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Show A RSMARKABLE DEATH SENTENCE. I Judge Henod let's Condemnation of I Murderer tho IJueerest nn Kecord. One nf the most eccentric and at the ame time one of the ablest judges that i ever sat upon the far western bench was Kirby Benedict, who for thirteen years wai a justice of tliu supreme court of New Mexico, having been first Appointed Appoint-ed iu lfVi.'t by President Pierce and reappointed reap-pointed by President Hiichanan, and ap-! ap-! pointed chief justice of the court by President Lincoln. Ho was a man of : great aliility and learning, strong in his ! prejudice, violent in his nations and j relentless in his convictions. ! There aro many anecdotes told of ! Jude Benedict. But the crowning act ! of his judicial career was the sentence of death passed by him upon a prisoner convicted con-victed of murder, which sentence was as follows: "Joho Maria Martin, stand up. Jose Maria Martin yon have been indicted, tried and convicted by a jury of your countrymen of (lie crime of murder, and the court is now about to pass upon you the dread sentence of (he law. As a I nsual thniK, Jose Jlaria Martin, it is a painful duty for tho jndjfe of a court of I justice to pronounce upon a human be-i be-i In;; tbo sentenco of death. There is something liorriblo alnmt it, and tho mind of tho court naturally revolts from the performance of such n duty. Happily, Hap-pily, however, your case is relieved of all such unpleasantness, and tho court takes positive delight in sentencing you to death. "You are a yonnir man, Jose Maria Martin, apparently of Rood physical constitution con-stitution and robust health. Ordinarily ! you might have looked forward to many years of life, and the court has no doubt you have, and have expiated to die a green old age; but you are about to lie cut off in the consequence of your own act. Jose Maria Martin, it is now the j springtime; in a little while the riim I will be springing np Kiwn in these beau- tiful valleys, and on these broad mesas and mountain sides; flowers will be blooming, birds singing above your lowly head. "The sentence of the court is that yon be taken from this place to the county jail; that you there be kept safely and securely se-curely confined in theenstody of the sheriff sher-iff until the day appointed for yourexecu-tion. yourexecu-tion. Be very careful, Mr. Sheriff, that ho have no opportunity to escape, and that you have him at theappointcd place at the appointed time; that you be so kept, Jose Maria Martin, until Mr. Clerk, on what day of the month does Friday about two weeks from this time come?" "March L'2, your honor." "Very well until Friday, the 22d Jay of March, when yon will be taken by the sheriff from your place of confinement to some sale and convenient spot within the county (that is in your discretion, Mr. Sheriff; you are only confined to the limits of the county), and that you there be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and the court was about to add, Jose Maria Martin, 'may Ood have mercy on your soul,' but the court will not assume the responsibility of asking an all wise Providence to do that which a jury of your peers has refused to do. The Lrrd couldn't have mercy on your soul. However, if you have any religious relig-ious belief, or are connected with any religious organization, it might be well enough for you to send for your priest or your minister - and get from bim well, ench consolation as yon can; but the court advises you to place no reliance reli-ance npon anything of that kind. Mr. Sheriff, remove the prisoner." Santa Fe Letter. |