Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-12-16
Fro ;hr New York ENeniI! r0st
CircHi!Isiantiai TesfimO OHU.

VI lplm ny dctlNb ~ pOttiN7s St'i 'ii'N
lieutenaut governor Of that State, ha-
published pamphlet containing nar
ratiye of aud the evidences IN famous
murder ease which occurred early i the
present century. Mr.. Sergeant WA one
OF the counsel Tor The defence la 1872
there lived in Manchester mnn named
Barney BOorn. who hal two sons, Sic
phen snd jesse. aud a 81 in.law named
Russell GOWN, all living with him 80
Colyin was an ccceHllic man, supposed
to be insane at times. and frequently ~
sented himself Tor days without notice
and without giving Any account oI h''
adventures. At last no was missing ="
long that people began To make iuq4i' les.
aud suspicious OF Ioul play were ar"u'rd
Months and years passed. and yet there
was nu cNpiansliuu OF Cuhin's abstucr
Some ol the ueIshbors remembered that
the Boorn blolherS. very shortly after In
disappearance. had dec ared ihtt CsiriH
was dead. sld that they had put him
where POTATOES would not lreezo. Thy
had not Drcu "n good terms with him,
aud this added 10 The prejudice against
them.
SmgUiuiy y enough, other ci. .cum,iances
began to accumulate against The brothers
Some children found dilapidalcd hat.
which was recognized as the one ColViu
wore at the time oi his disappcarmce
Search Was thea made lnr the bones oi
the supposed murdered man. SOON alter.
wards , dog unro, er,d on, bones be-
meath an old stump. which at first were
pronounced lo bc human bones but sub
.equenily were lound not 10 be. An
uncle of the boy, had a dream in which
Colyin came 10 his bedside and told him
that he hal been murdered. A barn In
the neighborhood Was mystcriou~iy
burned, and II was Ht once conlecturcd
that the murdered man had hcrn buried
under it, and that The hro was intended
to destroy all trarcs ol the crime. Al
these circumstances added m The excite
ment agajnsi the Buoin'. stephen was
then Out vl the state, but Jesse WIS
arrested lis cnulc,>ri that hi' rI".hrr
stephen haJ t,.l huu short fiu' pr'
riously tina. ur and rplviI hsi qtutc.rd.
and that be ,aI tj.,3 Co!tia uy a e.pN
ON The heat Tho pc"ric cot the neigh
borhood an t antics aiouul spent th"
next lew days ,n another search tor Col
wins bones. bat none we're found.
Stephen Boom Was bruush, home. II"
denied the statement Of Jesse and assrrl
cd his innocence. The brothers were
imprisoned to awai, the meeting OF lbc
grand jury. The principal witness before
that holy was = forger, who had been
confined in jail with the Boorns Here
ported in detail 4 confession ul the mar
der Jy Jesse N1urn. and both ;hc boys
were indicted. This WAS in September.
1919, more than ,ctru years alter the dis
appearance or rcltin In November The
uisl took place Mcanwhac S,cph'n
was induced by tho remarks upon the
hopeiossne.s O., thc;r case 20 comics, ;he
crime, in tie expectation OF mcscl
from the court This confession "N> jHr
chief evidence -.nin>I them NptWrh
standing lAal il WAS Drawn Oh. ~ hope
OF obtaining more favorable verdict.
and that no buly hal uccn loanl as proof
OF the murder. oi even That CuNm "a'
dead, the brothers were convicted and
sentenced to rc h1u.ed ou tho 2S.h ol
January, 1920 The character "t The
evidence upon = nich they were convicted
will attract the attention OF lawyers n
this time 90, showing what remarkable
changes nave lAhcn place in criminal
| Jurisprudence 81 dccsi.o did the tcStl
mony against them appear u be that The
mother OF the ConVicts WAS expelled
from the Baptist church and the father
was held As prisoner Tor time. upon
The suspicion that ihey must have been
accessory to tic murder 4 ie" OF The
sitizens who were disposed To he merci.
iul, signed p,litiOn Tor The cpmmuta
ton of the sentence against the Boorns
The Legislature voted To change he scn
tence of Jesse 20 Imprisonment Tor HE,
but refused 10 interfere with iha, ol Sc
phen. Ii occurre to Stephen in an
interview with his counsel that il would
be a good plan to advertise for Colrin in
the newspapers. Up TO thu! point his
counsel had believed him guilty, but he
assured them that his confession WAS
untrue and that he was innocent. The
following notice WA, therefore printed in
the Ratland Herald
MURpER.-Printels oi newspapers
! throughout the United States are desii ell
to publish that Stephen Boorn. ul Man
chester, in Vermont. Is sentenced To be
executed for the murder Ol Russell COlvin
who has been absent about seven years.
Any person who can give information ol
said Colvin, may save the lille of the
innocent by making immediate c"mmu
nication. Colvin il about live leet tive
inche. high, light complexion, light col
oIed halr, blue eyes. about forty years oi
age.
Manchester. VT, Nov 26. 1919"
Newspapers travelled slowly ther, and
Stephens friends had bat little hop" thai
this would save him even il his STORY wi,
true. Three days afterwards, SAYS Mir.
Sargeant's pamphlet, the New Iort E'rn
ing Post copied it. and "ihe next day it
happened that the notice Wai read aloud