The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-09-09
DOUBLE SHEET.
THE coLEeRook TRAGEDY.
Tr1sl or william Calhoun and Others, for
she Murder OF Barnscs White.

session at Litchfeld, Conn, their Honors Judges
Church and Storrs presiding
Barnice White, an aged man, residing in the
town OF Colebrook, Ltchf-ld CO., Conn, was
murdered during the night Of March 30, 1850,
under circumstances Of such PECULIAR atrocity, that
the affair cannot have escaped the recollection Of
your readers. An account Of the murder was psb-
ished in the Nesc York Herald at tae time, aud
also q notice Of the arrest Of William Calhoun,
Benjamin Balcomb, Lorenzo T. Cobb, and Henry
Menasseth, an Indian, suspected of having perpe-
trated the murder. At the term Of the Superior
Court now in session, an indictment was found BY
the grand jury against Calhoun aud Balcomb as
principals, and against Cobb and Menasseth as
accessories to the offence.
On Wednesday. the 4th instant, the trial of the
ancused commenced. On the arraignment, Bal
comb pie ad guilty, with the understanding that he
was to he admitted as a witness for the State.
The rect of the accused entered plea OF not
guilty.
Not the least singular feature in the case, il
the extreme youth OF the three white accused
Of having perpetrated the murder, Bacomb and
Cobb being minors, and Calhoun app arently not
over q or % years of age. The Indian appe trs to
be about 4o, and q swsrtby, ugly looking fellow
he is.
For the prosecution appeared John II. Hubbard,
ESQ, States Attorney, and Gideon Hall, Esq;
o. 8. Seymour, Esq and G Holiister, Esq mp
peared for the accused, Baconb; and the Court
assigned Charles Chapman, Esq Of Hartford, aud
X. Hitchcock, Esq, as counsel for the other pri-
soners.
The court room was crowded to excess by an
ment, the court adjourned To the Congregational
church, in order to give the audience better
chance TO see and hear dunng the progress Of the
Trial. Among the audience, r noticed a large
NH If ~ rcd In fAk Mt
terest in the trial.
The first witness called for the prosecution, was
Russell Frisvie.-Lve ia Colebrook, about sixty
rods from Bamice Whites; ,sI time saw him
alive was Saturday night, March, 30ih; rode home
from school meeting with him; got home about III
O'Clock; next morning neRhbor called for me to
&C. to Whites; went IN conP,ny with Mt James
kitchen first and found every Thug 10 disorder;
went into bedroom where White SLEPT; The body lay
on the right side, little quarrrns across thu bed
feet touched the floor; wount th- left eye
another over the left ear, and third the neck,
under the left ear; table cravpr where WHIT kept
gate-money, deceased kept toll ga'e,) the floor
a chest which stood in The Kitchen, stove in APP
parently with a sedge that stood by; two clubs In
the house, one in the bed room. brmlock, broken
in two, and hickey one on kich-n floor; ned rom
walls marked, apparently, with blows from blrnt
instrument; marks The c-ii,ng. over the bed,
and three or four the wall hack OF the he'd near
the head; White, the deceased sept toll tte, and
lived alone in the house.
Cross ex suined Broken club 10 tn bed room a.
bout three feet long, about inch IN di tmetsr
the hickory club found III the kitchen about the
the length.
Direct resumed Mr.. White was about seventy
years old; the bed Indicated that he had occupied
II; his Pantaloonslay acrsss the body; body un-
dressed.
James r. Whipple.-Livr in Colebrook, 80 rods
moth Of Whites; Sunday uiorniag about eight o.
