Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1874-12-11
The Ball Murder.
The Inquest AT 81. Albans-A Clue 10 the
Murderer--A Strange story.

The following account of the inquest
as to the murder of Mics Ball. held by
Justice Farnsworth last Thursday, i
condensed from the ST. Albars Messen
ger
On the 22d day Of September a young
man named Perkins, 20 years old, from
Fairfax, went to work for Mr.. A. j
Smith ON farm lying between st. AL
bans and Georgia Bay, AS they were
milking one night he said he knew where
those clothes were. Mr.. Smith made
some reply, to the effect that they
brought them in with them, supposing
that he referred to their coats, which
they had thrown off in the field while
at work. But Perkins said he didn't
mean that, but referred to the clothes Of
Miss Ball Smith then drew out story
which led him to suspect that he was on
cue, and so he thought he would quiet
ly follow it up.
Taking into his confidence Geo. Bron.
son, they went to the young mans home
in Fairfax and there the boys mother,
Mrs. Riggs, told them the same story
that he had, with some other particulars
The story in brief is that man named
John Mason, some fifty years old, and a
spinner by occupation, had spent consid.
cradle time at Mr.. Riggs when not at
work in the factories at Fairfax, Enos,
burg Falls, Sheldon or elsewhere. He
had been there week before the muir.
der and told them when he came again
he might bring a friend with him. On
Saturday night, July 25th, the next day
after the murder, two men came to their
house after they had retired and tried to
get in, one calling ON both Mr.. and Mrs
Riggs to open the door, but they refused
them admittance. Mrs. r. is positive
that the man calling was John Mason.
He was not seen after that for some
six weeks, when he returned there, and
in conversation went on to describe how
Miss Ball was murdered. He said il
was done by one man, though another
was present. that he sprang in behind
her, seized her, and when she screamed
he 8 ruck her with stone that he then
drew her over the fence, which he had
previously thrown down, and dragged
her to the thicket; that she there caught
hold of SADDLE, and he struck her
hand with a club. breaking three of the
fingers; that other blows were then
dealt, and they drew her further on into
the woods; that they pushed her watch
and belt one side into the leaves (and
the woman gave such description of the
watch as he gave her, and it is said to
be toIerably like; that after they had
lain her behind the stump she rolled her
head for some time and then breathed
her last they then laid her out and
and went down to the stream and wash
ed themselves, taking along her bundle ;
tnat they examined her wallet before
leaving her, but found nothing in it but
her teachers certificate and some poetry
clipped from paper; they first buried
her bundle, which he said contained he,
drawers, night-dress, slippers, etc., in tn,
saw dust at the mill, but afterward took
out a stone from the underpining an6
thrust it in there.
The young man Perkins says that one
OF the men then went off south towards
Fairfax and the other came to st. AL
bans and took the train south. Mrs
Riggs at the time called the attention o
deputy sheriff Halbert to the matter
and he went to her house and inyestigat
ed it, But he had no confidence in il
and the woman herself says that folk
don't always believe what she tells.
But there is another aud even NOR
suspicious circumstance related by her
relating to the MiDard murder, which oc
CURED only few days before the mur
der of Miss Bail. The next day afte
that murder, and before it was known
in ST. Albaus, she says that Mason cam,
in her house and told her all about il
She had not then heard of it, but after
ward heard the facts as they became
known to the public, and they CORES
ponded with the story that he had toll,
1 her. AT that time she asked him to Fl,
the clock, which was out of repair. II
said he couldn't for he hadn't any tool
not even knife. She says that SD
knows that he had previously had
knife, for she had used it and broken tn
points off one of the blades. She wa
then asked to give description of tn
knife, which she did, and it correspond
ed precisely with the appearance of tn
knife that was taken from the BODY {
Minard. She was asked if she shout
know the knife on sight, and she though
she would. A large number of knive
were then produced and she selected on
that she was very positive was Mason