Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1843-10-06


terrors It the idea Of being sent to give an
account Of their wickedness. All night did
they buffet with the storm. As morning
dawned u began to clear away, and they
reached the shore in safety, but not before
the surrounding country was asir, and HUN
dreds were witness Of their arrival. I his
ultimately led to the detection. Were not
this dreadful deed recorded in the proceed
ings of court of Justice, posterity might
be excused for doubling the possibility
OF an act so atrocious from motives so ap-
parently inadequate. That a mother could
so far overcome all the instincts Of nature. as
to sanction the assassination of her son
merely to acquiesce in the stern decree of
her husband-but with her own hands to
manufacture the instruments of destruction,
and this under the pretext of promoting the
comfort and happiness Of the unsuspecting
victim; this seems so repugnant TO the feel
ings and experience of mankind, that any
less testimony would not suffice to produce
conviction Yet there is a circumstance
more extraordinary, If possible, than even
this; and that is that instead Of inspiring
horror among the people of this district the
deed had their entire appreciation
The part of the lake selected for this deed
of horror was one which seemed to offer
the most perfect security from detection =
the great depth Of the water, the lead and
iron which were secured to the person of the
victim, aud the texture and material of which
his clothes were composed seemed to afford
an assurance that the body would remain at
the bottom till long after decomposition
should be complete, and all probability of
recognition impossible--the process would
be aided by the fishes which abounded there
There was only one point at which the lake
was accessible, and this was several miles
from the spot where the murder had taken
place--memorable from having been the
scene Of the destruction of the army of
Charles the Bold, Duke Of Burgundy, thus
band of Margaret of York, sister to Edward
~. Of Engand) which was entirely defeated
by the Swiss at the battle of Morat, and
driven into the lake. A tree planted few
days afterwards in the centre of the village
10 commemorate the event, is now one Of
the remarkable objects Of the district.
saw it still growing luxuriantly, after lapse
of four hundred years. Of great magnitude,
and likely to live half dozen centuries
more
The hurricane which had gone so nigh to
destroy the murderers, had produced SO vio-
lent disturbance on the lake as to throw
the body on shore at this place it was soon
recognized, and rigid search was instituted
for the assassns. The loaded pockets so
securely fastened, and the dreadful chasm
in the skull, put out OF the question the first
suggestion of suicide--the boatmen and the
victims brother who had been seen landing
the morning after the storm were arrested
and interrogated--the explanation they had
given of their midnight voyage was found to
be false, they confessed their guilt; the whole
was discovered, and the officers of Justice
proceeded to arrest father, mother, and sis
tiers; all were committed to prison TO take
their trial for this most unnatural and incon-
ceiyable crime.
On the trial, the father undertook his own
defence, and in an eloquent and impassion-
ed Grafton boldly claimed for himself the pa
triarchal right OF life and death; repudiated
every form Of government which had existed
in his country for two thousand years and
declared that the original rights of his race
"
long in obeyance, had never been abandon
ed. That he knew he must submit to pun
ishment, but that his conscience acquitted
him of guilt; and were the same circum-
stances to come over again, he should act in
the same manner; that he had inflicted on
his son such punishment as the crime de-
served and that it had only been inflicted
secretly because his own race was for the
present coertion, subjected to government
which they therefore, outwardly obeyed, but
under permanent protest that had it been
practicable he would have preferred that the
deed should have been done openly, in the
presence of his clan, but.that this would
have betrayed the crime, and consummated
the disgrace of his family; and that he gIo-
ried in the self command which enabled
him to subject his feelings as father to his
duties as patrIarch--bui his family being
now irretrievably dsgraced, he was therefore
quite Indifferent to his fate.
He was condemned to twenty years soli-
tary confinement which at his age, was con.
6nement for life. His wife and family to
periods varying from eight to twelve, accord
ing to the degree in which they were sup
posed to be under the influence of the faith
er, and, think, the boatmen were SUBJ
jected to the same punishment as was the
chief
The most extraordinary part of the story
remains to be told criminals in that coun-
try, as in many others, before they are final
ly incarcerated to undergo the penalty of
the law in long Imprisonment, are expos
ed TO the public gaze on Platform, Ia kind