St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-03

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ward deck of the vessel. The captain
was moody and taciturn, and did no
speak of his cousin.
Such was the statement of this wit
ness. Was he the only listener to the
sounds that came from the fearful tragedy
that was enacted in that nightwatch
when human lie was taken in anger by
Il kinsman's hand 1t aiterward ap,
peared that such was not the case. The
captain Of another boat subsequently tes-
titled that he too heard the alteration
and the fatal blow.
Just at that time, however, nothing
was said or done, and the next day, and
the mex, and still the next passed away,
and no accusation was made against cap
tain W eatherwaX. 1t was said and
known that a man-the man-was mis-
sing from the boat; nothing more.
Perhaps the two listeners, having the
terrible suspicion, which in their own
minds amounted to certainty of guilt,
each supposing that he was alone in such
knowledge, did not care to take the re-
sponsibilty Of making an accusation
which would be likely TO ruin the accuser
if il failed to convict the accused. AT all
events, the captain returned unmolested
with his vessel to Plattsburg. When i'll
Jured of here i'll regard to his cousin, lie
gave what were deemed evasivc answers.
The cousin, he said, had gone here or
there, or to some indefinite place of which
the captain seemed unable or unwilling
to give any account. Thus some six OF
eight days passed, reckoning from the
date when the crime WAS committed.
And now the second part Of this re-
markablc transaction took place. An
event occurred which attracted much al
teution at Pike River. Ga the very spot
where the boat OF captain Weatherwax
had been moorrd, the dead body OF a
man, recently killed. was taken from the
water The man had evidently come 10
his death bv violence, tor his skull was
crushed as if by fearful blow from a
murderous weapon III the hands of a
vigorous aSsaiIant The body was iienti-
fled. The man recognized. it appears, be-
yond Il question or Il doubt, was the man
who had been missing from the boat lis
Andrew, the cousin OF captain Weather
wax.
Such Il state of things aroused suspic-
ION; the facts hcgan to come out, and in
the same month of July, some ten days
after the murder. John e.. W cathcrwaN
was arrested on charge of having mur-
dered Andrew.
see bv the record before mo that he
was arrested on the warrant of :. ID. NJ.
Backwilir, thrH 4 Justice OF the peace i'll
tins town. The warrant ~ d;,t..d July
=. 1896. Mr.. Beckwith (whose present
residence is Canton. y. Y. } is i'll attend
ancc at this circuit Il, attorney and coun-
sclor. and | am fortunate i'll having had
an opportunity To converse with him IN
reference to this arrest. j he preliminary
examination OF witnesses 10 ascertain
whether or not captain W eatherwaX
ought to he held for trial. occupied nm,
davs. and Mr. Beckwith tells me thai
the facts were pretty fully brought out
is was then UNDERSTOOD He SAYS that
if the evidence produced upon this c>ah'
ination had been given 10 the jury upor
the trial. ii would have been impoSsIbl,
but that the prisoner must have been pro
nounced guilty OF murder in the first de
cree. and sentenced 10 bc hang by In
neck till he was dead.
We come now to the third especially
important event in this history. Atte,
the facts were all out is stated above
and there was no doubt of the captain
guilt, and nC, chance of his salvation
from the doom that hung over him, III
ingenious counsel bethought themsel,e'
OF the resources of international law am
treaties. They succeeded in cstablishin,
themselves i'll The position, that inasmuc
as this affair had taken place in Canada
neither the authorities of PIattsburg nOl
OF Clinton county, nor yet OF the State o
New York, had anything whatever TO d'
with the matter They ousted Justic
Beckwilh from his assumed jurisdiction
The criminal (as he was now esteemed
was released from custody.
As an incident showing the deep con
viclion Of his guilt which rested upon ii
minds OF ali parties having any knowI
edge OF the case, note the fact that HI
caunsel, Mr.. Macmaster, has upon til
brief record which he has preserrd Of til
points that he deemed of special intercS
in tie transaction, an epitone of the pro
lessional advice lie gave Captain W
when lie was released from arrest. \
the entry is stated TO me, he RECON-
mends his client to flee from his nativ
country, to change his name and appear
ance, to go to the end OF some untr
qucnled road, and there out Of the worl
his identity concealed, to lead new an
different life.
But the fearless and determined Cal
tain by 10 means accepted this advice
In the face of his accusers and of all I'll
world, he steadily and pcrsistenly decla1
ed his entire innocence, and refused
bulge single inch from his accrstom.
round of business.
But no community could rest undo
the reproach of permitting such erin
nal 10 walk at large among them. III
friends of justice did not sleep, thoue
for time they seemed powerless. III
matter gained wider and still wild
notorietv. 1t came or was carried to ii
ears of the authorities of the British Go
ernment. A formal requisition w
made under and in accordance with Il
solemn treaty existing, upon the autho
tiles of the United States, to deliver l
one John German Weatherwax, accus
OF Capital crime committed within t
borders Of Canada, 20 he dealt with as I