clock, went down 10 Whites to borrow his paper;
knocked At the door; nuIs~; op~u-d aud w-at Ia
went TO bed room, and saw hun wing the bed
with feet OH II struck me hr had nd fit; vent
to him and found he was dead; tnra.d aud went
out; notified Mr.. Frisvi~, Ne, (siin--s gives a
similar account TO that of the prtvouS witness, as
TO the return To the house, the disorder, the posi-
ton Of and wounds upon The hody. toe clubs, the
marks on the wall near the Del, Nc)
AFTERNOON SESSION
DR.. Samuel Parsons . krsldrs abont six milesfrom
Whites; known him severed yraf- saw The dead
body on SUNDAY, the 3tsi. and agsia ou thu Tu-s-
day following. On Thursday made past rrprfen
exsminsiion in company with d. Prt-r, vf Colo-
brook. Found confused ~"uu over left eve, di-
yding the skin, and about half iach lnug.-
Also found bruise left side ~ the neck skin dis
colored also hruise let SIDE of me head abpye
the ear also saw ap,~srance uf bruises Oo left
shoulder, arm, and hands We removed the ska,
and sKamu ed the affected parts b-Ius In lett
Found eHrravasat-d blood under the skin tn cunsfrr
able exien-three or fur i.ch-s ~ lsugIh; A. Im-
portspt bsood-vessels rupturrd Examined hiuise
above snd anterior 10 ear Skin dtscniUr-d -nne
two inches in length aud bread skin not broken.
I
tkull; alto between meuihrsn,s ~ brain aud the
brain. Think the wounds NUT have b-rn made by
some blunt instrument, like elan or biilrt of wood
(Gsve HIS reasons Am of opini"n that the blow
over the left ear severe rnoogb 10 csn-e tune
daie death Think the other ~ound4 not sufficient
to cause immediate death (Hsrr The broaen cinb
found IN the bedroom of drceassd. vas pto tnc-d
In COURT Think the lnlun-- m'sht have been
produced by this or similar InrtTiin-bt
Gross examination eli ted notning in ,nrttnt
The prosecution neat offer 4 'oiut'"dac- Bsnji-
mine Balloon, Indicted a. pf'ncip,l N the crm-,
he having plead guilty. OBJECTIONS wrrr IN ,ds ny
couDse far the defence, but Ov.rul-d by the court
Accordingly,
Benjamin Bslcom was pest sworn Tor proseca-
ton.-wnness. when cslied. 80. arrd much agi-
taied, bot soon recoverrs aud gave his t--tino-
ny in firm and slra'ghi forwad m,on-r, - fol.
lows I'll went down to Nnr-'s tuill. op ) uur-
day evening, tn play che krr- wiih htud- 81 ~ofk
an the next shop; about 10 o clock. h-nis~th, the
Indian, cane slong, ADD asked M To 20 ~ the
road; vent and saw Calhoun siftsg down near
the road bid him good evening" add asked wat
was Lup; he said be was Ronx tn crack odd
Bsrnice ssked him where C,'hb was; h said he
had not Got back from New York; | told him
i had rether not 60, we Shouts ret found out
He said dare not 40; toid him dare M-ns--
9Th pulled out a oo,us aud we st-as sssed
He said, take club, knock him on the head,
take the money IN the hou-. ant start
walled along down the road .bout three quarters
Of a mill there Mepassr,h put his ankle out Of
joint he pulled of bis boot aud u; went about
q quarter Of mule further, aud Mrnss--th put his
ankls out again again stopppd and Get ir; wrnt
on q short distance, and Meospee n rrid he could
not 20 any further, that hr ss- ism- would meet
us at his shanty the mountain IN three hours,
with something to eat; he gave Calhoun the no tie
and we drank again Calhoun aud then went on
over 90 Whites; when got To IN, sull we
stepped. picked ny couple 81 clul's and drank the
rest Of the lqyor Calhoun pcsed no q walaut
hoop pole, and cut off the end ftck.d ups hem
lock club, about two and haif feet tong; ~eut to
the house, opened the door aat wat ia Calhoun
vailed NJ Ia the table and quilted ont the drawer
Mr.. Whne then get 10 and cane 90 tue bed. room
door, and asked what was wanted Calhoun said
be wanted some brandy WHIT sud h colli not
have sny Calhoun then struck him hs started
bech, when Calhous struck him agtin. aud knock
ed him on the bed he s.oke To- me, and said,
=" Come here, fellew, and hit him ~ | went mp
and struck him several blows Calhoun struck
BIN sgsin, and We vent out into the kitchen
found candle and lt H. and went back into the
bed ronn tnnk txn ..Ileta LA A...-.L.n viii