Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1858-09-21
StIrttG6 Sfli5teIlanu.
The Uncertainties Of Circumstanual Evidence.
4 TEUE STORY.

Foriy-three wears ago there lived in the Vi
clnity OF Manchester, ! ermont, two men by the
name ot Bovine. ana another, brother-ln-law To
the BoEncs, 10y the name of Colvin. These
three men lived with heir families in log cab
ms upon a new territory, little out OF the way
of HeI gh 1ors there they often worked together
IN clearing the land or planting aud tending
ibefr crops. rs It WAS then the universal fash
ION ia that now total abstinence State TO drink
whiskey to excess, it followed, as a matter of
course. that there was an occasional quarrel and
sometimes drunken row, such Is would pass
muster even al this day in New ork. Our IN
iormant stated, also, that the women were not
exempt entirely from spiritual Influences. Each
of the parties, We believe, had children at any
rate GOWN had several, and some of these. in
his drunken nHments, he denied the right of
calling hInl father, and that produced qUarrels
between him and his wife In these, as the
BoVnes alleged, he shamefuliy beled and
abused their sister and for which they had oft
en- been heard to threaten him with vengeance
-the witnesses said with dcaIh. In this state
of tGmllv difficulties they erc living, when one
day, while at work together, either planting or
hocirg crop, the brothers and brother law
rot into n violent quarrel - soon afterward said
the women, who alone witnessed il - during
which Colyin disappeared.
OF course every body believed the Bowues
had murdered and secroted the missing Colvin
I" all inquiries the same tale was told, that he
had gone off no one knew why where, and
now here could lie be heard of by personal in
quiries or through the press Newspapers were
not the institution then that they are now The
Bownes acknowledged that in the quarrel one
of them struck Colvin pretty severe blow on
the head with his hoe, but that it did not disa-
bie him. because lie immediately walked off and
went Immediately into the woods, hatless and
coatlcss and hootless and as he was not again
seen or heard of, they came to believe in the
course Of seven years that lntervened between
that time and their trial and condemnation for
his murder, that be had crcpt away into some
hole IN the woods and there died of he 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 it, and
that he walked away strong as ever. OF
course no indictment could be found against
Colvm's supposed murderers, because the strong
est proof of his death, his corpse was un6iscov-
cred and thus the rested for seven long
wears, everybody, his wife included, looking up
on hi, children as fatherless and upon her broth
ers rs guilty at least OF manslaughter.
About that time the field where they were at
work at the time of Colyins disappearance came
into possession of a man who had always be-
lieved the Bownes guilty of murder, and, as he
said, determined TO prove them guilty; and he
commenced thorough search of the premises,
and found in a sort of sink hole, partly filled will
logs, and overgrown with brushes and briars,
some buttons, sworn 10 bs the widow rs having
belonged to the coat that ColvIn wore upon the
day be was muIdered \ jack knife which he
usually carried IN the pocket of the coat was al
so found, and near the same spot were dlscov-
cred several bones which had once belonged to
human being OF the buttons and jaek-knlte
there was dOU bt, not even IN the minds of the
Bovues. because they knew he did not wear his
coat awav. OF the bones being those of the
murdered maH there a doubt, because men
of good Judgment testified that they were too
old, and that. if Colyins. they would not only
be sounder. but more Of them. Where was the
remainder of the skeleton This question was
often put and always unanswered. And so the
two Bowncs were Indicted aud put upon their
trial for murder. Then all these contradictory
statements made ip seven wears were introduced
and conirasied with their asseveratlons OF that
moment when they were envtroued with dan
ger, ana ANXIOUS 10 escape charge OF which
they were not guilty, far Of IntentfoSal al
murder, although fully believing that ColvIn had
died from the effects of tha. affray AS usual IN
all cases admitting OF doubt there was party
~ their favor wblch was not entirely sileucei by
a verdict of guilty OF murder IN the first degree
against the elder brother, who struck the blow
with the hoe, WAS proved that he aekBowl-
edged together with threats made against Col
was lie and a verdict of manslaughter or ac-
cessory % murder. against the other brother un-
der which one was sentenced TO be hung and the
other TO The State prison for lie But these
doubts we're ali removed when II came ouf after
die conviction, and while the one sefitenced TO
/ lie hung was awaiting the tine fixed fer hls cx-
| ecuIlon. that he had confessed 10 the inuruer-
This confession, duly prepared by some one v 10