Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-27

with great pomp and ceremony before the three
officers, sitting as court-martial and there
heard an enumeration of the crimes laid to our
charge, which amounted to five in number,
namely first, breaking the Jail second, carry
ing the sentry from his post third, taking the
arms and ammunition of the garrison, and car
rying them away fourth, taking the boat be-
longing to the garrison and carrying it off the
island fifth, and lastly, deserting from our
state Of confinement.
Of all these crimes we were found guilty,
and received sentence of thlrty-nine stripes
sar each. .RitfE the cet-o '-nns-tails, amounting
in all to one hundred and nincty-fve lashes
we however obtained remission of ninety-fve,
and received one hundred only, the next day at
sun-setting.
The three prisoners, who went away by
themselves, were likewise this day retakon and
brought on to the island, tried and sentenced
therefore, at sun-settng, there were eight Of us
brought to the whipping-post, stripped and pun
ished according to the sentence.
had returned unto the island the morning after
his captivity, and given avery just relation to
the events which had taken place while he was
our prisoner ; of consequence, when the pun
ishment was inflicted on me, it was name
rat her than reality. The other, and more
particularly three of them, were punished with
great severity, the flesh flying off at every
stroke
Burroughs made but one more attempt to es-
cape from the island, but this involved conduct
OF so hcnous character that he was scourged
with one hundred lashes, until his shoes were
full of blood and he was also kept in painful
irons for aspace of more than two months.
With one single exception, this terminated
the criminal courses of Stephen Burroughs-an
assault, with an intent to violate the person of
a lady, which his denied to the last, and for
which he always declared he was made to suffer
wrongfully.
The following interesting account of the last
years of Stephen Burroughs life, is from the
pen of Hon. Isaac F. Redfed ChiefJustice Of
j" the State of Vermont
The country has produced few men of equal
or similar capacity, to the late Stephen Bur
roughs, who, after long life of turmoil, Of
ness, and few years comparatively of quiet
and penitence, was laid to rest in the commu-
Mon Of the Roman Church, upon the banks Of
of th1 majestic monarch Of waters the mighty
st. Lawrence, in small Canadian town, where
he had made quiet and hopeful close of most
: eventful life. We chanced to meet him there,
in the summer of 1898, and in the winter o
, 1898. He seemed altogether absorbed in his
studies, and in the contemplation of his speedy
departure to better life but never sober, Ger
: tainly not sad, and not often grave or solemn
t but more commonly playful and always cheer
full. But he never, save once, in the remotes
= allusion referred to his former course of life
< In one of our first interviews, when converse
: tion took rather sombre direction, with refer
f ence to my own broken health at the time, hi
: said he thought need not be discouraged HI
|, did not expect to live out half his days at m,
n age, but was now nearly seventy! I inquired i
o his health was feeble at that period of life
+ No. said he, but every one then said that
: should be hanged before was forty!'
k Atmy last visit to the Three Rivers, wher
o he spent all his reformed life, was often at hi
/ rooms, and derived much satisfaction, and n
e little advantage, from his conversation He ha,
an extensive library of choice books seemed t.
9 be busy student, and much employed in wri
II ting, but nothing has ever been published iron
his pen since his conversion to the Romis
't Church. His room was hung round with cop
E les, or originals of the masterpieces of some q
Is the distinguished painters of Christian life an
: suffering, and every thing about him indicate
'- very convincingly the genuineness of his repen
% tance and reformation.
@ Few men possessed such extraordinary pow
6 ers of conversation. His manners were coul
: teous and dignifed, without being distant q
e affected, and he possessed the happy faculty c
n communicating vast stores of knowledge, whic
h his extensive reading and long and varied ex
l. periences of life had accumulated without an
l. apparent consciousness of his being the nstruc
'e tor or you the pupil. After some days of gra
% flying acquaintance left him, with sincere r,
a gret, and most unaffected admira ton of h
L strong y-diversfed talents. and most extraord
II nary conversion from sin and crime to life
penitencc and devotion
W There has been great deal said and put
r lished of his history and that of his famil,
j. most OF which is purely fictitious, or somewhi
1t travestied, as scarcely to be recognized by I'll
ed side OF simple truth. His early life is su
s, fciently described in the two volumes publisht
nearly half-a-century since.
t. But little authentic is really known of h
r. later history. There were really many strane
u providonces in his decline and death, which,
y. they did not result in any har-breadth escap
Oh or thick-coming accidents by flood or field. a
Z scarcely deemed of sufficient consequence to |
Ut rehearsed. One of the most striking of the
is in regard to his eldest son, the particulars
n which gathered from eyc-witnesses many yea
th since, and some portion from the father himsel
n, but nothing which concerned himself.
ne While Stephen Burroughs resided in one
d. the eastern townships in CanadaEast, he mair
'es taincd the chief deposit of counterfeit bills
"a the State banks, and finally sent his eldest SC
'St into the United States upon some mission co
en- nected with this illegal traffic.
he The son was arrested and committed to pri
is on and bailcd by some friends of his grand-f
ther, the Reverend Ebon Burroughs of Hanov
" (New-Hampshire,) amost exemplary minister