The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-10-31

have believed them guilty, Ia
some sympathy for them and sign
ed a petition to the State legisla
ture then in session, and which, q
that time, had jurisdiction in sue
: matters, for pardon or commute
|, ton of the sentence, and som
signed the petition in favor O
Jesse who would not in favor O
Stephen.
Mr.. Sergeant was dispatches
with the petitions, and his effort
before that body were ably second
ed by Hon. Samuel L. Prentiss
who was associated with him
When the matter came up tn
House went into a committee o
the whole, the Hon. James Elliott
of Brattleboro, in the chain. A
spirited debate took place, il
which Messrs. Sergeant, Prentiss
James Bell, of Walden, Hon. D
AFRO Buck, of Chelsea, and som'
others, pleaded for the prisoners
Judge Chase also gave q state
ment of the case and read the
minutes of the evidence taken q
the trial. A vote was. taken, and
the petition of Jesse Boorn fol
Communication of sentence to i'm
prisonment for life was granted BY
a vote of 104 to 81, but a similar
petition on the part OF Stephen
Boorn was rejected by a vote OF
81 to AZ.
Mr.. Sergeant returned and com
municated the result of his com
mission to the prisoners. Jesse
was very much elated by the favor
bale news in his case, and Stephen
was cOrrespondingly depressed,
and with fearful eyes asked if moth
ing more could be done. Mr.. Sar-
geant considered they had made
every effort possible. Then said
Stephen, 81 suppose I must die"
but before Mr.. Sergeant left the
sell q new idea occurred to him,
and he asked if it might not pos
sibly be of benefit to advertise in
the papers for Colvin. Mr.. Sar-
geant observed that if Coll in was
murdered of course it would avail
nothing, and asked him in plain
terms, "Did you murder Coivin as
you confessed you did?' Stephen
professed his innocence in the
strongest language, and Sergeant
applied to Judge Skinner for a de-
scription of him. Mr.. Skinner
thought it a foolish expedient,
and, though Colvin were alive,
with the limited circulation of the
newspapers of that day, and the
slow circulation of the mails, it
did seem a remote chance that a
newspaper advertisement would
reach him in time, as only two
months interviewed before the time
appointed for the execution. But
Mr.. Sergeant had promised, and
said he should perform; accord
ingly Mr.. Skinner wrote the fol-
lowing notice, which was publish,
ed in the Ruthland Herald:
MURDER.
Printers of newspapers through
out the United States are desired
to publish that Stephen Boorn, of
Manchester, in Vermont, is SEN
fenced to be executed for the muir
der of Russell Colvin, who has
been absent about seven years.
Any person who can give inForma-
ton of the said Colvin, may save
the life of the innocent by making
immediate communication. Col
vim is about five feet five inches
high, light complexion, light col
ored hair, blue eyes, about forty
years of age.
Manchester, VT, Nov, 26, 1919.
The notice was printed in the
Herald, but in the same issue was
an editorial maintaining that there
was no possibility of doubt that
Colvin was murdered, and ridicul-
ed what it termed foolish attempt
to advertise concerning him. The
notice was copied into the New
York Evening Post of November
90, 1919. The next day it hap
pened that the notice was read
aloud in one of the hotels OF New
York. Another man standing near,
named Whelpley, said he had
formerly lived in Manchester, and
was well acquainted with Colvln,
and related many anecdotes and
peculiarities concerning him. Mr..
Tabor Chadwick, of Shrewsbury,
n. j., was also standing near and
listened to the conversation, which
made a deep impression on his
mind. On thinking the matter
over after his return home it oc-
Cured to him that a man then liv
ing with his brother-in-law, Mr..
William Polhemus, of Dover, n.
j., answered exactly the deserip-
ton of Colvin as given by Whelp-
ley. The mora he considered the
matter the more he became con-
yinced that this was the man, and
finally wrote the following letter
to the Evening Post:
SHREWSBURY, MONMOUTH, N. J.,l
December 9.
To the Editor of the New York
Evening Post-Sir: Having read
in your paper of November Goth
last, of the conviction and SEN
tence of Stephen and Jesse Boom,
of Manchester, VT, charged with
the murder of Russell Colvin, and
from facts which have fallen with
in my own knowledge, and not
knowing what facts may haye been
disclosed on their trial, and wish
ing to serve the cause of human
ity, 1 would state as follows, which
may be relied on: Some years
past l think between five and ten
stranger made his appearance in
this county, and, upon being in
quired of, said his name was Rus
sell Colvin-that he came from
Manchester, Vt. He appeared to
be in a state. of mental derange-
ment, but at times gave considera-
BILE account of himself, his con-
nections, acquaintance, etc. He
mentions the names of Clarissa,
Russell, etc. Among his relatives
he has mentioned the Boorns
above, Jesse, as judge Il think
etc He is a man of rather small
stature-round forehead--speaks
very fast, and has has two scars on
his head, and appears to be be-
tween 80 and 40 years of age.
There is no doubt he came from
Vermont, from the mention he has
made of a number of places and
persons there, and probably is the
person supposed to have been
murdered. He is now living here
but so completely insane as NOT
to be able to give an account Of
himself, but the connections o
Russell Colvin might know by see
ing him. II You think proper K
viva The a Y,loca IN vour oo4uunua