Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-03-07

Charles NARROW, found guilty Of having
willfully murdered William Bachman,
is sentenced to be hung. Some time last
August stranger named William Bach
man came to the brewery of NARROW and
asked permission to stay there over
night, The favor was granted, and the
stranger, protesting to have with him a
considerable sum Of money, and to be
seeking for n business, made his head
quarters with NARROW for several days.
Suddenly he was missing, and the next
news of him came from Pole, named
BenkowslSi, who appeared before n
magistrate in Dunkirk and told a story
of his murder, He explained that he had
been working as the hired man of Mar
low, and had been witness of actions on
the part Of the brewer which left no
doubt in his mind that he (Marlow) had
murdered Bachmm in the beer cellar
and had burned the corpse in the furnace
of Replace. The premises were imme-
diateIy examined and the remains of
Bachman's body and clothing were duly
found. NARROW was arrested and in
timo brought up for trial, n complete
train Of circumstances pointing appa-
rently with inlallible surencss to his
guilt.
His defense, suddenly developed, was
certainly Of startling and unexpected
character. 1t consisted in the bold and
unqualified assumption of the guilt of
the murder by the brewers old mother
in-law, Mrs. Ortman. With her daugh-
ter, she told a story which, for ingenuity,
under the circumstances has surely been
seldom equalled. Her testimony was TO
tho effect that, entering tho house on the
afternoon OF the murder, she saw Bach
man in the act of an outrageous assault
upon her daughter Sheseizcd a hammer
and struck him, az Jael smote Sisera, a
blow upon the temple. Her daughter
tainted, and Bachman rolled over dead.
AS soon as Mrs. NARROW came to her
senses, the women testify, they carried
the corpse to the cellar, thrustit into the
furnace and piled the fireplace fall of
fagots. Then they washed the cellar
floor and stairs, and resolved to keep
their terrible secret in silence. NARROW
in tho meantime attempted to prove that
he had gone to the village before the
hourat which the murder had been COM
mitted
The first trial resulted in disagree.
ment OF the jury, and learned lawyers
were puzzled whether to credit or reject
the persistent story in which this old
woman swore human blood upon her
own hands, At the second trial the same
story was told again and as persistently,
if not as consistently, as ever. But a
continued fusilade Of discrimination
speedily made breaches in the singular
defence. NARROW failed to establish his
abb, and the fabrication Of the women
at various points fell 10 the ground.
Once and again the old mother-in-law,
realizing that her most energetic attes.
tations of guilt were likely to be in vain,
broke down and uttered her agony in
henrt-broken CALCULATIONS. The jury
rendered IN unanimous verdict, finding
the woman innocent who pleaded guilty,
and him guilty who sought to establish
his innocence Mt woman's cost.
What shall be said Of the extraordi
nary resolution, if not heroism of this
old woman Her case illustrates either
the remarkable subseryience to which 6
weak mind may be reduced by strong
and brutal one, OF it reveals spirit o.
self-immolation such as has but few
parallels. 1t, is, perhaps, safe to say
that such spirit could only have beer
bred in the simple mind Of European
peasant woman, reared in society where
the relations of the sexes are still undis
turbed by the modern woman move
ment.