Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-06-12
A Murder Trial in Massachusetts

menced yesterday, says the Springfield
Republican, the government relied for
conviction almost solely upon his confess
sions, which were made at different
times, in the jail, to Thomas A. Hall,
Moses Day, Norman Strickland and
others, who, of course, were summoned
to testify of them. These confessions
are of such a nature as almost to pre-
clude the possibility of being made by
an innocent person. He made them
although cautioned and told that he was
not obliged to confess, and that he would
do it on his own responsibility. In sub
stance his story was as follows:-
"He met his father, Thomas Calendar,
on the day of the murder, about 10 a. H.
at a coal cabin near the scene of muir
der. They had agreed to meet there
for the purpose of going together TO
Belden's HILL to steal sheep, as they
had got about out of meat. When they
met, they sat down upon log together
His father bad a bottle Of whiskey, and
they drank twice apiece. While they
were thus sitting there, they looked up
the hill, and saw Mrs. Jones and her
children berrying. His father spoke
and said, qhere goes Jones's wife; now
is good time for us to have our re-
venge, for you know how he accused Us
Of milking his cow-let US kill her.
They ran up to where Mrs. Jones and
children were, and he, James, caught
round Mrs. Jones, and threw her clothes
over her head, and threw Ter down.
She cried out 'ohp and he shut her
wind off and held her down, and while
he held her down, bis father killed the
two little children by throwing large
stones on to their heads, crushing in their
skulls and killing them instantly. His
father then came back to where he was
holding down Mrs. Jones (he holding
her clothes over her head), and his faith
er then held her while he (James) raw
ished her; and he then held her for his
father to ravish her. When his father
bad accomplished his purpose, he (James)
killed her by throwing large stone on
to her head, her head being covered up
all the while with her clothes. He threw
the stone two or three times, and killed
her instantly. They then set about toI
dispose of the bodies. They first car
ried them and put them ell in a pile by
a large stump in the edge of the woods
near where they were murdered. They
found that the pile was too large, and
could not be easily covered up, and they
then took the body of Mrs. Jones, he
(James) taking hold of her clothes above
her head, and his father taking hold OF
her limbs, and they carried her in this
way and put her partially under large
hemlock log, which laid up from the
ground in one place, and covered her
body with leaves: her clothes not hav-
ing been taken from off her face since
she was first caught by him. They then
took the bodies of the children, and car
ried them some ways, leaving them sew
eral rods apart, and some little ways from
where the body of the mother was, and
covered them up with sticks and leaves,
&c. They then went ard took Mrs.
Jones' pail, which had a few berries in
t, and put in it the bonnets of Mrs.
Jones and of the little girl, one or two
hoes and the cap of the little boy, which
lad come off during the struggle, and
craped up some of the berries which +
lad been spilled and put them in the !
'ail, and carried it and hid it near where +
ne of the children were left. They n
hen went away together as far as "the @
lewis barn" so called, where they then
eparated his father went directly home
e (James) went another route, and call
d at Mr.. Adams house, and got some
pples, and then went home where he
,und his father"
This confession, as appeared by the e
was made without compulsion, Z
nd judging by the manner in which it ;
as given, and by the corroborative +,
7idence put in by the government, r
lere is no doubt but that it is true in r
ie main, if not in every particular. II a
ne, Thomas Calender (the father of
lmes) is guilty of one of the most
rocious crimes ever committed by a v
vilized being in killing those little, inno- d.
mt children, and justice demands that az
? should be punished, as far as any law 1t
the land can punish for so terrible 70
crime.
The evidence on the part of the prose- &c
tion closed this morning, nothing new in
ing elected beyond proving the con- B
ssion, and showing by several witness Fl