The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-04-22
From the Chambers Journal.
Cases Of Circumstancial Evil
dence.
TIE YOUNG SAIL MAKER.


~ lived a few miles beyond Deal in Kent. II
= walked the journey; and on his arriving
q Deal in the evening, being much fatigued, AN
- also troubled with a bowel complaint, he ar
! piled to the andlady of public house. VII
was acquainted with his mother, for a night
, lodging, Her house was full and every be-
occupied but she told him that if he would
sleep with her uncle, who had lately COM
ashore, and was boatswain of an Indiaman
he should be welcome. He was glad to &C
cept the offer, and after spending the eve
ming with his new comrale, they retired tt
, rest.
In the middle of the nigh. he was attacked
with his old complaint, and Weakening his bee
} fellow, he asked him the way to the garden
The boatswain told him to 90 through the
kitchen; but as he would find it difficult tc
open the door into the yard, the latch being
out of order, he desired him to take knife
out of his pocket, with which he could raise
the latch. The young man did as he was di-
rected, and after remaining nearly half an
| hour i'll the yard, he returned to his bed, but
was much surprised to find his companion had
risen and gone. Being impatient to visit his
mother and friends, he also arose before day,
and pursued his journey, and arrived home
at noon. The landlady, who had been told
of his intention to start early, was not sur
prised but not seeing her uncle III the MORN
ing, she went to call him. She was dreadful
| ly shocked to find the bed stained with blood,
and every inquiry after her uncle was in
vain.
The alarm now became general, and on
further examination, marks of blood were
traced from the bed room into the street, and
at intervals down to the edge Of the pier-head
Rumor was industriously busy, and suspicion
fell, of course, on the young man who slept
with him, that he had committed the murder,
and thrown the body over the pier into the
sea. A warrant was issued against him, and
he was taken that evening at his mothers
house. On his being examined and search
ed marks of blood were discovered on his
shirt and trowsers and in his pocket were
knife and a remarkable silver coin, both of
which the landlady swore positively were her
uncles property, and that she saw them in
his possession on the evening he retired to rest
with the young man. On these strange cir
cumstances the unfortunate youth was found
guilty.
He related the above particulars in his de-
fence; but as he could not account for The
marks of blood on his person, unless that he
got them when he returned tn bod, for tllo
silver coin being in his possession, his story
was not credited. The certainty of the boat
SWANS disappearance, and the blood at the
pier, traced from his bed rcom, were suppcs-
ed to be too evident signs Of his being muir
dered and even the judge was SO convinced
of his guilt, that he ordered the execution to
take place in three days AT the fatal tree,
the youth declared his innocence, and per-
sisted in it with such affecting observations,
that many pitied him, though none doubted
the business of his sentence.
The exccutioners of those days were not
80 expert at their trade as modern Ones nor
were drops or platforms invented. The young
man was very tall; his feet sometimes touch
ed the ground and some of his friends sur
rounding the gallows contrived to give the gal
lows some support as it was suspended. AT
ter being cut down, those friends bore it
speedily away in co0u, and in the course
Of few hours animation was restored and the
innocent saved When he was able to move
his friends insisted on his quitting the country
and never returning. lie accordingly trav-
elcd by night to Portsmouth, where he enter
ed on board a man of war on the point of
sailing for distant part of the world and as
he changed his name, and disguised his per
son, his melancholy history was never discov-
cred.
After a few years of service, during which
his exemplary conduct was the cause of lis
promotion through the lower grades, he was
at last made a masters mate, and his ship be-
ing paid off in the West Indies, he and few
more of the crew we're transformed To another
man-of.war, which had just arrived short OF
hands from different station. What were
his feelings of astonisiIment and then of de-
T., L. I.o
saw on board his new ship was the identical
boatswain, for whose murder he had been
tried, condemned and executed, five years be-
fore Nor was the surprise of tue old boat
swain much less when he heard the story.
An explanation of the mysterious circum-
stances then took place. 1t appeared that
the boatswain had been bled for pain in his
side by the barber, unknown to his niece, on
the day Of the young mans arrival at Deal
that whel the Young man walked him, and re-
tired to the yard, he found the bandage had
come off his arm during the night, and that
the blood was flowing afresh Being alarmed
he rose to 90 to the barber, who lived across
the street, but press gang laid hold of him
Just as he left the public house. They hur-
ried him to the pier, where their boat was
waiting "a few minutes brought them on board
a frigate then under weigh for the East In
dies; and he omitted ever writing home to
account for his sudden disappearance. Thus
were the chief circumstances explained by the
two friends thus strangely met. The silver
coin being in the possession of the young
man could only be explained by the conjec-
ture, that when he took the knife out of the
boatswan's pocket in the dark, it is probable,
as the coin was in the same pocket it stuck
between the blades of the knife, and IN this
manner became the strongest proof against
him.
On their return to England, this wonder
full explanation was told to the judge and jury
who tried the cause, and it is probable they
never after convicted man on cu'cunestd'atiat
evidence. 1t also made a great noise in Kent
at the time.