The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-02-14

NSAAliliS Ahl atICtAlOtlS lIOHl ANYBODY.
had ridden off before the doctor had had
Tune to ask any questions; and on in
curing at the barracks he was told that
his master had left that place several
hours since, and might have been nj
Stockton Park before he left it, if he had
not called anywhere on his road. 1t was
then so late that the groom determined
on remaining III Winchester that night,
not doubling, that as he had not met
his master on his way there, that gen
tleman had called at one of the many
country houses between the two places,
and would long since have reached
home. Starting early the next morn
ing, he might have been back at Stockton
Park while the day was still young; but
he felt so sure he would find his master
at home, that he took advantage Of the
state Of confusion caused by the old
squire's murder to spend some hours
with other grooms with whom he was
acquainted, so that it was not until three
or four o'clock in the afternoon that he
made his appearance at Stockton Park.
| Up 10 THIS time, nOuncasiness or surprise
had been felt at the young squire's alb
sence But now that the groom had re-
! turned home with the news that their
master had left Winchester early the
day before, the doctor who still remained
in the house, and exercised authority in
| directing what was to be done, sent serv-
ants and laborers to every place they
could think Of to search for him.
The young squire, a he was called,
To distinguish him from his father, and
! not because he was really young man
for he had passed his fortieth year-was
not liked by any body. Neither he nor
! his father cared about the society Of
young men; the men Of their own age,
who lived near them were generally
married, and Stockton Park was one of
those houses to which men do not like
to take their wives. Occasionally, men
came from the barracks at Winchester,
or from Portsmouth, for two or three
days shooting; but they seldom came
second time. The chickering's between
father and son, which not even the pres
ence of strangers could check, made a
visit TO the Park so unpleasant, that Wis
/ itors usually found preteXt for shorten
! ing their stay. The conduct of the
younger Winter towards his father was
so bad, that men showed no inclination
to cultivate his acquaintance
The whole of that day passed, and
nothing was heard Of him; but the next
morning, the man whose business il was
! TO get the letters from the post-Office at
/ Salisbury, brought a letter addressed to
/ the deceased squire, which was at once
seen to be in the handwriting ofhi son.
Under these circumstances, the doctor
/ considered himself justified in opening
| it, to see if it contained an address. The
1 post-mark showed ii came from London,
and the contents gave no further infor-
( nation of the place whence it was writ
/ ten. To judge from the language, there
must have been a more than usually
/ serious quarrel between the late squire
and his SON. for the latter referred 10 n
/ blow he had received on the night pre-
| ceding his visit to Winchester, and went
( on TO say that il was now impossible
/ they could live in the same house; there
! fore his father was not 10 be surprised
when he found his account had been
/ drawn upon to the amount of three
[ thousand pounds, which he would soon
recover By not having to pay his, the
I writer's allowance, for he was on the
point Of starting for the Cape of Good
Hope, where he intended to land, and
make a journey into the interiorof Afri-
] ca No address was given where a let
4 ter would reach him; and letters subsc-
quently addressed 10 him al the post
/ Office a. the Cape were returned with
/ the endorsement that no person Of the
name of Winter had ever called at the
/ post-Office for letters, but that il was be
/ iieved that a Mr.. Winter had gone into
/ the interior with a supply of guns and
ammunition ON a hunting expedition,
| who had not returned, and of whom
nothing had since been heard.
All the efforts made to discover the
murderer of Squire Winter were fruit
( less for several months 1t was general
+ " supposed that il was the work of
/ Doacher, class Of men for whom the
/ late squire nourished the deepest abhor-
renee. One Saturday evening, a man
named Ward was drinking at the Pleas
ant in company with several laborers.
/ He was a big. burly fellow, of a reckless
/ character, and made no secret of his eX-
/ plots in poaching; indeed, the tales he
/ told of his success in this way, had in
duced many young fellows to follow his
! example. who might otherwise have led
an honest life On the particular even
/ ing referredto, he had drunk more spirits
/ than usual, and had become quarrelsome.
AT last, provoked by another man equal
/ " disposed TO quarrel he drew the bar
rel of gun out Of deep pocket in the
! inside of a velveteen coat he had on, and
proceeded to fit il into a stock which he
/ took from another pocket, saying, at the
| same time, that he would serve his an
! tagonist as he had served old Winter.
| Those present got hold of him, and, after
a sharp struggle, took away his gun.
But the expression he had so impru-
IDENTIFY uttered was not forgotten; the
villagers talked of il, and at last it
reached the ears of one of the justices,
whomade inquiries, and finding so many
witnesses to prove the expression, issued
a warrant for his apprehension; and af-
ter an examination, at which some fur
ther evidence was given, tending to
prove that he was really guilty of the
crime he was charged with on his own
confession, he was committed TO take
his trial at the assizes.
The brief was the first time offer
ed to q friend of mine who went the same
! circuit; but he being engaged in a hea-
Wy civil case, recommended me to UNI
dertake the defence of the criminal. 1t
was accordingly given to me by Wards
attorney, who told me of the affair just
as | have related it, with the addition,
| that though his client steadfastly denied
his guilt, the case was strongly against
| him, apart from his well-known charac-
| ter as poacher, which had already caus-
ed his Imprisonment on several occa-
sions, and would, of course, tell heavily
against him with the jury, all of whom
were aware of his reputation.
The trial came on in due course. The
evidence, that he had made use of the
expression that he would serve the man
he was quarrelling with at the Pheasant
as he had served old Winter, and that
he had accompanied the expression by
pulling out gun, evidently with the
intention of shooting him, was proved
by so many witnesses, that no efforts to
make the jury believe that what he real
ly did say was, that he would serve
him as old Winter had been served"
were of any avail. Moreover, to support
the statement imputed to him, evidence
was given that he had been seen lurking
about the wood in which the murdered
man was marking the trees, on the same
afternoon, This, taken with his we'll
known antecedents, made the case so
strong against him, that it would not
have been surprising if the jury had re-
turned verdict of wilful murder but
they took a more merciful view of the
case, and only convicted him of man.
slaughter. The judge, after telling the
prisoner that he entirely concurred in
the finding of the jury, and that if they
had found him guilty of the capital
charge, he would have been bound to
sentence him tobe hanged without hold
ing out hope of mercy, ordered him to
be transported for life.