Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-11-24
LeadeM Egg.
A DEPUTY-sHERIFF's STORY.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR.

A DEPUTY-sHERIFF's STORY.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR.
Thirty years ago I lived in Burton, a
small town adjoining Clarkville, the shire
town of Franklin county. at that time
held the Office of deputy-sherif. Our
sheriff was Bennett Anderson, of Wood
vile.
The tenth day of October spent at the
sheriff's office, and in the evening he rode
over to Burton with me for the purpose of
attending concert given by the Hutch
inson Family. He took tea at my house,
and we went to the concert together. He
complained of slight headache on his
way to the hall, and before the entertain
ment had concluded he was go unwell as
to be obliged to leave.
1t was about nine o'clock when Ander-
son left, and I went back to the concert.
After that went home, and sat up until
midnight making transcripts of writs.
On the following morning l was called up
by a messenger from the Sheriff. l found
the messenger upon my door step, and
quite number of men and boys crowd
ing around. His message was startling
enough.
Alpheus Barrows, the tax-collector of
Clarkville, had been murdered during the
night ! His body had been found by the
roadside, cold and dead, that very morn
ing, and his pocket book, in which he was
known to have had a large sum of money
was gone. Mr.. Anderson, the messenger
told me, was sick abed-siek with RAJ
ging fever and the doctor would not
suffer him to get up.
Without waiting for my breakfast
hitched up my horse, and started off, and
on the road, within half mile of the
Courthouse, found a large crowd as
sembled around the body of the murdered
man. The Coroner was there, and room
was made for me as soon as [ had
alighted,
While the Coroner and I were debating
about the inquest the doctor up arrd
together we examined the body. Mr..
Barrows had been killed by blow upon
the head-a blow just above the left tenn
ple-which had not only broken but
crushed in the skull. The head and
shoulders lay in pool of blood, and as
DR.. Jones moved the body L discovered,
half buried in the bloody sand, lump of
lead. noticed it quickly because there
was no stones or pebbles about. picked
it up. 1t was about the size and shape of
pigeons egg, and fixed in the smaller
end was a small iron, or steel ring, formed
by making q small eye of stout wire, and
moulding the ends into metal. The doc
tor took the leaden egg, and set it into the
wound, and when he had made fair test
he unhesitatingly declared that that was
the instrument which had caused the
death.
The person who had last seen Barrows
alive, was Mr.. Thayer, who lived very
near the Burton line, and upon whom he
had called for the purpose of collecting a
tax. Thayer said he paid his tax, and
that he saw Barrows put the money into
a large pocket book in which there was a
thick bundle of bank-notes. This was be-
tween nine and ten o'clock in the evening
1t was known that there had been at
least three thousand dollars in Mr.. Bar
rows possession, so a reward was offered
by the County Treasurer for the return
of the money, and much larger reward
for the apprehension of the murderer.
The only thing at that time in our posses
sion upon which to work for a olew, was
the leaden egg, for subsequent exami
nation by the surgeons had proved beyond
a doubt that it was that which had caused
the death Having washed it clean
of blood and sand we found it to be just
such lump as masons use for plummet,
and the ring, or eye, in the end indicated
that it had been used for that purpose ];
or, at least, that it had been SO made.
Touching its use in the present instance
our theory was, that the murderer had
fashioned it into q slung-shot by attaching
a cord to the ring, and that the cord had
been broken after the fatal blow had been
struck. 1t was evident that Barrows had
struggled hard, as there was a fracture of
the smaller bone of the right fore arm, as
from a heavy blow, and the right-hand
had been severely bruised.
might he remark, that our leaden egg
had one feature peculiar to itself. Run
ming around it was slight screw-ike
furrow, commencing at the tip, where the
ring was, and continuing, like the groove
of a peg-top. until it reached the largest
circumference. 1t was as though q stout
wire had been coiled around it tightly
enough thus to iudent it. This feature
was carefully borne in mind by our de-
tectives, and | had no doubt they consi-
dered it help.
In the mean time Mr.. Anderson, our
Sheriff. lay sick snd suffering upon his
bed. His fever was the typhoid, with a
strong tendency to the brain. The doc,
tors said that he ought not to have left
me on that night of the tenth of October.
The fever must have been rampant in his
blood even then. Mrs. Anderson, a mild,
gentle woman, suggested that her hus-
band ought not 10 have gone away from
his home at all that day, as he had COM
plained III the morning of chills, and
fushes, and headache. Of course the
doctor would not suffer his patient to
talk of business, and much less would he
allow me to bring the subject of the late
tragedy to the sick mans bedside. An
derson spoke with me on the subject when
he could; but he seemed 70 think little OF
the murderer. He was only anxious
about the money. His wife told me that
in his wanderings he was continually
talking of the money which had been
| taken from the murdered man.
"Eoon Latham" he said to me, one
night, as sat by his bedside, ''you are on
the wrong track" | was watching with
him, and he had been wandering until
now. He had tried to raise himself upon
his elbow, but had prevented him for
be was very sick, and very weak, and un.
due effort was dangerous in the extreme.
"You are on the wrong track" he pur.
sued. after time. "Let that leaden egg
go, and throw all your energy into look
ing for the money. In Gods name, find
that money tell you, there is more de.
ponds upon that than you think for !"
This effort exhausted him, and he said
no more.
After this we hunted all up and down
the land, but without avail. will not
tell you of the numbers of people who
were arrested, and examined, and dis.
charged. I kept possession of the leaden
egg, but could find no man who had ever
seen it before. Meantime poor Anderson
was sinking lower and lower. The fever
baffled all human skill. At length I re.
ceived letter through the NALL think
about the thousandth one had received
in reference to the murder but this
was simple, and to the point. I have not
forgotten it to this day, and think can
repeat it, word for word. 1t was like this: