Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-30
PARALLEL OF THE SAGE MURDER


;,oo,eut il not without its parallel still fresh
in the minds of some OF the elder portion Of
,hi. community. At this time reminisence
F that circumstance, in connection with this
one NAV be worth relating s.iT -fr
Writing from memory only, Of story long
.iu,s related to US by the condemned man, we
NAV err slightly in dates, but in the main cir
c.mstances can give a true version of'a tale
.usieieptIy like romance for a work of fiction.
Forty-three years ago there lived in the VIE
einity Of Manchester, VT, two men by the nafne
cf Bovine, and another brother-in-law to the
Boynes By the name of COlvin These three
men lived with their families in log cabins.
upon new territory, little out of the way
Of neighbOrs. where they often worked together
clearing the land, or planting AVID tending their
crops As il was then the universal fashion
IL that now total abstinence State, to drink
whiskey TO excess, ii followed, as matter of
course, that was an occasional quarrel, and
sometimes n drunken row, such as would pass
muster even at. this day in New York Our
informant stated, also, that the women Were
rot exempt entirely from spiritual influences
Elch Of the parties, we believe, had children :;
at any rate Colvin had several, and some of
these in his drunken moments, ne denied the
right of calling him father, and that produced
quarrels between him and his wife. In those.
as the BaNnes alleged, he shamefully belied
and abused their sister, and for which they had
been heard to threaten him with vengeance
she witness said with death. In this state of
family difficulties they were living, when one
lay. while all at work together, either plant
ins or hoeiug crop, the brothers and brother
in-law 500 into violent quarrel-sO after
wards said the women, who alone witnessed it
during which CoIvin disappeared. T.,
Of course, everybody believed that the
BoWnes had murdered and secreted the miss
ing C0lvin. To all inquiries the same tale was
tod, that he had gone Off no one knew why or
where. and nowhere could he be heard Of by
personal inquiries or through the press. News
papers were not the institution then that thew
are now. The Bownes acknowledged that in
the quarrel one Of them struck Colvin n pretty
severe blow on the head with his hoe, but that
IT did not disable him, because he Immediately
walked OF and went directly into the woods
hatless and cOatless, and barefoot; and as he
was not again seen or heard of, they came to
believe. in the course Of the seven years that
interviewed between that time and their trial
and condemnation for his murder, that he had
crept away into some hole in the woods and
there died of the wound in his head of which
they had no means Of knowing whether il was
severe or not They only knew that blood
flowed freely from il, but that he walked away
as strong rs ever. OF course no indictment
could be found against Colvin's supposed muir
dererS, because the strongest proof of his
death, his corpse, was undiscovered; and thus
the case rested for seven long years, every body,
his wife included, looking upon her children as
fatherless, and upon her brothers as guilty at
least Of manslaughte
About that time the field where they were at
work at the time COlvin 5 disappearance came
into the possession Of a man who had always
believed the Bon les guilty of murder, and, as
they said determined to prove them guilty;
and he commenced n thorough search of the
y filed with logs, and Overgrown with bushes
ami briers, some buttons, sworn to by the widow
as having belonged to the coat COlyin wore on
the day be was murdered. Jack knife which
ne usually carried in the pocket of that coat
was also found, and near the same spot were
discovered several bones which had once be-
lpnget - a huInIn being. Of the buttons and
Jsck-knlfe there was no doubt, not even in the
minds Of the BOwnes, because they knew he did
DO; wear his coat away. OF the bones being
those ol the murdered man there was a doubt
because men of good judgment testified they
were too old, and that if COIYin's they would
not only be sOunder but more Of them. Where
was the remainder Of the skeletonl This aues-
ton was often put, and always unanswered
And 50 tbs two Bounes were indicted and put
upon their trial for murder. Then all these
contradictory statements made in seven years
were introduced and cOntrasted with their as
se'erauons of that moment whom they were en-
vlTnned with danger, and anxious to escape a
cnargs OF which they were not guilty, so far rs
Of Intentional murder. although fully believing
that COivin had died from the effects Of that al
Tray As usual in all cases admitting of
doubt, there was n party in their favor which
was not entirely sileneed by n verdict Of
murder IN the first degree against the elder
brother, who struck the blow with the hoe as
was proved that be acknowledged. together
Win threats made against COlVin's tife; and o
'eIllct OF manslaugbter or accessory to murder
against the other brother; under which one
was sentenced to be hung and the other to the
state Prison for life But these doubts were all
removed when il came out after the conviction,
AMI While the one sentenced to be hung was
awaiting the time fixed for his execution that
ne had confessed to the murder. This confess
s'n' duly prepared by some one who had ac-
cess 10 the prisoner, was published, and that
setuel ths case against the doubters In the
mean time, the other brother, who had gone 10
ms liie imprisonment, was looked upon as a
hardened villain. because he still persisted in
asserting their innocence. II was an assertion
mat availed inst az much and no more than it
al when they were borne down by tornado Of
PTeJEdice- and convicted without evidence of
gIIlt
But Why did you make the confession ?''
We asked the convicted man
Because llfe was still dear and / was as
'~'e0 mat that Uas the only way to save it. /
wa told that if L would confess my punish
heAt would be eommuted and / might Join my
nro'ner. Anything, L thought, rather than
'he galiows 1 knew / had been a wicked
laan anl l thought lie 70 saye my life was
q I very great sin, as il would give me more
"he Tor repentance. / could not read or
N!'te, and scarcely knew what the paper con-
'a'hed that was told to put my name to-
so'h found what purpose II was wanted for. 1t
"a "a DIT TO save my life, but to prove to my
ilehds that my condemnation had been lust
so1n hant that had nothing to hope-that
l must de On the gallows."
,;','s me one Il toilIng IN prison and the other
I'm I'm 'aIee weeks Of death, let us visit farm
H'1'e 10 New jersey. and look in upon quiet.
feaI4h' evening scene, where the head of the
iLa-hIiy Is reading 10 those gathered around to
@ Zoe news which a weekly New York
Pap1l pG al3rds them. lie has just finished the
Ieal!ng OF a detailed account Of the trial and
SCyn'euon Of tie Bownes for the murder Of
f'Vin. During the rea1ing, the wife of the
Iaef had her attention very much divided
tween the interest which she felt in the ac-
9uut and the effect it seemed to produce upon