OCR Text |
Show 1HE 1A1V CAME TO LIFE. AND BAVBB THE SEOK OF A 8C6- PBCTKD MUBDEBEm FBOX TOX XOOSB. VrVmetemaalyInuiwItlmicriai-laallatr VrVmetemaalyInuiwItlmicriai-laallatr caata havabeoa tataatd to a uituaautatlre'-ofUic ftaialia 'fr tlarlaa; the past week. Judge Baldwin, with a career of mora than forty years at the Bar, proved to be one of the moat valuable valu-able contributors. "One of the moat remarkable casta that kaa ever come to my notice," sedm J udro Baldwin, "wasthafor the two Boorsa, who were convicted years ago In the Supreme Court of Vermont, in Bennington County, of tbe murder of Raaeel Col tin. Itap-peara Itap-peara that Colvln, who was a brother-in-law of the prisoners, waa a person per-son of weak mind, and was considered con-sidered burdensome to the family of the prisoners, who were obliged to support him; that at the time of hi dmmpprarantw. ho waa In a distant Held where the prisoners were at work; an J a violent quarrel had broken outbetween them, and that oae of them had struck him a severe blow on tho lack of the head with a club, wuichv felled hlnv, to the ground. Borne suspicions arose at the time that he was murdered, and these suspicions were increased by the finding uf his hat In the same field a few mouths afterward. Theee suspicions in progress oftlmoauth, sided, but later, one of the neighbors having repeatedly dreamed of the murder with great minuteness of clrciimUanrf, both In regard to the missing mau's death and the concealment con-cealment of the remains, the Booms were vehemently accused and generally gen-erally believed guilty of the murder. After a close -match, the pocket-knife pocket-knife of Colvln and a button of his clothes were found in an old open cellar In the aamoiield In which he bad last been seen, and In a hollow stump not many rods from It were discovered two nails and a number ef bones believed to be those of a man. Just prior to their trial friends ol he Boorns far about them said that the evidence against them waa too unmistakably plain for them to longer bold out and urged them to make a clean breast of the entire matter, holding that if they aid en they would undoubtedly get their sentence of death which wax sure to be the result of their trial commuted com-muted to imprisonment for life. "The men were tried and sentenced sen-tenced to be hanged. Their friends renewed their request that they make a full confession. One of them finally complied with the request, detailing a long story of Just bow the murder had been committed. The other confessed, butjwith great reluctance and doggednest, and would not go into details. "The one who had made the full confession had theacntenceof death commuted, while the sentence of -uo licualiy ol liiu lawr ws uruertu carried out in the case of the other. "As tue day of execution approached ap-proached the doomed man made a declaration that he and bis brother bad lied lied outrageously and that for his part he would not risk facing his maker with so awful a lie uponhissouL The declaration waa received simply as an actof supreme -CUW.4IUIM3 ju kilt) Xacu ui u-nUj, aliu caused all but tw o or three of thi .nost intimate friends of the makel fit to turn against him, so plain 10 their minds and the mind of th. otlro community was that both n were guilty Lcyondall possible doubt. ue IastBunrlsobutone for tin Joomed man was just floodinc; hb Vermont home it hen, who should appear at thodoor but itussel Colvln the man fur the murder of whom Boom was upon the morrow to bt xecuted. "The explanation of the wholt natter," added Judge Baldwin, "1 tlmule In Its character. "The two Boorns had jampul upon ,'ohluluUleilcKiiiUu tacu ulu,. -le had escaped from them leaving Is hat behind, and so overpowereJ vas ho with fear that he contluuei Is flight until he found himseir lu Xew Jersey. At the hut moment ne had learned that one of his per sccutors was about to be bangtd s his murderer, and although he ,iad auSered great brutality at bis hands, Cplvia Immediately hastened back to save the unlucky fellow's neck. Aa for the confessions which the Boorns made particularly the full and very cxpllcitone they were made for one puqiose that o( trying to save their necks. "While addressing the Jury in a criminal case a few years ago," continued con-tinued the Judge, "I found myself at a Ices for a suitable story with which to Illustrate the great and supreme su-preme need existing for calm Judgment Judg-ment and a complete iuvu5..... , particularly when human life is ni stake, and so I manufactured this one: CApasaeDger train was pulling In-to In-to the station of a little 2ew Kng-landtown. Kng-landtown. Tho engineer had seen many years of continuous service on that particular run and was known and honored as a reliable man, and it was kxown to an inch where be would stop his engine upon reaching reach-ing the town. "A great celebration was held in the town, ono day, and when the train came in the track for fifty rat ahead of tho point where the old-time old-time engineer bad always stopped his train waa crowded with men, women and chIidn-n,ao great a con fldence did all have In the power and rule of the old engines. to always al-ways stop bU engine at the one particular par-ticular spot , But ou the festal day, when the train came In horrors of all horrors! Instead of tupping at , the usual spot, It plowed on through the dease mass of humanity, grinding the life turn out ol a scure vf human beings, nd stopping only when Its wheels ad found no more human blood to drink. "Curses deep and black as were ever uttered were rained down upon the engineer. Then came cries ef '.Lynch him! Lynch him!' "A rope was procured, but before It could be wound about his neck some of the cwler heads In the maddened mad-dened mob counseled less haste advised ad-vised that the 'fiend of an engineer' ho given a moment or two to explain. ex-plain. 'With his faco as white as a specter the engineer stepped to the platform of bis cab, and looked the turbulent sea of infuriated humanity full In the face. But he was speechless. speech-less. "'Enough,' hissed the crowd. 'His crime has stricken him duml! Put the rope about his neck the bloody monster!' ' J evert For God's sake, never!' shouted the fireman, whose trained ryes had been eagerly scanning the Bwreleaportant mecianltm of the iuvbmulive. " "Here!' he conunueu, nojtung akft a little broken bolt not an Inch and a half In length. 'Here is the cause of the accident a broken bolt at the throttle!' "And so it proved to be, when those who had counseled discretion dis-cretion Jn the wreaking of vengeance ven-geance upon the engineer had made an examination. "I believe," concluded the Judge, "thatT won one of the gr-sit cases of my life on that little bit of fiction, and what do you think! After court had adjourned, a flne-appearlng, (-ray-haired oM gentleman came forward and grasping my hand exclaimed: ex-claimed: rou told the story well, Judge, you told It well I was right In that crowd at the time of -the accident and saw the whole thing.' " |