The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1858-03-18
Curious Stories Of Old Times i'm
Vermont.

vGrmOnus
Ina Country or State where no very definite
idea either Of law or Of the principles Of right
are held by the people, customs sometimes
prevail, which, though strange and unnatural,
are often observed with the most scrupulous
care. OF those which obtained among the
early settlers of Vermont, sprirging from a
perversion Of legal maxims. two examples have
been preserved. On the 10th Of Jane, 1885,
the General Assembly of Vermont passed an
act dlscharging from imprisonment, on certain
conditions, Thomas Chandler, Of Chester, one
Of the early settlers on the New Hampshire
Grants. On the Goth of the same month, be-
fore he was enabled to comply with the terms
Of the act, Chandler died in the Jail at West
minister, where during several months he had
been confined for debt. According to the
ideas Of that period, if the friends Of a person
dying in prison, carried his remains beyond
the boundaries Of the jail-yard, they were re-
garded as accomplices in escape, and were
supposed to be liable to satisfy the judgment
by virtue Of which he was confined. Anoth-
er foolish notion induced people to think that
any one who shonld bury the body Of an inn
prisoned debtor would thereby become execu-
tor in his own wrong, and as intermedder
with the estate Of the debtor, liable to dis
charge the debtors obligations. How to give
Christian burial to the remains of Judge Chan
dler, and yet avoid the responsibility of an
swering for his faults, was a serious question.
For several days the corpse remained in the
cell of the Jail, Stunned by those whose COM
mon sense, one would suppose, should have
taught them the folly of q custom which for
baGe them to perform IN act Of humanity as
imperative and solemn as is that Of inhuma-
ton.
At length, when the body had become so Of
fensive as to endanger the health Of the pris-
oners confined in the Jail, Nathan Fisk, the
Jailer suggested an expsdient which was qnick-
ly put in practice. On measuring the Jail lib
critics, he found that BY stretching the chain,
he could include within II EN- small portion
Of the adjoining burying-ground. A grave was
then commenced just outside of the grave yard
fence, and just within the Jail yard limits As
the excavation advanced, it was directed OBJ
liquely under the fence, until sufficient depth
had been obtained. These preparations hav-
ing been completed, the jailsr in company
with few individuals entered in the silence
of midnight, the cell where the putrescent
mass was lying, placed it in rough box-like
coffin, drew it on the ground to the spot selec-
ted for interment, and consigned to its last
resting place all that remained Of the once no.
ted Chandler. Thus was he buried within the
Jail limits, and vet, by a very pardonable eva
sion Of law, under the consecrated soil of the
"old Westminster church yard.''
BY another strange perversion OF legal prin-
ciples, at this early period, certain people were
led to believe, that whoever should marry a
widow, who was administrative upon the es-
tate Of her deceased husband, and should
through her, come in possession of anything
that had been purchased by her deceased tus-
band would become administrator in bis own
wrong, and render himself liable to answer for
the goods and estate Of his predecessor. The
method adopted to avoid this difficulty in the
marriage OF Asa Averill, Of Westminster, to
his second wife the widow of Major Peter
Lovejoy, was very singular. By the side of
the chimney in the widows house was a re-
cess of considerable size. Across this blak-
ct was stretched in such manner as to form
a small inclosure. Into this Mrs. Lovejoy
passed with her attendants, who completely
disrobed her, and threw her clothes into the
room. She then thrusted her hand through a
small aperture purposely made in the blanket.
The profered member was clasped BY Mr..
Averill, and in this position he was married to
the nude widow on the other side of the WOOL
en- curtain. He then produced complete as
sortment Vt wedding attire which was slipped
into the recess. The new Mrs. Everill soon
after appeared in full dress, ready to receive
the congratul ations Of the company, and
join in their hearty rustic festivities. The
marriage proved happy one, their children
by their former partners living in great harmo-
ny. not only with each other, but with those
also who were afterwards born to the new
pair.