The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-03-16
The West RoXbury Horror.

=
beautiful girl of IA years, just bloom
ing into womanhood, and John, her
younger brother in Roxbury, Mass,
last summer, is too fresh in the minds
of all to need recounting. The mys-
terry which has shrouded the tragedy
seems likely now to be fully unveiled.
1t is believed that the yiolater and
murderer has been discovered. The
Boston papers give the following de
tails of the discovery;
On the fifth lay of August last, Mr.
Wetherbee, of Ashburnham, a deputy
sheriff, was informed that house in
Gardner had been entered that morn /
ing, and robbed Of Il silver watch, and
several other articles Sheriff Weth-
erbee at once started in pursuit of the
thief, tracked him and arrested him
near East Wilton, n H., the following
/ day. The culgs t,refused to give any
other name than "Scratch Gravel,
saying that his parents were too poor
/ to give him any better Although
well armed, with knife and pistol
he offered no resistance to arrest, say
ing substantially to the sheriff.
don't care n d--n for being arrested
for stealing a silver watch; but have
done something which it would be a
feather in your cap to fasteu on me.
| had rather so to prison for two or
three months than to be travelling
about the country as | have been. -
Before placing his prisoner in Jail, Mr.
Wetherbee took him to his house.
After supper Scratch Gravel" sang
with the little children of the sheriff
family and entered into conversation
with the sheriffs wife. Mrs Wcther-
bee endeavored to draw his attention
to spiritual matters, and to make some
moral impression on him. For this
purpose she offered him Testament
Scratch Gravel refused to read it,
saying that he was too wicked that
| he had done that since he had been in
Massachusetts, for which neither God
nor man would forgive him Mrs.
Wetherbee assured him that there
was opportunity for the yilcst sinner
to repent; but he persistently refused
. to read the sacred volume, and re-
peated his declaration that he had
committed n deed which could not be
forgiven. Mr. Wetherbee took his
prisoner to the jail in Fitchburgh, and
at the August term of the superior
c Court, before Judge Allen, he was con
:. ivcted on the charge of robbery, and
sentenced to be confined three years
in the State Prison, to which he was
d taken on the 25th day of August.
If From the time of the first commit
:, ment of Scratch Gravel, sheriff
o Wetherbee entertained suspicion that
he was guilty Of the crime with whicl
Il he was charged. His conduct while
in jail at Fitchburgh, tended to con
G firm these suspicious In concert Will
a two other prisoners confined Their,
= with him. he plotted the murder of tn,
;, turnkey Of the jail. On beng taunt
ed by one of the other prisoners viii
n lack of courage to carry ont this de
2. sign, Scratch Gravel said be woul,
N kill any man if necessary to get out o
the jail. DO you think, said lie t,
his comrade, 'that man who did tn,
a RoXbury Job would hesitate to kill
man to get his iberty?' Straighten
ing himself up, he continued "Tha
+ was some of my work / did that iob
~ That knife (alluding 10 the weapon
! found npon him when arested) ha
sent two ID Yankees to HI
OF since | came to Massachusetts,. | an
re willing to 90 to State Prison for
H. year or two, as | am suspected of do
g. ing something bad" Scratch Gravel
then went on to give the most revoltin
- details Of the crime which he declare,
u. he had committed at West Roxburl
IS, He stated that he stabbed the Joyc
A boy in the back several times; an
- that having had his way with the cir
he put her ont of the way. These dc
r tails he repeated to the prisoners IN
n reservedly, on several occasions usin
in language whose grossness forbids il
re repetition. He stated that since til
- murder he had travelled nights an
slept daytimes in order to escape d,
u lection. The plan of escape from til
n Jail was foiled by one Of the prisoner
MS who had overheard the convorsatio
lie of the plotters. On receiving his sci
tence, Scratch Gravel was conveye
to the State Prison in Charleston.
A detective was introduced into II
X prison, put in the same ward wit
he "Seratch Gravel, wormed himself il
es to the confidence of his comrade 10y
\, simulated plan of escape, and final
- extracted from him doubtful confe
lie sion--a confession that might eXct
ng but could scarcely confirm, suspicio
es. On Wednesday last the Warden
Az the Prison had Il conversation Wi
4. him, in which he asked him whore
~ was last June He refused to te
lp- and when pressed said, "What h
An that to do with my being in this pri
on? l know what yon are driving {
no. You think l murdered the RoXbu
IN children The warden told him
,so was suspected OF that crime, and TIA
i it would be Tor his own interest
,et show where he was during the fiji
o,y part of June The prisoner cast
mt eyes upon the floor and began to trel
oh bic violently, manifesting the most c
nc treme agitation, and talked IN CO