The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-12-06
A REMARKABLE TRIAL AND
CASE OF PER SONAL IDENTITY.

sCASE Of PERSONAL IDENTITY
The following is the most remark5
bic case involving question of per
sonal identity which perhaps has eve
occurred in this country. The tria
took place at Lowell, Mass, on tn,
2sih Oct, and the facts are substantial
ly these:-
1On Saturday, the twenty-sixth o
July last, as a number of young gIrI!
and little boy were out gathering ber
ries in Medford, one Of the girls, agec
about twelve years, was accosted by {
young man whom they had seen fol
some time near them picking berries.
who asked her if her name was Ann
and on her replying that it was, he
told her that person a short distance
from the bushes wished to see her, ano
offered to conduct her thitler. She
followed him, he then made the assault
upon her, telling her that if she scream.
ed he had knife in his pocket. He
thus prevented an outcry, but failed
IN accomplishing his diabolical purpo-
ses-the girl shortly joined her ccm-
panions, and appeared very much fright
ened, and on reaching home told the
circumstances to her friends.
"The next case occurred in Newton,
on the following Monday, the twenty
eighth July, and here, too, it appeared
that number of girls were out gather
ing berries, when a young man near
them, and whom they had noticed for
some time, came to one Of the little
girls, and asked her if her name was
Ann, she answered that it was not
He then told her that child was cry
ing in the bushes, and desired her to
60 and see it; and upon reaching Sc
lected spot, took hold of her, and told
her that if she made any noise he had
aknlfe in his pocket. The screams of
the unfortun ate girl were heard by her
little companions, but they dared not
approach her. She was also heard by
several people IN the neighborhood.
A MIR. Houghton and his wife, who
came to her assistance, testified that
when near they saw man near the
girl, with his back to them, and the
little girl was picking up the berries
which were split upon the ground
The girl was crying, and appeared
much frightened, her face scratched,
and her dress much torn-the scuun-
drel again escaped, was seen and pur-
sued, but not overtaken.
"On the l4th Of August following,
the prisoner was seen by the same
Houghton drinking at his well, and
was Immediately recognized by him
and his wife, as the same man they
had seen on the twenty eighth of July.
and who committed the assault upon
the girl. The prisoner was soon ar
rested, and on being told on what ac-
count, said he could prove that at the
time of the commission of these crimes
he was in New Hampshire. He was
Immediately taken to a hotel in Water
town, and the two girls spoken of, to-
gether with fifty or sixty persons, at
tended the examination Of the prison
er; the girls were separately taken in
to the room, and they each pointed out
the prisoner as the man who had COM
mitted the assault upon them. The
prisoner was then taken to Squire's
office, in Cambridgeport. and the wit
nesses in both cases sent for, and they
in turn severally identified him as the
man. One man swore that he saw the
prisoner on the twenty-sixth July. and
had considerable conversation with
him, and that he took considerable no.
tlce of him, as he bore very strong
resemblance to relative of his. He
identified the prisoner at once as the
man. All the witnesses, to the num-
Der of ten, swore that they had not a
doubt that the prisoner at the bar was
the same person that they had seen at
Medford on the twenty-sixth July and
at Newton on the twenty-eighth, and
who had committed these crimes.
'lt became apparent that the only
important point in the case was the
identity of the prisoner with the mon
ster who committed these crimes
The counsel for the defence contend
ed that they should prove an aHbi--
that the prisoner was in New Hamp-
shire at the time the offences were
committed. To prove this they called
q Mr. Ames, of Keene, who testified
that the prisoner rode with him on the
of July last, and that
he saw him every day from that to the
twenty-eighth, and during that time
lhe prisoner bought trunk at his store;
the trunk was in court, and the wit
ness identified it at once as the one
he sold. He said the prisoner board
IL ~ .L Eal III