The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-12-30

~ was adopted by the Authorities, and sluce was
dug TO let the water off down the hillside. The OPP
Grafton occupied some tim0, and when at length n
vent was opened, the mpeuous rush of water swept
nearly tho whole band upon tho hill side, letting Off
the Hood at one bound followed by mass OF pitch
black mud, dead logs, fresh water turtles, cat fish,
paddocks cells, water snakes, and all the strange ten
ants Of the pond Still the body did not appear, and
after thorough examination Of the black bottom of
the pond, vague suspicious of other kind Of
roguery began to be entertained by the crowd. The
child was again examined the pond again scrap
ed, the interval which the dark sediment and
filth of the pond now lay foot deep, was carefully
inspected in all directions and still the dreadful mys-
terry was unexplained
The evidence of the child, the finding ofthe knife,
the pole, the money the woman's strong appearance
Of guilt, all proved that henrtess inhuman butch
cry had been perpetated, and the utless search at
ter the body seemed but to add to the
element Who was the unfortunate stranger? evi.
IDENTITY some stranger from distance, for nobody in
the neighborhood was missed. Why should the bo-
dy not be found? Ten thousand conjectures few a.
round, each of which only added to tho perpexing
mystery strange uncertainty forced itself on the
minds Of the people. by all appearances ii seemed
certain that the murdered had been thrown
into the pond at all, yet that the bloody deed
had been perpetrnted was, from the evidence,
clusvely established
Thus the affair continued enveloped in darkness
and all hope abandoned of discovering the body
The woman could not DO convicteG upon the evil
dence of the child and that evidence itself could not
be substantiated without The finding OF the body
So while every person was satisfied Of her guilt, it
bring the murderer within the power of the law
She, with unhnching obstnncy, continued to
deny all knowledge of the MURDER and at length she
actually released from confinement, no possibli-
'ty appearing of being able secure her convic
i tion.
"A few months passed on, and the interval upon
which the pond was emPtied, and which before had
been almost worthless, grew TO u rich and -four
isbing piece OF land, and people would remark that
the draining of the big pond had at least proved
good thing for the Yankee tavern keeper who owned
the ground below
Now for tho development Of this mysteriOus trag-
edy. quarrel occurred between the heroine of the
story and the nnkeeper Of the interval. In her OK
ASPIRATION she forward and threw n blaze of
light on this blood chilling mystery, which at
opened all eyes wide with establishment scheme
wheels Of which could have been set inmoon but
by genuine bred and born and thoroughly educated
son Of Yankee land The tavern keeper wanted his
land improved; he wanted the pond turned it.
and hit upon plan to have the job done free Of
expense. He laid awake three nights, mHtured his
plan, contracted with the poor woman for fifty dol
lars to put it in operation and she, with the assistance
ola cOnsummo,ely artfu child, carried it out. She
killed pig, smeared knife and pole, taught her
child the story to tell, and acted out the game in
manner worthy of the best representative Of Lady
Macbeth. The tavern keeper had furnished the thir-
ty dollars Of the murdered mans money, but when
the object was done he refused 10 pay the promised
fifty, not caring pin whether the woman would
pose his trick This leadto the grand devel-
opment and thus our thrilling narrative OFF, New
Hampshire Mystery. gentle reader, turns out 10 be
nothing more or less than a superexcellent and
passingly executed Yankee trckp
81. Louis Repeilts.