Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-01-14

UO"t" 20, anu dC'uhly tOOk " HOt, anu pro-
cccded some distance toward the place; bu,
feeling that he knee he should find the bones
there, so that no additional information
would be gained, and not knowing but his
visit TO the place might lead TO inquiry, he
finally turned about and went back, without
entering tie swamp.
Mr.. d. now soon returned to N. Orleans,
and correspondence between Inn and c.,
was commenced relating, principally, to
the murder, and matters growing out of it.
In all his letters-and he wrote several
which wcm received, c. steadily, and with
no Inconsistency of statement, persisted in
affirming all he had communicated to Mr.. b.
while in Vermont. In one Of these letters,
of a late date, he expressed great anxiety
respecting the fate of two letters, which, he
said, he had previously written, but which,
it appears. he had just been informed, had
never reached their destination, saying, that
"these letters contained enough, if made
public, to ruin him" lie, also, in this, or
still later communication, informed Mr.. B.
that, agrcably to his former advice, he had
settled oil mattcrs with the two men whose
secret he was keeping; that he had received
from them one thousand dollars, and intcn-
dcd going with it to settle at the west, that
he might get away from every thing that re-
minded him of the affair that had cost him
so much unhappiness. After this, he again
wrote M. b. that the store, in which he had
been engaged, had been burned; and that
his thousand dollars, and his talismanic
paper, which he had retained after the settle
mcnt, and which, with tho money, he had
sccretrl in chnk in the cellar wall, had
been destroyed And in consequence of this
he had given up his intcntion of going west,
and had obtained a place in a store, in a
village in the northern part of Vermont.
Here ends that part Of our account which
relates to the confessions of the unhappy
young man. But how, asks tie reader, by
this time, was all this brought to light 1t is
that which remains to be told though, were
we writing tale of fiction. VIC should almost
hesitate, through fear of mourning the charge
Of improbability, to present such an incident
as the one which exact truth now compels as
to relate.
In June, 1871, Governor Jenison, the
/ late worthy chief magistrate of Vermont, re-
eeved IA letter from Mr.. W., then rlsidine
in Ncw-Orleans, propoundng sundry ex-
traordinary questions. The principal o
these inquiries were, "Wheiher there was ?
large fishing pond in the town of Berlin
/ Vermont; and if so, whether a stagc-roat
run by it, and whether thick swamp was 81
tuatcd between the pond and the road ant
whether also, there was two story house
on the pond, south or east of the swamp
And still further, whether, fouror five year
before, man had been missing in that vi
cini,y! The writer then stated, that if these
questions were answered in the affirmative
a communication would be made of a matte
which would demand the action of the publi,
authorities; and he closed by referring h
Excellcncy. for inquiries relative to his char
acter, TO gentleman of high standing. il
Cincinnati, Ohio, to which place this Mr.
w. said he belonged-his residence IN New
Orleans being temporary one.
The Governor, having been apprised
through his Secretary, that all the abov,
questions could safely be answered in tn,
affirmative, except that relating to MAJ
being mssing-will regard to which nothin,
definite could be scertalncd-re,urned al
answer TO Mr.. w. accordingly; while, a
the same time, his Fxccllency dispatched
another letter to the gentleman in Cincinnati
to whom he had been referred. To boil
these letters in due time, he received re-
plies. The one from the gentleman in Gin
cinnati, assured the Governor that Mr.. w.
the man concerning whose character inauir,
had been made, was person on who's,
word and judgment the utmost relianc,
could he placed. The one from Mr.. W.
proceeded to unfold tragedy, of which hi
Exccllency, forewarncd, as he had been
by the ominous import Of VS. former letter
was little prepared 10 hear. The writer
after stating his belief, that high-handc,
murder, yet unrevcaled to the public, la,
been committed, some years ago, in tin
town of Berlin, Vermont, went on TO Give
in substance, the following relation of tn
manner OF obtaining the information he wa
about to communicate, which, for intercs
t and singuariiv. as before inimalcd, find
, few parallels in the most ingenious of 70
nance; but which, nevertheless, is in stranp
keeping with the rest of this mos, s,rang
I transaction.
: lie, one day, in the month of April las
went out, by invitation, 10 dine with frien
; in the city, and al this house, he met anothc
, invited guest-a Mr.. b., formerly fro,
f Vermont. In the course of this visit, III
conversation turned on the StLouis murder.
when he (Mr. wy stated that he did nc
believe that murder was ever conmit,e
! that was not, sooner or later, brough, to ligh
! From this opinion, Mr.. B. wholly disseniet
D expressed a decided opinion to the con,rar,
!. b"t evadcd, or declined giving any reason
o for that opinion. This statement of Mr.. B
0 together with the positive manner in which
, was made, soon led Mr.. w. to suspect tia
i MIR. b. must, himself, he knowing to som
n case of unrcvealcd murder. And, havm
reasons of his own, wishing to know wher
the crimc-if CRIME there had bcen--ha
II been committed, he determined to follow II
= tie slight clue thus obtained. With this Sc
q cret object in view, he, within IA few day,
i exchanged his boarding house for that
# which Mr.. b. and his family were then r.
siding. He cultivaling an acquaintance vii
:. the family in question, and with IA serva,
q girl in the city, who, as he had first asce