Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1841-01-04

he nnnBd. mis- i uln ulu III lcoo iuuu ulNNOh
minutes the whole three were in consultation
around the unhappy sufferer. lie was perfectly
calm and collected ; aud short as the TIME for
preparation had becn--resigped to bis fate,which
from the irst he believed 10 be CERTAIN, and all
bltt immediate death.
The surgeons having done what they could
for the sufferer, although with no hope whatev-
or of saving his ie-this, from the hdeous "a
tre of tho wound, being altogether got of tho
question, n search was instituted for the MUIR
derer; proceeding which wps neither difficult
nor tedious as he was found lying quietly on the
sofa, where the Kindness Of his murdered friend
had first laid him. Beside him OH the floor, lay
large carving. knife. 1t was with this lac had
done the fatal deed andit was now discovered,
or rather perhaps,conjectur that he had come
by the possession Of il by accidentally overturn-
ing or comingin contact with aknile-casc, which
stood on a Switchboard in the apaYtipent.
When we first approached Brown MS he lay
on the sofa, he seemed to he in n kind Of stupor;
his eyes were open, but he appeared TO be Who'll
ly unconscious of what was passing around him
One medical gentleman present now laid his
hand on his shoulder, aud shaking him with
some violence, to arouse him, asked him if he
knew what he had done. To this he made no
reply, but stared at us with bewldered look.
The question was again repeated, when con
fused recollection of the horrid occurrence
seemed to pass through his mind lfor he be-
came hBllutcu ulu ueuOly pule. 10 tue 0uCS-
ton put to him, however, he replied in the neg
alive. "No," he'said, what have DONE"
You have murdered your flicnd Maitland,'
reped one of the medical gentlemen "you
have stabbed him, MORALLY wounded him, and
we have every reason to believe, with this knife
and he held up the fatal instrument Brown
made no reply for some time but looked earn
esy at the knife, and then at us, alternately
At length, This is DREADFUL he said in low,
hollow voice dreadful, dreadful, dreadful!'
and he struck his hand on his forehead with con-
vulsve violence, and his whole frame shook
with the intensity Of his mental agony. He
seemed now fully alive TO the horrors of his sit.
uation, and have perfect recollection of the
shocking occurrence that had taken place. AT.
ter n silence of some seconds, disturbed only by
the loud sobbngs of difficult and struggling
respiration, lie again burst ont with
80 my God my God what is this But
it cannot be reality; it is impossible; it must,
must he some fearful delusion somewhere.
murder Robert Maitland l stab him with n
knife my dearest my best friend Ila! ha !
ha! -nonsense-impossibl impossible Iwould
stab myself sooner much sooner, God knows
would not hurt hair of his head for worlds!
| loved hm--Ioved him sncerely-and yet you
tell me murdered him Base slonderers who
would believe you WHO would believe so Ut
tery improbable story? None, none. ! am
safe-who would believe YOU" He again burst
into a hysterica laugh.
1t was evident that the unfortunate young
mans senses had deserted him. But whether
this proceeded from mn overwhelming sense of
the atrocity of his srlne, and of the dreadful
situation in which he stocd or was but contin-
uation of tile consequences of the preceding
nights debauch, could DOT be seterniined il
appeared to me 10 proceed ia part ftam both -
But from whatever cause it proceeded; II ,wds
most painful to witness and it was inpossa.a
to look on, or listen to the walngs of the uu-
happy man, great as his guilt was, without
feeling of compassion.
One of the medical gentlemen present now
made signal to the other the third having re-
manned by the patent--to step aside with him.
lie did so; and though they spoke in whispers,
overheard rs much as informed me that they
were consulting as to the pr0prety of giving
Immediate information of the occurrence to the
Fiscal, with view of having Brown apprehen-
ded and one of them eventually Undertook this
duty, and was about to depart on its execution,
when his attention and that of us all, was sud-
denly called TO the patient, by the medical gen.
teman who had remained with him, coming
hastily to the door of the apartment we were in,
and in a hurried voice, summoning his brethren
to the bed side of the sufferer. He was eXpr-
ing. We all FASTENED TO the chamber of death,
and were justin time 10 hear the last words of
poor Maitland. These conveyed an earnest en-
treaty that no harm should come TO Brown for
fectly assured said the dying man, that it was
done altogether unintentionaly, or that he neith-
or knew me- nor what he was doing am GER
tain Of that. Brown would not willingly do
me-niHy.r SEQ, then, genGmen,' he coniinu-
ed, enlreat you with my dying breath, that
he he not in any way troubled for what has hap
pened. On the solemn declaration Of dying
man, acQuit him Of all intention of doing me
wfu INJURY These Were the last words he
uttered hut he continued to breathe for some
time afterwards md ihe medical gentlemen still
remained by his bedside.
Taking advantage of this interval, stole out
of the apartment, and FASTENED 10 that in which
Brown had been left to warn him of his danger
and TO prevail upon him 10 fly. But he was not
there | went TO the street door, and found it
open. lmpelled by a natural instinct, Brown
had fled and was glad to find that he had.-
On my return to the room in which Maitland
was, 1 was informed that he was dead. His
murderer had left the house, but he had not gone
far he was apprehended in his fathers house
on The following mOrning,and committed to Jail.
He was subsequently brought TO trial before the
High Court Of Justicary; bur escaped with his
life on the plea of insanity, supported by other
extenuating circumstances. What became of
him afterwards could never learn, nor do |
know TO this hour The general belief was,
however, that he was conveyed out OF the coun-
try; aud this seems confirmed by the fact Tint
he was never again seen or heard of by aHy one
who knew him. ! need not enter into any de-
scription of The misery and desolaton with
which Tho dreadful occurrence just related, over
whelmed the families of the unfortunate young
men, equally that of the iniurer as the injured,
aud alrHosi equally, likewise, those oi their re-
specliyebFiae elect. The Young ladies never
again appeared ut any place of public resor.
one of them, the chosen of Maitland. followed
him 10 a premature grave; and the other, in
!. shout two years after The fatal occurrence, went
,'hsSsh. 10 reside witlfn relative, where she also
shortly alfsfWMssds died.
Snc,, then 49, YsaAs appalling termination 70
which one night Of 1ssnssssSsded indulgence
brought the careers Of Two most is..I..ns
young men hurting both, in few short hours,
from the summit Of human felicity, the one INTO.
a premature aud blood stained grave, the other
into abe lowest depths of human misery into u
situation of as utter wretchedness as the human