Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-08-16
Misrellaneoas.
A REMARKABLE CASE
The Supposed Murderers Proved
Innocent.


The following remarkable case of a convic-
ton for murder while the parties were, In fact,
innocent, and no murder had been committed,
is one of the most marvellous in the history Of
the world.
1t happened, as will be learned upon peru
sal of it, in Vermont in 1919; and its singular
denouement excited extraordinary attention at
the time.
We invite for it a careful perusal:
Mr.. Barna Boorn and his aged partner were
respectable inhabitants of Manchester, in the
State of Vermont They were the parents of n
son and two daughters, besides the unhappy
Stephen and Jesse, who figured in the story we
are about to narrate.
Sally, one of the daughters, became the vile
of Russell Col,in, by whom she became the
mother of several children, all of which were
dispersed an ong their relatives, owing to the
mental arrangement of their father, which rem
der d him incapable of attending to his family
concerns, and OF providing for them necessary
support.
Mr. Colvin was in the habit of frequently alb
senting himself without giving previous inform
alton, and rambling in various parts of the coun-
try. At one time he was absent Us long as nine
or ten months, after which he was found in the
State of Rhode Island.
About eleven years after his marriage to Miss
Boorn, he was again missing, which, at the time,
caused little or no alarm, as it was expected he
woald return as on former occasions. But after
lapse of several years, nothing having been
heard Of him, surmises were circulated that he
had been murdered; and suspicion rested OH his
brothers -ln-law, Stephen and Jesse Boorn. as
his murderers- This suspicion was created by
reference to the frequent alterations that had
taken place between Colvin and the Boorns pre-
vious to the disappearance of the former, and
to some unguarded expressions of the latter af-
forwards, intimating that Colvin was dead, and
by their occasionally showing some signs OF
compunction.
A Mr. Boorn, uncle to Stephea and Jesse, a
gentleman of respcctability and unimpeachable
character, dreamed that Russel Colvin came to
his bedside and told him that he had been mur :
dered. and he must follow him, and he would
lead him to the spot where he war buried. This
was repeated three times. The deposit was a
place talked of previous to the dream, was where
house had formerly stood, and under it was
hole about four feet square, which was made for
the purpose of burying potatoes, and then filled
UP. This pit was opened, and nothing discov-
cred but large knife, a penkpife and a button.
Mrs. Colvin, anterior to their being presented to
her, described them accurately, and on seeing
them said they belonged to her husband, except
ing the small knife.
A lad walking from Barna Boorn's, at small
distance, with his dog, hollow stump standing
near the path engaged the notice of the spaniel,
which ran to the place and back several times,
lifting up his feet on the boy, with whining
notes, as though to draw the attention Of his
little master to the place, which had the desired
effect. A cluster of bones were drawn from the
roots of the stump by the dogs paws. Further
examination was made, and in the cavity of the
stump were found two toe-nails, to all appear
ance belonging to human foot; others were dis
covered in crumbling state, which, to appear
ance, had passed through the fire. 1t was now
concluded by many that some fragments of the
body of Russell Colvin were found. The clus-
ter of bones were brought before the Court of
Inquiry. They were examined by number Of
physicians, who thought them to be human one
of The profession, however, thought otherwise.
A Mr.. Salisbury, about four years previous, had
his leg amputated, which was buried at the dis
tance of four or five miles. The limb was dug
up, and, by comparing, it was universally deter
mined that the bones were not human. How
ever, it was clear that the nails were human,
and so appeared to all beholders, The bones
were in a degree pulverized. but some pieces
were in tolerable state of preservation. Sus-
picions were excited that the body was burnt,
and some parts not consumed cast into the stump
and other bones put among them for deception.
Some time after the departure of Colvin, barn
belonging to Mr.. Barna Boorn was consumed by
fire, accidentally; it was conjectured that the
body was taken up and concealed under the
barn and mostly consumed. About that time a
log-heap was burnt by the Boorns, near the
place where the body was supposed to be depos-
tied; it was thought by some that it was con-
sumed there.
The subject occupied the attention Of almost
every mind in the neighborhood. II seemed as
if the age of ghosts and hobgoblins had re-
vived, and that every house was haunted by
the ghost of Colvin. At length the murdered
Colvin actually appeared, in dream. to con.
nectlon of Boorns, and he declared that he had
been murdered by them, and pointed out the
place where he was buried. Upon this mirac-
uious revelation, all the human passions were
hold the bones of Colvin. The valleys sent forth
groups OF wondering men and women, not few;
the mountainous descended from the rugged