Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-03-25
TRIAL OF ARIEL MARTIN.
FOR THE MURDER oFLUCIUs AINsw ORTIZ.
Washington County Court, Thursday,
March II, 1859


March II, 1859.
STATE OF VERMONT rs. ARIEL MARTIN.
Hon. JAMES BARRETT, Presiding Judge.
Counsel for the State.
d. X. SMITH, States Attorney, CHAs. II. JoYcE.
Counsel for the Respondent.
PAUL DmLiyeuAM, LUTHER L. DuRASr.
VERDICT OF GUILTY.
The trial of this case closed at Montpelier
on Saturday evening, the Jury bringing in
n verdict of guilty. An Extra Waterman,
issued Saturday afternoon, brings lis a very
full report of the testimony. The fact of
the d liberate shooting of Lucius Answorth
and Jennison Whcelock, by the accused,
while they were at work on their respective
farms, was iully proved and was admitted by
the defence. We abstract below such por-
tons of the testimony as bear on the muir
dercr's state ofmind and probable motives
ixsLow VooDnY.-I reside in Calais. was
some acquainted with the prisoner at the bar. /
stayed with him from about !! o'clock in tho fore
noon till dark on the day of tho murder. had
some conversation with him then. asked what
he had been up to that morning lie said not
much of ANYTHING. | then asked him what he shot
those boys for. lie said they wore miserable cuyss
and not fit to live. l asked il he was mad ut the
boys. lie said he was.
Gro. X. SLAYroN.-I am acquainted with Ariel
Martin. I asked Martin why he shot Wheclock.
He said, because he want fit to live. l asked II
Wheelock had ever abused him. He said be never
had | asked him why he shot Mr.. Ainsworth
He made the same reply. asked him if Mr.
| Ainsworth had ever abused him. He replied
| he threw stone Mt me once and If that stone
| had nit me, it would have killed me- conclu
| ded that this stone was thrown n number Of vcnr
before. This was all the conversation had At thai
| time.
Martin is boy that is always rather mute
| seldom says anything unless somebody asks him
| question.
| Jason MARsB,-On tho morning of tie lGtl
| July last was in the field moving Mr.. Sla
| VIII clock came to the field and told me that Jcn
| nison Wheelock dead. Ariel Martin had sho
| him. harnesscd my horse and started to go NJ
| there quick ne could [ stopped Mt MIR. Good
| alc's. saw Lu,ius Ainsworth on the Goor. Sal,
| Martin had shot him. drove from there t,
| j. Whcelock's; | found could do no good there
| | drove home quick as | could. While unhar
| Messing my horse | saw Martin come out of tn
| woods back of my house | asked why he did no
| shoot me. lie said he did not want to shoot me- h
was not mad at me. asked why he shot those men
| lie sald was mad with them" ana laughcn
l asked if he had any jack-knife in his pockets
told him if he had to empty his pockets. lie slit
he had no knives, but took out Of his pocket
| handful of balls. asked him if he shot those boy
with those balls. lie said, I shot Jennson with
| round bail; says he, | meant to hit him in tn
| breast, but he was swinging his scythc and
guess I didn't hit there. lie said shot Luciu
with n slug, because I thought that would hur
| him worse
COLUMBUS IlAcKLr.--T reside in Woodbury.. abou
| y miles from the prisoners house, across lots.
| called nj Martins house. The prisoner sat on tn
east side of the house Tho first that | rccolcc
| chat he said was: " that there are several dam
mean men in this town, and out of the several tw
| are meaner than all the rest" asked who the
we're; he replied "Jennison Wheelock and Lu
cius Ainsworth." l asked what they had done
He said one of them CT can't rccollcct whch) too
| mink out of his trap, and he said somethin
| about killing. | think he said, if he was going t
kill, he should take gun and kill far as h
went in broad daylight. feasked me if though
it was sin to kill such men. | think | tod hin
the sin was grea, ms if he should kill better men
lie said, if he should do any such thing peopl
would think he was crazy and would not do an
thing with him.