The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1873-11-06
cIucUlferAMr TEsTr-
How near an Innocent Nan came
70 heing Hanged.

How near an Innocent Ham came
10 heinE Hanged.
= 60 4
M, EeeuA2 afsspk sfAapcheste'
W, 6ovnsrly active 70 politics, ana
oucs Lieutenant Governos Of tha
6Gafs, has pnblished . pamphls
ooatalning narrative of and the evi'
don0s In = famous murder case which
0cc0rred early In the present century
Mr.. Sargent Was ono OF the connse
Tor the asssOee. In 1912 there lived Il
Manchester ! man named Barne,
Boorn, who had two sons. Stephen
and Jesse, aud . son-in.law named
Russell Colvin. al living with him.
Calvin was - eseentric nan. scppos-
"a to be Insane at times, and frequent
y ahsented himself for days Without
notice, and without giving any ac-
count Of his adyentsfes. At last he
was mlasine . long that people began
10 make inquiries, and suspicious Of
loul play wers aroused. Months and
ysars passed, and yet there was no ex-
plenatlen Of Colvin's absence. Some
ofths neighbors remembered that the
Boorn brothers, very shortly after his
disappearance, had declared that Col.
win was dead, and that they had, put
him where potatoes would not freeze. +"
They had not been on good terms
with him, and this added to the pre-.
judice against them.
Singularly enough, other circu M
stances began to accumulate against
the brothers. Some children found
dllapidated hat, which was recognized
- one Colvin wore at the time OF his
disappearance. Search was then made
for the bones Of the supposed murder
ed man. Soon Afterwards . dog un-
covered some bones beneath an old
stump, which at first were pronounce
Cd to BE- human bones, but subsegent-
j were found not to be. An uncle Of
the boys had . dream, and Colvin
came to his bedside and told him that
he had been murdered. A barn In
the neighborhood was mysteriously
burned and it was 1t once conjectured
that the murdsred man had been bur-
led under. and that the fire was inteu-
ded to destroy al traces Of the crime.
All these circumstances added to the
excitement against the Boorns. Step
hen was then out Of the State, but Jes-
~ was arrsstsd. He confessed that
his brother Stephen had told him
short time previously that he and
C0lvin had quarrel, and that he had
killed Colvin by blow on the head.
The people Of the neighborhood and
for miles around spent the next few
days In another search for Colvin's
bones, but none were found.
Stephen Boorn was brought home.
He denied the statement OF Jesse and |
asserted his innocence. The brothers
were imprisoned to await the meeting |
OF the grand jury. The principal wit
ness before that body was = forger,
who had bean confined in jail with the
Boorns. He reported in detail con-
feasion Of the murder by Jesse Boorn,
and both the boys were indicted. |
This was in September, 1919, more
than seven years after the disappear
ance OF ColviD. In November trial
took place. Meanwhile Stephen was
induced by the remarks upon the
hopelessness of their case TO confess
the crime, In the expectation Of mer-
cy from the court. This confession
was the chief evidence against them.
Notwithstanding that it was drawn
out by hope Of obtaining more favor
able verdict, and that nobody had
been found as proof of the murder, or
even that Colvin was dead, the broth
ers were convicted and sentenced to
be hanged on the 2sth Of January, 1920
The character Of the evidence upon
which they were convicted willattract
the attention of the lawyers at this
time, as showing what remarkable
change have taken place in criminal
Jurisprudence. So decisive did the
against them appear to be
that the mother Of tbs convicts was
expelled from the Baptist Church and
the father was held rs prisoner for .
time, upon the suspicion that they
must have been accessory to the muir
der. A few oftthe citizens, who were
disposed to be merciful, signed petit
ton for the communication Of the SEN
tence Of Jesse to prisonment for life |
but refused to interfere with that of
stephen. II occurred to Stephen, in
an interview with the counsel, that it /
would be good plan to advertise for
Colvin In the newspapers. Up to that
point his counsel had believed him
guilty, but he assured them that his
confession was untrue and that he
was innocent. The following notice
was therefore printed in the Rutland
Herald:
"MURDER.-PIin:ers OF the news
papers throughout the U nitedState are
desired to publish that Stephen BoorD,
Of Manchester, in Vermont, Is senten-
ced TO be executed for the murder of
Russell Colvin, who has been absen I
about seven years. Any person who
can give information Of said Colyin
may save the life Of the inocent by
making immediate communication.
Colvin is about five feet five inches
high, light complexion. light colored
hair, blue eyes. about forty years OF
age. Manchester Vt. Nov. 26, 1872
Newspapers travelled slowly then,
and Stephens friends had pu, but lit
tie hope that this would save him, ev-
on il his story was true. Three days af-
forwards. says Mr.. Sargent's pamph-
let, the New York Ercning Post cop
led 1t, aud the next day it happened
that the notice was read aloud in one
OF the hotels in New York. Another
man standing near, named Wheel pley
said he had formerly lived in Man
chester, and was well aquainted with
Colvin, and related many anecdotes
and peculiarities concerning him. Mr..
Tabor Chadwick of Shrewsbury, n. J.
was also standing near and listened to