Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-10-04

.CAKSIvAL OF CRIME IN ENGLAND. - The
criminal record Of the last week in August,
in the English papers, is sickening list OF
outrages, murders and executions. \ man
shoots down bis uncle IN one county; wo-
man goes mad in London and cuts the Threats
OF her little children; another rufhan murders
his wise and tries to burn her body; another
kills his paramount and then backs at his own
neck and pretends that she attempted to kill
him; a couple of villains brain poor pedes-
trian with an iron winch. But Of all recent
crimes that committed at Alton, IN Hamp-
shire, England, takes precedence for enormi-
ty. 1t is thus narrated by the correspondent
Of the n. Y Herald:
Three little girls were quietly playing on the
green grass near the river way. Presently
man came along and offered them three half
pennies to run a race down into 'the hollow
They ran. and he ran after them playfllly. The
mothers saw the mimic race and thought no
harm of it, But in ''the hollow" the man Of
fered one Of the little girls, named Fannie Ad-
ans, another halEpenny to 90 into neighbor-
ing hop garden with him. She was a pretty
girl Of eight years old, but rather tall for her
age. The halfpennv was tempting; but IAN
uie vas frighteued-she did not know why-and
refused TO 70. Then the man took her IN his
arms, while she cried to 60 home, and carried
her into the garden. giving her the money 10
keep her still The other girls wondered lit
tie and then went on with their play.
By and by, after two hours had passed. Fan
MES mother missed her and went to inquire
after her The other little girls had returned
home, and when questioned they told their SIM
PIE story. BY chance the very man happened
TO psss at that moment, and the children re-
coruizei him ''You are the man who gave Us
three halfpence." they said, No he an
swerei, good humoredly, sit was penny and
halfpenny." Mrs. Aians asked him what had
become Of her daughter, and be said that h. did
not know She then spoke Of arresting him.
but he said that he could be found at the office
of the solicitor, whose clerk he was, and so
] calmly walked away. The search for Fannie
vas resumed, and at last part Of her little body
was found Only part, for she had been literal
/ IL cut 10 pieces. Her arms and legs had been
I cut Of. her chest hewn open and her intestines
/ extracted; her eyes torn out and thrown into
the river, IN one tiny discolored hand was still
/ clu;ched the fatal hslfpenuy; her brains had
/ been knocked cut with a stone
/ You can imagine the excitement in the sleepy
/ town Of Alton, where no murder had ever been
committed before within the memory Of living
men. Ofclurse the police went at once to the
Office Of the solicitor, whose clerk had been seen
with the children, and they there found Their
man. He name is Frederick Baker, and all
that be has to say is that he is as innocent as
when be was born. The evidence scarcely sus-
tains this assertion. Baker had come into the
Office after his walk by the river with wet boots
/ troWsers that looked as II they had been newly
washed, and blood upon his shirt sleeves HC
told a fellow clerk about his meeting Mrs. Ad-
ANS, and said, ''lC viii 20 hard with me If that
/ little girl has been murdered" To one Of the
walters at a neighboring alehouse he remarked
| that be was going 10 leave Alton. The waiter
replied ''N hat will you do : You can't turn
| your hand TO anything and Baker answered
carelessly, ooh, yes; | would turn TO butcher.
| One Of the witnesses swears that Fannie Adams
was treated Just like a butcher would cut up
sheep But, in addition to all this. Baker
diary, in which he had Just written, Was found
In his desk, and ID it this astounding entry -
Saturday, 2ith-hillei a young girl; it va.
fine and hot" When this was shown 10 him
he said, ''Yes, that Is my writing, but didn'
mean 10 write it Ike that; was intoxicated a
the time"
Baker maintains his composure wonderfully
simply protests his entire innocence, but con
fesses that if some new developments do no
save him be must be hug. Is this the conduc
Of al insane man And yet wha, man not in
sane would have committed such q crime |
the murderer we're sane, the crime appears 4
have been without a motive. The surgeons re
fuse to say that the girl had been violated; OF
the contrary. the fact thst the halfpeuny wa
found in her dead hand proves that her dealt
must have been sudden. The whole affair s al
awful mystery.