The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-02-01

TO frame reply. Such was the strange and un,
satisfactory explanation which he now gave for
his conduct through the whole affair. ia.
thought advisable to keep O. under arrest, and de-
fer the Court Of Inquiry u day or two in order to
see if any testimony, not already in possession OF
The government, could be obtained Win tins
Wow the party went and visited the cedar swamp,
so often named IN this account, but made no dis
covery. The noxt day they went again, and took
e., with his Reaper, along with them; and on
reaching the swamp, they desired him to show
Them the place he had described TO MIR. Ii. lie
pretended 10 do SO and finally came 10 spot
which he said was the one But there was no APP
pearance Of grave ,pitor mound near the place. and
those present who were acquainted with The
swamp, giving it as their opinion, that &. had not
taken the course, or pointed out the spot, he had
before described, The officer was desired to take
him away further search was then made, but
with no further success II was also, during these
days Of unofficial inquiry, ascertalned In " favor
that about The time Of MIR. b. visit the storekeep
er did en.rust tho young man with some hundred
dollars 10 nav over TO The Mr.. D., who received
il accordingly. But il likewise was discovered, on
the other hand, that &. had at different TINES, told
in confidence much of his first story related
to his possession Of paper by which he could al
WAYS command money 10 iuuf indiv uas, beside
Mr. b. AMI Mis- NJ AID among these individuals
was brother Of &. not only told him about the pa.
per- but several times offered to let him have some
money Obtained by
1t being being now useless TO think Of making
G., a witness against others, since he refused to i'm
pcale any one, nothing remained but to proceed
with the Court Of Inquiry on the charge on which
he had been arTCsted-tlat OF accessory alter the
fact to Il murder resting on ms own BlleSatl0n.-
Tho Court was accordingly holden, hut we
have fully anticipated all thar appeared during the
examination then had, the result is all that need
be stated. The sitting magistrates, though they
considered the young man 5 conduct wholly unac-
couutuble and his plantations Of 1t unsatisfactory,
believed, nevertheless, that rs no murder had been
established, they wore not authorized TO bind the
respondent over for trial, and he consequently
discharged. low days after he was brought be.
tore the Grand Jury of the county, put upon his
oath and examined in relation to the alleged
crime. But he hore also persisted in his last story
and though most Of his examiners felt themselves
rather oafilad than satisfied, they were yet com
PEELED 10 let him depnrt, without heing made any
the wiser for :eir attempt; and he then immedi
ateIy left town and returned TO his residence in
the village from which he had been taken.
Thus ends our account Of This remarl iable case
a case Tor which, as it regards ts prominent
features, parallel Will scarcely be found IN The
history Of criminal jurisprudence. IL assume
rs Il fact, that murder was here actually commit.
ted I'VE have just gliWpses enough Of the dark trans
action to see that that it stands invested with all
the romantic horrors which the pen Ola Radcliffe
or Monk Lewis could have impaired to it, while at
the same time all further light respecting the crime
or its cold booded perpetrators, seems impenetra.
bly, closed To view. IT, ON The contrary, we
take the ground which the self constituted
sorry has taken by his last story that no fnuder
reconcile the young mans conduct with any
known principle Of human action. That he might
have inv entcd such story, and told 1t TO one per-
son day, and proclaimed it in joke The next, or
even, that, for some object he might have had the
disposition and skill to make credulous person
believe il for months, we can conceive of. But
that with only ordinary capacities and tact, he
should or could invent, with all its minutioe, this
voltng tale,-give direct clews TO it to four or
five individuals-lel II, in all seriousness and ap
parent anguish OF feeling to a keen business
man, and find implicit credit, offer TO show him
the bones and thus commit an act which must ne
cessary detect him in falsehood, and then reiter-
ate the same story through long correspondence
that he should apparently pine away under
story Of his inventions; and lastly, that, when
first called up IT night by the arresing officers
sistani his thoughts should Instantly fly TO that
subject and when the true business of the officer
was announced, that he should DC seized with
terror and agitation that deprived him Of all the
power to speak and sand-amd all for fictitious
story is indeed difficult, extremely difficult either
10 believe or account for and YET, we are compel
led to leave the subject, and call it, the excited
and dissatisfied community to whom knowledge
of it has come, have done-an untathomabic nnys
terry