The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-08-30
from the Free fraas.
A MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR.
LAMoILLE counIr. AnralL 0. las.

lhern has recently been discovery ot q |
dead tDtyI FuVPgsrt ~ hr- sitas sl = ssaI4isss.d
man, 10 the waters Of Lake MemphpmAgog, |
which, while IL eScites greailntorest, also a.
wHkens the kecnest curiosity and sorrow,-
Tho fapts relative 10 this extraordinary aud
matter are, so far as am able 10
ascertain them, nearly as follows, A. there
ara Thousand and one' rnnou aAoat amidst
tho excitement and intereht that tlis affair
creates, some grains Of allowance must Of
course be- madei but for the corrrcfnsn Of the
substantial facts, you may most implicitly re-
ly upon what is herein stated.
Some three years since, one BURDIcK
SPRAGuE took up his residence in Morristown
lie seemed to be a very quiet aud peaeeable
man, and seldom made any words with any
one, unless spoken TO- Many, believing that
'breyity was the soul fwt,' Thought him re-
uTurrr',ly -itr,,...l- -s...d- -gaealaaaaa- -InaIIIa
had no husiucrs in particular, tho it T. said
that formerly 10 BrookGcd, IN Orange Coun-
~, whore his pprcnis resided, he had bctn
engaged in the grave stone business BE-
coming more acquainted, aner his arrival In
Morristown, hc frequcnted the tayerns and
other public places, and was, very naturally,
accused Of gambling aud drinking. llc con
tinuod to live in Morriiown, leading tho lie
mentioned, (and il Is also said that be- loaned
money, bought up notes, &cr) without any
particular incident except the breaking ofhis
arm, until about June, 1879, when the Grand
Jury OF this County found hill ofindictment
against him for parJvrU no having obtained
tho posssssion Of farm in Alorristown for the
accommodation OF the parties concerned
and afterwards, when all trouble had blown
over or during the pendency Of the inyest-
CATION ofthc title he committed the offence
for which he was charged. An Immediate
arrest Of Spmpuo was made and ho was odg-
ed in the jail Of this County; but his friend.
soon came forward, gave the required bail,
and ho. was permitted to go at large. IIo soon
after lolt this section of the country, and was
not heard again ofuntil sometime IN Noycm-
-Ler, la4a- in tho vicinity ocLakc Mcmnhrc-
magog, where he had been stopping for sonlo
time, At this time, November, 1910. great
GrciicHenk urcYaiied ir thc vicinity wherc hc
was stoppiur as he'had suddenly aud unac-
countably disappeared, and no knowledge Of
could be ohtaiued lilo had
been seen Just before his Disappearance with
one 'I3ill Clark, and a companion Of his, who
were both orrathcr neutrality-suspicious. hay
ing been up for trial for the murder of Parker
of Manchester, of N. H., OF which they we're
not found guilty. Diligcnt search was made
for SpNguc; the country in the ncighborhood
was much excited, and great interest was felt
to know wifeFr#t1Tfst= #T1Tt Tzrtis-z
were on the lookout but all TO no purpose,
as no trace could be found of his whereabouts
or his faio, The conclusion was that he had
boon robbed and murdered, and that his body
had been slyly sccrrted.' Soon aiter thiswhcn
all hopes Of finding him were abandoned,
married sister rcsitlinp in Crallsbnry. opened
his trunk, and there found eight or ten, and
some say, foecn hundred, dollars in bank
bills but nothinc,to lead to the discovery Of
his unknown fate.
Every thing continued in this most mystc.
rious and unsatisfactory state until last Thurs
day, July 9lst, when the body, so long miss.
ing, was found in Lake Mcmphrcmagog
,fhc history of his discovery is as extraor-
dnary and striking as that oC the disappear
Hnce. Two gentlemen from Sianstcad, who
were fond ffishng,sct out with that Niewsome
day last week. Wishing a small boat, they
employed man we'll acquainted with all
parts of the Lake, and who usually attends
all fishing excursions, TO row the boat into n
certain small cove. To this he objected; say
ing there were no fish there; that Il was bad
place to get into, Sc, the result was that they
went in some other direction Relating this
incident after their return, their curiosity was
excited to learn or know what tho bontman's
real objections could have hecn TO going into
the cove alluded to. Suspicious were arous-
ed; curiosity. was excited, and it was resolved
to get uP,a party and make a visit to the mys-
terious cove. A party was formed on Thurs
day last, and in due time they reached the
suspicious Cove, where, most strange to re-
late, was found the dead body of BURDIcK
SPRAGUEi The throat was cut; his coat
drawn Hp over his head, and there fastened
with his suspenders J Notwithstanding he Z
months, the body was in n wonderful state of |
preservation; so much so, that it was recog- /
nized at once as that Of the long lost Sprague! /
The depth of the water, whore the body, nor
upon the surface, had so long LAIN has not
been learned by the writer ofthis. II Is sup
posed that il had been sunk by some weight; /
and to confirm this it is said, but know not
Il -
and dropped of supposed to be owing to the
effects of the cord to which the weight requr-
ed to sink the body was attached The re-
covery of the body upder such peculiar cir
cumstaneas, and after a mysterious absenre of
nearly two years, created great excitement in
the vicinity suspicions rested at once upon
the boatman who fed the country ere the Of
icers OF justice could overtake him.
The wonderful preservation of the BODY
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