junction, fall 16 feet in the distance of one mile on a rocky bed, and may be easily commanded for hydraulic pur-poser.-The lands of the Canal donation, on the summit section of the Canal route, from the mouth of Little river to Fort Wayne, are cot as fertile as those on the Wabash and Mairmee.- This pnrt of the donation contains a considerable portion of barrens and prairie lands, a part of which is of the wet prairie description. It is, howeve, interspersed with- many places that are extremely fertile. The wood land part of this portion is covered with the best kinds of white oak, poplar &. other species of timber. This section is tolerably well adapted for the culture of wheat, and grazing farms; and from the fact of the first part of the Canal having to be made in this section to connect the St. Joseph and Wabash, a speedy settlement will be induced. The lands on the Maumee river are very rich and well timbered. There are no stone quarries or rock in this section of the country: and springs are not as frequent as on the Wabash. It i?j however, well watered with creeks; and from the easy navigation afforded by the Maumee to Lake Erie, it will be a matter of consideration to all those who are seeking an eligible situation for market ajid intercourse with the eastern citiesv Fort Wayne, Logansport and Delphi, the &eats of justice of the counties of Allen, Cass and Carroll, are all in the Canal donation. To a stranger, Fort Wayne is an interesting place, from the variety of its inhabitants which are composed of all the grades, from the intelligent, enterprising,, pohte American and French citizen, to the wildest Indian ; as well as from its bearing the name of the bravest General the country has produced, and having for . - . J" defeat and victory. Many ol the citi zeus remember Harmar's defeat, point out the places occupied by tne troops, and relate the incidents of the battle. Situated at the junction of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph's, and at the head of the Maumee rivers, a large part of the lands in its vicinity are in the river bottoms, and very rich. The Maumee affords a navigation for keel i and flat-boats to Lake Erie; and makes Fort Wayne a commercial point which is probably destined hereafter to be commanding and important. Merchandize sold here, is brought by water from New York for 2,25 cents per 100 cwt. in 14 days. Amount of merchandize sold annually, as near as an estimate can be made, something over 100,000; amount of Furs and Peltries collected from the Indians, 75,000; number of inhabitants between 4 and

500. The trr.de and town are both rapidly improving. Logansport is 75 or 80 miles southwestern!)' from Fort Wayne, at the confluence of the Wabash and Eel riversit contains nearly as many inhabitants as Fort Wayne, and has all been built and settled since May, 1828. About the first of June last, a Steamboat came within 8 miles of this place and safely returned. The Michigan road from the Ohio to the Lake, passes through this town. Delphi is 21 miles on the Wabash, below Logansport; it has been laid out in lots but a short time, and contains, probably between 150 and 200 inhabitants. The country around it is remarkably fertile. Its population, however, was checked by the prohibition of the sales of the Canal lands in 1827. But as it is fairly within the access of Steam-boat fnavigation, the productiveness of the country will ensure its rapid improvement. Tippacanoe, the county adjoining the Canal donation on the Wabash, was organized in 1826; and its seat of justice, Lafayette, is already a place of commercial importance, and the depot for the merchandize shipped up the river to supply a Considerable extent of country around it. The prairie country commences here ; and as they are not very large, about the due proportion of wood and clear lands are naturally formed, and the farmer has only to fence and plough his grounds to raise the first Crop. Six or eight miles on the road from Lafayette to Indianapolis, the corn fields adjoiningeach other in the margin of the prairie, are said to occupy 2,500 acres, anu may be seen at one view. This country is supposed to have settled and improved with greater rapidity than any other in the Slate. The lands are very productive. The Canal in Indiana, as located by the corps of the United Stales' Engineers, is 215) miles in length. The cost estimated at 1,100,000', or less than 9,000 per mile. The country, it is said, affords great facilities for a work of this kind nearly the whole of the excavation is only between three and four feet of earth ; and no place exceeding 8 feet no deep cut.- At the summit, the waters of the St Joseph's and

