Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1866-05-25
MISCELLANY.
History of a Strange Character.


History of Strange Character.
Thirty-six years ago last August there
died in one of the narrow and gloomy
cells of the Kenrebec county Jail in Au-
gusta, Maine, man whose noble men
and strang~ history attracted the attention
and commanded the fees of nearly every
man, woman and child, who visited that
village, and had time to behold so singu-
lar an object and listen to his tragical mar
ration. This was the venerable Henry
McCausland. In that stone cell, " solitary
and alone" lie spent life of Ainy-sir
years--bctween the ages of 36 and p
awaiting, aud all the time earnestly de-
nandiag, the sentence of death, for the
crime of wilful murder-a sentence which,
though lie was found unqualifedly guilty"
in court was never pronounced upon him
His person was one of the noblest speci-
mems Of the qenusS Shomo--full six feet in
| hight, well proportioned in body and
limbs, straight, erect, with kindly coun-
tenance and a flowing beard of snowy
whiteness, which, for all that time, had
felt only the friendly salutations of huge
horse-mane comb. Like the beard Of the
great Hebrew priest, :" it went down to
the skirts of his garment" II was not
common or fashionable then, as it is now
for his modern imifators, to exhibit such
barbarian, because unbarbered, visages
and consequently his Jewish physiognomy
was terror to juveniles and the wonder
of all.
The circumstances of his life-long inn
prisonment without sentence, or execution
of legal punishment, were singular, and
viii bear narration even at the present
day.
Henry McCausland was mill-wright
in Gardner. He was q patriot of the
Revolution, and served his country well
in the war for Independence. During a
violent religious excitement, produced by
certain New Lights, he became convert
and his impressions were so strong, that
he thought he held direct spiritual COM
munication with the Almighty. who re-
Fquired him, in order to insure His final fa-
vor, to make Burnt Offering and 4
Sacrifice. On every other subject, but
that of religion, he was perfectly ration
al but on this he was perfectly deluded
in fact, monomaniac. For a time ht
resisted the heavenly calling; but tht
more he resisted, the clearer were hi
visions and the thicker came the texts o
Scripture which urged him to obey Goo
rather than man." But what should b,
his Burnt Offering? and where should h
find the victim for sacrifice? These wer
revealed to him in this wise: There wa
an English Episcopal church in Gardiner
built by its i galized patron, William
Gardiner, for whose name the town wa
called This church, in the phraseolog
of the New Lights, was child of tn
Mother of Harlots. 1t was proud ,scorr
full enemy of true religions and of its re
vivals. The. ediAce where Satan had h
sanctuary must needs be put out of I'll
way that, therefore, was doomed for
burnt offering. Accordingly on the nigl
of the 18th of August, 1898, he filed
child's shoe with live Goals and repairt
Ii to the church, which he soon succeeded
x burning to the ground. That same patr'
of the church had no wife, but marie
woman who kept his house, and who,
r. McCausland believed, had given birth
= three illegitimate children by the chur'
e patron, thereby committing the unpa
donable SIM" against the three persons
= the blessed Trinity, the Father, the So
s' and the Holy Ghost. Evidently she W
It, a proper victim for the sacrifice. 1t ha
= pened upon certain night in octob'
This woman, Mrs. Warren, was called
az watch with a sick sister up the Cobbos
stream. Thither he repaired at midnig
by means Of his canoe, entered the hou
st and sick room without ceremony, and pi
ceeded'to the discharge of his pious dn
Mrs. Warren was partially reclining
the side of her sick sister, supporting !
rs, aching head upon her own. bosom. n
ter
C. Causland had taken no weapon or inst
mt ment of death with him, knowing that
the Lord had called him to make the s
:. rifce, he would provide him with