Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-05-15


money, at Franconia, N. H., on the eve
ming of Dec. s, 1866. The victim was
George Maxwell, of about sixty years of
age, single man living by himself and
highly respected by his neighbors. The
murderer was Samuel Mills. 1t was a
dark, rainy, gloomy night, when Mills
entered this peaceable old mans house
for murder and plumber. A neighbor
came along Sunday morning, to call and
found the front door locked, but going to
back door found it open, which aroused
suspicious, and he Immediately went
into the house and in the pantry Max
well was found dead, in pool of blood,
his body mangled in most inhuman
manner. Near the corpse were an AK
and two billets of wood all stained with
red. Spots of blood on the furniture and
walls of the kitchen showed that the
death struggle was a desperate one. A
bed in an adjoining room and trunk
filed with letters and papers, and per-
haps some money, were all torn in pieces,
evidently showing that they had been
searched for plunder. On table in the
kitchen were dishes and some food. On
the handle of the teapot and on one of
the cups there was blood, evidently show
ing that the murderer had eaten supper
after finishing his wicked work. After
this he stole Maxwel's horse and wagon
and started toward Canada, and leaving
the team took to the railroads and for
while all trace of him was lost. Moses
Sargent, skillful Boston detective,
worked up the case and at last found him
in February following, at Galena, Hi
nois. He has escaped from Jail twice
and been recaptured. In many respects
his character was always bad, being in-
temperate, thief and spcndthrift.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.
Within week or two previous to his
! execution, he made one more attempt to
escape He extracted a rod from the
stone in his cell, and destroyed the fas-
Jennings to the chain round his ankle. He
then removed the plastering from the
4 ceiling and by means of the heated rod
] began to burn off the large timbers. He
: had not progressed very far, when, by
e looking into the cell, the fact was found
2 that he had slipped his chain, and conse
n quently the whole thing was nipped il
e the bud. The attempt showed an unusua
S want of brains on the part of the prison
er, since his chain was long enough tc
have allowed him to have made the hole
for his escape before he removed his fet
$ tiers, which it is very probable he nigh
e have done without discovery, and thu
d have cheat ed the law of its victim almos
0 at the fatal day. On the wallsof his OLE
: cell, among other things, he has writer
/ a message as follows, with its bad spelling
: and grammar:
e "Samma Mills murder, going to b
$ Jung to-day of May-good fellow, but NJ
0 man don't know it,
e Since his confinement he has read con
5 siderable, and especially the Bible, whicl
$ he has at his tongues end, although hi
d illogical notions were somewhat queer, a
It for instance he believed by forgivin,
Il trespasses was meant that men should for
s. give him the deed he had done, which h
g termed a trespass.
Ills LAST DAY OF LIFE.
e He passed the day before his execution
in about the same way as other days
: eating heartily, smoking, chewing, read
: ing and walking his CELL He was cur
Gus to see visitors, who, however, wer
y few in number, and only members of tn
press were allowed to converse with him
at all was said about the dreadful Grim
he had committed. He was pale fron
II long confinement, and had wild, rest
+" less look in his black eyes, which made
% visitor uncomfortable. The only ar
proach to a reference to the murder wa
y a question which he asked of the gentle
'' man who found the murdered man
horse after Mills left it on the night G
y the murder, laughingly asking what h
did with the old horse. He showed som
: little feeling when visitors shook him b
= the hand in leaving, and bade him gooc
~ by, but it was too evident that he did nc
u fully realize the fearful tragedy in whic
= :, he was so soon to be the leading actor.
HIS LAST NIGHT.
n He slept little up to midnight, but d.
Q. voted his time to study Of the Bible an
" communion with his own thoughts.
d. He gave up all hopes of escape earl
lie in the evening, and handed to Page som
Y tools which he had secreted, with whic
~ by the plan which he explained to hin
10 under favorable circumstances, he woul
Lo,,o ,,,aIa his aScapa in an bour anJ