Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-09-25
Confined from first page.l

much power, winch ne Dau cOinposeu III
prison during his last days. 1t treated OF
anger and its direfui consequences, with
touching allusion to himself and the dread
full crime to which his anger misled him.
Then he dotted his coat, bound with his
own hands the napkin before his eyes, and
submitted his neck to the eXecutioner's
sword.
One and twenty years after the pastor.
Soren Quirst. of Veilbv, had been accused,
tried, condemned and executed, for the
murder of his servant an old beggar-man
applied for aims to the people of Aaisoe,
the parish adjoining Veilby. Suspicion
was aroused by the exact likeness the
beggar bore to Morton Burns, of Ingvor-
strup, who had lately died, and also by
the curious and anxious inquiries the man
made concerning events long past. The
pastor of Aalsoe, who had buried Morton
Burns, took the vagabond to his parsonage
and there the fellow, all unconscious of
the portentous nature of the admission,
acknowledged that he was Neils Burns,
the very man for whose supposed murder
the pastor had suffered the shameful death
of criminal Had his brother Morton
survived him, it is certain the truth, con-
cealed SO long, had never been known, as
Niels had only returned to the district in
the hope of profting by Morton's death,
the news of which had accidently reached
him. He professed, and, indeed, plainly
experienced, the utmost horror on hearing
of the pastors cruel fate. 1t was all Nor
toms doings, he said; but he was so over
come by the terrible narrative that he
could scarcely gather strength to reply to-
the questions put to him. The result of
his confession may be summed up very
briefly. Morton had conceived mortal
hatred of Soren Qrst from the time that
he refused him his daughter, and had de-
termined on revenge. 1t was he who
compelled Nels to take service with the
pastor, and who had spurred him on to his
repeated offences, in the expectation that
violence would result. owing to the pas
tors hasty temper. Neils told him daily
all that took place and, on leaving the
garden on that fatal day. he had run over
to Ingorstrup to acquaint his brother at
once with what had happened Morton
shut him up in private room that no one
might see him. Shortly after midnight,
when the whole village was asleep, the
two brothers went to place where the
roads crossed each other, and where two
days BEFORE a suicide had been buried
= man of about Neils's age and stature.
In spite OF Neils's remonstrance, they dug
up the corpse, and took it into Morton $
house. Neils was made to strip and don
suit of Morton's, and the corpse was clad
piece by piece in Nels's cast-off clothes,
even to the very ear ring. Then Morton
battered the dead face with a spade, and
hid it in sack until the next night, when
they carried it into the woods by Veilby
parsonage. Niels asked what all these
preparations meant Morton told him to
mind his own business, and TO 90 and
fetch the parsons green dressing gown
and cap. This Ncls refused to do, where
upon Morton went and fetched them him
self.
"And now" he said to his brother go
thy way! Here is purse with a hundred
dollars. Make for the frontier where no
one knows thee; pass thyself under anolh
er name, and never set thy foot on Danish
soil again as thou wouldst answer it with
thy liie!"
Niels did as he was commanded, and
parted with Morton forever He had en-
listed for a soldier. had suffered great
hardship, and lost limb, and returned TO
his native place mere wreck.
Besides this tragcal story OF fabricated
evidence, there are many other instances
of the temperance of men supposed to
to be dead. alter judicial murder had been
committed on the persons of those suspect
ed of their death. One ofthe most remark
able of these cases occurred in England in
1860.
On the 9th Of August, in that year, one
William Harrison, the steward of n
wealthy lady in Worcestershire, myster-
iously disappeared. He had left home in
order to collect rents; so, when DAYS and
L.,
anything being heard of him, suspicious
OF robbery and murder became rife among
his friends. In the neighborhood there
lived poor family, consisting of Il moth
er and two sons-Perry by name of
whom the mother bore but an Indifferent
character, and one of the sons was half
witted. 1t is supposed that the numerous
reports which We're in circulation with II
gard to Harrison unsettled what brain
this poor idiot had for he actually
went before a justice of the peace and
deposed to the murder of HARRISON by his
brother. while his mother and himself
looked on, and aiterward joined in rob
bling him. On this testimony the three
were arrested, and, n the following as
sizes, doubly indicted for robbery and
murder. The presiding judge, Sir Charles
Turner. refused to try them on the muir
der indictment, as the body had not been
found; they were, however arranged on
the charge OF robo.. y, and pleaded guilty,
on vague impression that their lives
would be spared. While in prison, John
(the half-wiD persisted in the charge he
had made, adding that his mother and
brother had attempted to poison him for
peaching. At the next asszes, Sir Robert
Hyde, in consideration OF the non-appear-
ance of Harrison, tried them for murder
On this trial John retracted his accusation,
declaring that he was mad when he made
it and knew not what he said. These
were, however, the good old days" when
stealing penny-loaf or the presumption
of having stolen penny-loaf. was Il cap
ital offense in England, and when
"Wretches hanged that jurymen might dine"
The mother and both the sons were SEN
fenced to death, and died protesting their
innocence.
CONTINUED TO MORROW.