The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-07-03

swearing al him. and he made the remark
that he wished he had run enough down
his throat to kill him. Stone asked him
why he did not Kill! him, saying that he
would rs soon kill him as he would a
snake. DeWolf said he told one, if he
would kill him, he was owing Stiles $50,
and be would give him that for doing it.
Stone agreed to do it for that sum and
prisoner went down. Stone soon came
down and said he guessed Stiles was dead
enough. The next morning, he asked
Stone how he did it, and Stone said he
/ put his fingers into S He's handkerchief,
the hack side of bis neck and twisted it up
I'LL he choaked him to death.
II may be remarked that no credit is
given 10 D'WoIt's statement, so far as ii
duplicates Stone; and that, even ifit were
true, it would not affect DeWoIf's case, as
he would still be in the eyes of the law a
principal in the offence.
DeWo!f stated to the Sheriff that the
subject of Stiles's murder had been repeat
eddy the subject of conversation between
him and Sliles's wife.
1t was at first concluded to delay it till
after the will was made. After that was
made, she repeatedly urged him TO do it.
She told him if he would, he should have
the property, ifhe would take her with it.
He once got some arsenic for her, but she
told him afterwards that she had been
afraid to use it. 1t was then agreed that
he should administer arsenic to him the
first time he could get him out to Cob
leigh's. She told him TO put it iuto hot
sling, and that would carry it all over The
system, so that he could not vomit it up.
tle procured some and carried with him,
but did no, find any opportunity 10 use 1t,
and brought it back and put it in his
trunk. I'VE learn that paper was
found in his trunk containing something
! having the appearance of arsenic, but as
no analysis of it had been made. it was
not offered in evidenced
Two letters were introduced, which
were written by the prisoner previous 10
the confession. The first was given TO the
turnkey, and contained nothing of
special consequence. The other was ad'
dressed to Mrs Stiless father, and was
detected by the jaier on the person of a
discharged convict to whose care 1t was
confded. II was secreted on the inside
of his shirt under the left arm. This had
a very important and significant bearing
ON the case. He begins, by saying that
he finds that they know all about the mat.
ter, and that there is no chance for him
to escape conviction or sa ve his life, but
by full confession of the circumstances
attending it. Having concluded to con-
fpss, he writes the letter 10 warn them OF
Mrs St'es's danger, and urges her father
to communicate the information TO her,
and TO take immediate measures 10 secure
her safely, either by secreling her or by
flight
The defence was very ably conducted
bv Judge Thomas. assisted by A H Bull
loch, Esq, as junior counsel. A long
medical and surgical inquiry was gone
into, the object Of which was to shew that
the pos, mortem examination was not sui
fcienlly thorough 10 prove concuslvely
: that The death was caused by sIrangula-
ZION, and three able medical men testified
that from the facts elected in the examl-
) nation, as they had been stated in court,
they should not be able to form conclu.
sve opinion on the subject. 1t was ar
gued that it the slraogulation was not
proved bv the medical examination, there
was no proof that murder had been com
mi;ted and therefore the prisoner must be
acquitted But the Judge charged that
the murder might be proved by The achOle
evidence in the case, and could hot be
made to depend on the medical testimony
alone.
: TO the confessions, the usual objections
; were brought, that they were induced by
: the hope, acting on the mind,Gn this case
! a naturally weak one) tina, it might be
t means OF escape from what seemed TO be
! inevitable death Under such crcum'
: stances, men OF stronger minds had been
induced to confess crimes, OF which they
= were entirely innocent, as in the case oil
= the Eournes. few years since, IN Yer
mont. And in this case the Attorney for
the Commonwealth, himself gave no
credit to certain portions OF the confession
and asked belief for only so much OF 1t as
. favored his side Of The case.
} An ingenious attempt was made in the
, argument for the prisoner 10 shew by a
, comparison OF the lime, as stated by the
= several Witnesses, that there was no time
= after leaving the sable by Stone, in which
, the murder could have been committed
The principal difficulty with this objection
l was, that if there was no time IN which
t he could have been strangled, there could
] have been 40 time in which he might
: have died natural death.
Testimony was introduced in The de-
= fence, to show that Stiles was very violent
( when in liqhor, that he, in such cases, at
) tempted 10 commit suicide, and that one
3 mode adopted by him was selt-s'ranSnla-
1 L.. =, In ihll ,rlnrk