Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-04-29

N'"i'' lui Tue 'eTmoht NOiunteetst expiatt
with their lives the crime Of desertion ,
- Friday. at Fort Warren, Boston Harbo
.' They were not Nermonters but were regula
e bounty Jumpers from New York The
are believed to have belonged IN Cohocs, Ne
York. Both enlisted Dec. !, 1868. TOR thre
years, as Il part of the quota of Sunderland
Vt, one under the name Of Charles Carpen
ter. but whose real namo is thought 10 hav
; been james McCarty. and the other as Johl
Roach, although his right name was MATTHEW
Riley. They were both Of Irish parentage
and about q years of age. After being mus
tered in they were sent to the general rendez
vous at Brattlehoro' as recruits for Co. Z
9TH Vermont Volunteers, and received tn,
town bounty. Two days afterward they de.
serted and went 10 Springfield, Mass, where
it is thought they again enlisted and desert
ed. When arrested they were very much
disguised and were on their way to westLeba.
non Nh. again to enlist. They escspod again
from the cars while under arrest, bot were
retaken They were lodged in jail in Rut-
land, and succeeded once in escaping from
the building. but were canght in the village.
Their correspondence developed the fact that
they were PRINCIPALS of gang Of professional
swindlers. y picture Of Carpenter is IN TIE
Rogue'- Gallery Of New York
These facts were all certified to by Cant.
+ Crpne, Provost Marshal OF the lst District.
The men acre sent by Maj. Austine to Mai.
Stephen Cabot, commandant at Fort Warren.
on tho 1th OF last month, to be tried BY Gen
er,l Court Martial at Galloup's Island, pur
suant to orders from Maj Gen. Dix. and were
duly convicted and sentenced.
We copy from the Boston Journal the
following account Of the execution
Rev. Patrick y. Moyce has been with the con-
demuei every day this week but one aud found
them trtctable and finally resigned. The
father. mother and sister Of Carpenter, the
mother, sister and cousin OF Riley. young lady
engaged to Carpenter, ami two others. went
down yesterday morning, and were aimtted
10 the cell one at time, when rings were e1-
changed aud tears shell and parting kisses given
At u o'clock, the battalion Of artillery, which
forms the garrison, parallel under command OF
Major Cabot, marched out the SILLY port. aud
masking % circui, formed three sides Of 3 hollow
square facing the green embankment which COW
crs the sslIy-port face.
soon after came the funeral procession. the
band ahead playing the dead march, the firing
barrow, tine prisoners marching next, with Rev.
Mr.. Noyce, the guard II twenty behind With
arms reversed. Ialjing near the fot Of the
emoIuLusut, the prisoner- stood with their
backs 60 D., facing the battalion. The hrng
party topE up their position u front Of the pris-
oners, twelve PAGES distant
Up 60 Tins point Carpenter had motel every
thing, looking ~ he went along at the suuiit
sea, ant the tort. the sky and the dark groups
on tine hillside of Galloupe's Island beyond the
channel, where the new levi,s were watching
the scene from a6ar or
Ryan had been pale. hut firm, and mostly
lookoi on the ground while marching. repeating
AZ intci1al- short prayer, after the priest. H.
N1s evidently calm as the other. a. Carpen-
ter's uouchslsnce was partly assumed The
boys are each about i've feet FIVE. Ryan thin
faced, dark hair, and Clrpenter round ,nd full
with rcl hair
Lieut. John T. Batchelier. Co. E., provost
mar-1f' "f The fort, had conducted the proceei-
mgs. lIeut WIN. Raw. acting adiuiant Of the
post, read 70 them the minutes Of the trial and
sentence. concluding with Mai. Gen DiS's ap-
pro'sl. which c0ntnius the following
' The crime Of which these men are convict
81, is among the most henous in the military
cole. They were conivierated with three other
p.rs1ns % enlist, obtain the bounty aud desert
..f
swearing s.les auce to d. Tne recruiting offi-
GERS were warned Of their intention. but not
Wlihs'andug every precaution, they succeed
ell The day after they were mustered into the
service, In ehectinc their escape.
Carpenter, after his descrtion. dyed his hair
and otherwise disguised himself, and commenced
the business Of Bounty and Substitute Broker.
Riley WAS one Of his conteieratesEn enlistnc and
lesertiug, nnd they were found together when
they were trrestel, the continued association
indicating that they were league1 together for
the commission Of further crimes"
The prisoners had nothing to say, and the
haadcuf that connected them was removed.
Father Moyce srii his last prayers, gave them
his blessing, kissel them, and turned away,
when one Of them stopped him moment TO
confess o SIN he had forgotten
lney took OF coats and caps, and laid them
on the ground by their feet, and their hands
were tel behind them. Carpenter gave his hat
a kick and sent it ont Of his way Their ewes
were btulsgei, and they we're directed to kneel 1
on the right knee, both between the collins
which were lengthwise, with feet towards the
soldier,. They held themselys erect, with head
slightly back.
The firing party Of twelve was in two lines.
ten front Two we're detichei from each end
10 the rc,r, 10 act ~ reserve in case the first
volley should iail, thus leaving sixteen to fire.
or these one had an unloa1el musket no man
knowing which It was, military form usual in
such easrs; one piece failed "a 90 1T. snd ono
missed the mark when fired.
The other thirteen took effect The orders,
really, aim, FIRE, were given in quick success
ion. The sixteen soldiers fired together, eight at
each culprit, and before the sound reached the
ear the prisoners were dead. They fell back to
gether. The instant the bullets struck was the
instant Of insensibilty.
Dr. J. Severance stepped up and examined
the bodies. There was one slight muscular
contraction in each, sort Of gasp. and that was
all. Seven bullets had struck one, and six tine
other. All these bullets had struck the left
breast--not to the right Of the central line
an accuracy that was surprising. The firing
party had been obtained by picking forty mc1
from the artillery, and Of these drawing twenty
by lot.
The battalion was marched by the prostra;e
bodies, and back to the fort, the band playing
quickstep. The bodies we're afterwards put in
the cotfins, the collins in boxes. and the boxes
reached the city at six O'Clock where the rela-
tives were waiting to take them to the Worcester
depot, for the sl Western train.
or one Of those boys the mother said, he had
always been good boy till be was fifteen or
sixteen, and then he got into bad company and
was led astray.
CoSTRIBUTIONs FROM VERNoSI.-During
the month Of February there were sent.
through the y. E Women's Aid Associa-
ton, for the Sanitary Commission, boxes
from Burlington (2). Colchester, vergennes,
Middlebury, Shoreham and many other