Little river are supposed to commingle, in the hfghest fre3hels; and that to have the Canal sufficiently elevated to pass the St. Gary's river, in an aqueduct, on the highest level, was more of an object of consideration with the Engineers, than the depth of the excavation at the summit. The people Of fndiaria appear fV entertain no dbubt of a portion of their Canal being put under contract early the nest year; and having that portion of it between the St. Joseph's and Wabash rivers, 30 miles in extent, finished in a reasonable time thereafter. The population of the State is supposed to be nearly 400,000; and with so valuable a donation from the general government, I can have no other opinion but the work will be finished within the Jime pledged by the provisions of the Canal law. From a pretty general" examination and acquaintance with the western country, I am constrained to add, that for fertility of soil, advantages of water communication and' healthfulness of climate, the tract of country en the Maumee and Wabash rivers is entitled to rank amongst the most favored portions, and is worthy the attention and examination of every emigrant. A TRAVELLER Vermont. The legislature of this state met at Montpelier last week, and the votes for governor being counted, were as follows: For Sam'l C. Crafts, ("national republican,") 13,470 Wiiliam A. Palmer, (antf-mas.)10,923. Ezra Meech, (Jackson,) G,2C5 Scattering, 37 No one having a majority of the whole number of votes, the choice devolved on the legislature and Mr. Crafts was chosen. JYiles. Baton-Rouge, October 9. Jifurder. Qn the 1st inst the Coroner held an inquest at the house of Mr. Kennel h L M'Rea. cn Red Wood, in this parish, about 23 miles from Baton Rouge, on the body of a young man named David Jry, w ho was shot through the head with a rifte ball while picking cotton in Mr M'Rea's fieid, the day before, by a man named Lemuel Jiurjem The following are the facts said to be connected with this terrible murder. David Ivy, newly hired as a laberer with Mr M'Rea, had circulated the report it the neighborhood that Lemuel Burgesy who was married a few months ago in this parish, had flei from Alabama, where he had a wife, in consequence of a murder which he had committed These reports having come to the ear of Burges, he resolved to be revenged, and carried his purpose into execution on the 30th September iast, between the hoars of 4 and 5 p. m. by firing, at fifteen paces distance, a rifie at the head of the unfortunate Ivy, whom he believed to be alone in the field; but Mr. M'Rea and his sod were both in the same field about forty yards from the person shot, and at the repon of the gun, they turned their heads in that direction, and save Ivy fall and Burges running with a gun in his hand towards the fance where he mounted his horse and gallopped through the woods. He was immediately pursued by several persons, but their efforts to arrest him bwvc net ss yet been Uc?sful. Gaz.t:

England hns promptly recognized the new government of France, and it was confidently believed that this example would have a favorable effect on the determination of the other European courts. The facts of the acknowledgement of Louis Philip, by Great Britain, had diffused great joy itl France. The delivery of his new credentials by lord Stuart de Roihaay, took place on Wednesday, 1st Sept. when his lordship went to the king's palace in stale accompanied by the secretaries of the embassy. On quitting the palais royal, he was warmly applauded. It is stated that count de Rayneval has returned from Vienna to Paris, with information that the emperor of Austria was fully disposed to acknowledge the new French government. The court of Russia had not yet acknowledged the change in the government ; but, on the contrary, had interdicted all intercourse between the two countrie?, not allowing any French ships to enter the ports of Russia carrying the tri-coloured flag; at (be same time the interdict estendg to all French travellers. The intelligence which had reached St. Petersburg, was however, the mere fact that a revolution had broken 0Qt in France nothing was known cf the result. It was belie ved when the fact reacted Russia, that tranquility had been restored in Fwnce; that the French have elected the dukp of Orleans to be tFveir king; that the British government have acknowledged the wisdom of the choice; that Austrra is weH disposed toward the new constitution; and that other countries, equally afflicted, were disposed to fling off, and some of them had actually flung off, the shackles of tyranny, the emperor of Russia- will remove all the restrictions, and permit a free infercourse between the two nations. The following is an e xtract of a letter obtained from St. Petersburg, dated the 21st AugusfV "You will, I have no doubt, be considerably surprised at the course adopted by the Russian cabinet towards the new French government, a it has given no! ice trial no vessels havii g the tricoloured flag hoisted shall enter our ports, and that those bearing the white flag of France only shall be allowed to

anchor. Alter the many statements which have been circulated here of tho conc urrence of the emperor in a change in France, the French residents have) been surprised beyond measure. "It has been fully expected that rhero were some events of importance on tho rapi?, as the Russia ministry have had almost daily meeting?, to which occasionally have been summoned the British, Austrian, and the French ambassadorso "It is believed by many persons herer looking on the bright side of the picture, that the notice, issued by the Russian government' will be of a temporary nature ; and that the hostility of the emperor to the tri coloured flag will be whoUv done away with, when he learns that Great Britain has recognised the rew French king. It must be here mentioned that the Biti$h ambassador, when asked by the ministers of trie emperor, as to Ihe opinions of Ihe probable course his government would pursue, instantly replied that it was his conviction that Great Britain wr-utd not do any thing tending to milftate against the will of the French people. This is the story current here, among parties who sometime have possessed good information, and I see no reason to doubt the correctness of the statement. "The merchants and other French residents here have hat an intimation given le- thern that they are not to mko any sort of public demonstrations of joj inconsequence of the late transactions in Paris, under pain of being ordered to quit the country. Politicians here are awaiting with much anxiety the. result of the present declared opinions of the Russian government.77 One letter, a London paper pays, is in town, which states that all the natives of France resident in St. Petersburg and the other principal Russian cities and towns, have been ordered to leave in five days. This statement is not borne out by any other advices from the most respectable sources. It is said further that the emperor Nicholas intended to make a fresh levy of men, in addition to that of which notice was issued only a short time age This-assertion is not continuedThe peace of Paris has been somewhat disturbed during the three first days of September by bodies of men, pretending to be printers thrown out of employ by the use of machinery. Such had been their violence, that the Journal des Debats could not be printed on the SJ, and the Le Temps cf the 4th appeared, merely with a protest and notice, being principally In blank. The National Guard, however, had been reinforced, and it was expected that the disorders cf these individuals, who hrvd doubtless been instigated to violence by the partixma of the exiled family, would soon be put down. The great review, which had been far several weeks in f reparation was