Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-03-06
PokahontasI

age Eastman, Editor Of the Vermont Patriot
We have met him in many notorious characters,
during our short acquaintance, in his numer-
GUS aliases among which are +" Ebb Batchel-
DER" &C. &C., but never before with the alias
of 9" Jonas Bruce"
From the Vermont Patriot Feb %.
Horrible Tragedy ut East Montpelier I---
Thrilling Details!!
Mr.. EDITOR On the morning Of the 10th
inst, dead body was discovered by Mr.. Rufus
OWNING, of East Montpelier, in the very top
of one Of the lofty pine trees which form the
grove about mile this side of that village
Mr.. OWNING Immediately gave the alarm, and
very soon a large crowd, rendered curious by
Dwinins's relation of the singular situation of
the body, had collected upon the spot. After
great labor the body was taken down from the
tree, and removed to the dwelling of Mr.. Dwin-
ing, and there subjected to an examination
The singular character of the facts elected the
outre and horrible appearance OF the body, TO-
gether with the causes OF its singular position,
are enough to warrant minute description.
have endeayored to describe the circumstances
of the case, and the phenomena connected with
it, both physical and psychological, as definitely
as possible.
The persons who assisted in taking the body
down from the tree were severally sworn and
examined by Mr. Lewis, the coroner The sub
stance of the information thus derived is as fall
lows The tree on which the body was found is
a large pine, some eighty feet in height, and
unusually straight and free from branches. The
limbs commence at about six feet from the top, |
and are closely interviewer SO as TO form o sort
Of crown about the summit and within this
the unfortunate man had concealed himself
Such medical men as could be reached were
called in, and the body was examined and re-
ported upon. The features were distorted, the
eyes protruded from their sockets, and the
throat was horribly swollen. The body exhibit
ed no signs of life, yet the medical gentleman
were unable to divest themselves Of the idea
that life was not wholly extinct, for what reason
will soon appear. The corpse appeared to be
that of a man about forty -fve years of age
His hair was slightly grey, and had from some
cause assumed strange and unnatural rigidity.
The muscles about the thorax and sternum were
cracked, and appeared as if torn apart by some
tremendous internal force. The ribs were sep
arated from the vertebral column, and broken
in various places, and the whole trunk appeared
as if shattered by gunpowder exploded within
the body. The brain was discovered to be
withered and shrunk, as if subjected to the in
auence Of fire. The heart-strngs were broken
and torn away from their fastenings. The
bowels were snarled and knotted in the most
complex and inexpicable manner. The mouth
was open, nor could it be compressed SO as to
remain in natural position. The garments
upon the body were of good quality and arrang-
ed with some taste. In his pockets, among
various other articles, was found memorandum
book, containing several half written poetical
productions, evidently produced in state Of
mind verging upon insanity. From letters in
the book it was discovered that the deceased
was Rienzi Bronson of East Calais The meet
ing adjourned without any conclusion as to the
cause of his death, in order to procure further
information. Active measures for that purpose
were commenced, and the next days session re-
vealed the following satisfactory result:
Mr.. Bronson was found to be man of some
property, a farmer, eta person Of cultivated
of literary man, yet apt to be excited by the
highly wraught and seductive fctions of rO-
nance A moving picture from the pen of a
On the morning of the 18th he was observed
about his dwelling, and his conduct was SO
strange as to attract universal observation. He
and was seen to cast something into a hole in
the ice cut for the accommodation of cattle
Upon search it was discovered to be a copy Of a
newspaper published in your village. Immedi-
ately on doing this, Bronson ran off with great
rapidity, taking the direction Of East Mont
pelier. His disconsolate wife is wholly unable
to give any satisfactory reason for this singular
conduct. Her account is that he was quietly
engaged in perusing the paper. when suddenly
he became most violently excited, ravng, re-
peating scraps of verse, and crying out, with
great vehemence, a name evidently belonging
to primitive and barbarous language. Sud-
denly he seized his hat and rushed from the
house.
The committee of medical men were unable
to solve this mystery of mysteries, when DR..
Knowlton suggested the use of the galvanic bat
terry. This suggestion was adopted and, on
applying the wires to the body, signs of life
were at once manifest Although the limbs
only exhibited the customary conyulsions con-
sequent upon the use of the battery, the throat
was affected in wonderful and inexplicable
manner. Articulate sounds, distinct but dis
connected, were audible, and something seemed
to be struggling to effect an escape. DR.. Knowl-
ton describes the sounds to be, as near as can be
depressed in sylables, as something like this :.
Poke-Key-ontus Green-muntoun Freetain
, -my-O Sidn-Sylvest-bo killed
Tecumsey; also this GUS" These disconnected
and unintelligible words were all that could be
elected at this time, and only added to the per
plexity and wonderment of the investigators.
, subsequent application of the battery hal
completely cleared up this terrible mystery, ant
, has added another to the long list of the glori
Gus triumph of science. The causes and re
suits, arranged in lucid and convincing order
: have thus been related by DR.. Knowlton -
: 1T has been ascortained that this unfortu
nate man, Bronson, was person of great low
Of the sublime and beautiful, as developed il
romance. He was also u man of the most en-
y larged sympathies and volatile passions. II
was person as this event demonstrates, unabl
to control his feelings, and was constantly CARR
ed away by the fictitious grief, or melancholl
end of some hero or heroine, of imaginativ
: story. His soul, by such narrative, would b
: stirred to its depths, and his pity or his rage
his admiration or his horror, would not unfre
!, quently drive him to madness. Upon the morn
u ing when his singular flight occurred, he ha
Q been perusing tale of the most affecting on
q moving character, printed in paper publishe
in your village 1t is needless to say it wa
= 'POKAHONfAS, BY THE EDITOR This tale
Is which would be distracting to a man of nor
solidity CT mind, excited poor Bronson to tel
d rible degree. His very soul rose within him i
ecstatic emotion. Swayed completely by it,
rushed 10 the pond, plunged the fatal documer
II into the watering hole, and fed, he knew nc
10 whittier, guided by no light of reason, govern
ed by no sane idea. He must have rushed OF
j. regardless of the bowling tempest, until
reached the lofty pine, on the top of which h
remains were discovered No man could ha,
done this had he not been endowed with mo,
|. than natural strength. Still, poor Bronso
might have survived had his feelings been
sufficient moderation to allow an expression.