The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-06-03
The BOOrn Affair.

OF manchester, IN vermont, IS sen
fenced to be executed for the murder
OF Russell C0Ivin, who has been alb
sent about seven years. Any person
who can give information Of said
COlyin may save the life Of the innO'
cent, by making immediate commu-
nicatiOn. COlvin is about five feet
five inches high, light complexion,
light hair, blue eyes, and about forty
years old. Manchester, VT, NOvem.
Der 26, 1Sl9." EFR
This Communication Wis copied
very generally by newspapsrs, and
created q great deal OF interest. Be
fore describing events that followed
let US go to the year 1872 aud TO the
little town OF Manchester, Vermont.
Barney Born, an old man, had twl
SONS, Stephen and Jessie, and a
daughter Sarah, wife of Russell COlvin,
a half erazed, half-witted day labOrer
They were bad lot, poor, ignorant
and in doubtful repute for honesty
Two miserable novels served them fOl
shelter and few acres of pine bar
rens constituted all their possessions.
They raiEed few potatoes and gar
den vegetables and eked ont seanty
livelihood by days work for the
neighboring farmers.
In May, 1872, Colvin was at home,
In June be was missing. Atfirst this
oecasiOned no remark. He was al
ways a tramp, absent from home
sometimes for weeks together. But
this time he did not come back. As
weeks grew into months inquiries be-
gan to be made among the neighbOrs
about the missing man. There are
no tongues for gossip like those
which wag in Yankee village. One
spoke to another. Excitement grew,
Wonder, like a contagious disease, af-
fected everybody.
It was known that there had long
existed between the old man and the
boys q grudge against COlvin it was
in proof that the last time the miss
| ing man was seen he was at work
with the BOOrns clearing stones from
a field, and that dispute was going
on and Lewis Colyin, a boy, son OF
Russell, had stated that his father had
struck his uncle stephen, and that
the Other returned the blow, and that
he then, becoming frightened, ran
away. Again, Mr.. Baldwin had
heard Stephen Boorn, in answer to
the inquiry as to where Colvin was,
say, "He's gone to hell, hope"
as be dead, Stephen pr pursued
Mr.. Baldwin. 1913 d
81 tell you again." replied the man
"that Colyin has gone where potatoes
won't freeze"
For seven years the wonder grew.
Colvin's ghost haunted every. house
in Bennington county. There was no
proof that the BoOrns were guilty,
and yet everybody believed it. A
button and jack.knife were found,
which Mrs. G. believed to have be-
longed to Russell dreams, thrice re-
peated, were had by old women and
young and kitchen girls-and ten
thousand stories were in circulation.
Five years after COlvin was missed,
Stephen BoOrn removed to Denmark,
N. Y, while Jesse remained at home,
After the former had left, some bones
were accidentally found in the decay
ed trunk of q tree near his house
and, thou IA all surgeons said to the
contrary, it was universally believed
that they were part of human skele.
ton. OF course, then they must be
COlvin's bones. Jesse was arrested.
Stephen was brought back from Den
mark, and both were held for exam.
ination. Although ali the testimony
when sifted was found to be worth
less, yet the two brothers were re
manded back to jail, and Jesse wa
| worked upon to make him turn State'i
evidence. The JailOr tormentsd him
with suggestions, which his wife fol-
lowed up with wOmanly adroitness
NeighbOrs helped. Beset with preach
ing and prayers, tracts and sermons
religious conversations and pious di.
rections-told that there was NJ
doubt in any ones mind but tina
Stephen committed the murder
urged to make a clean breast of it anC
thus save his body and soul, wha
wonder the man confessed, or was al
legged to have confessed, that Stephen
Boorn did murder Russell Colvin?
On September 8, 1919, the grand
jury found a bill of indictment agains
Jesse and Stephen Boorn for the muir
der of Colvin. William FarnswOrtI
testified that Stephen confessed th a
he did it, and that Jesse helped him
that they hid the body ia the bushes
then buried it, then dug it up an
burned il, and then seraped the feV
remains and hid them in a stump
UpLn this unsupported evidence th
Jury returned q verdict Of guilty
against both prisoners, and they weFl
sentenced to be hung on January e
1920.
And now the men came to thei
senses. They asserted their limo
eence. They ssid that they had con
fessed as their last hope. Some com
passion began to be felt for them
They might, after all, be innocent
A petition for their pardon was pre-
sented to the Legislature. But
availed only to obtain Communication
of Jesse's sentence TO Imprisonment
for life. No more. Stephen was to b
hanged.
Let the reader now turn to anothe
chapter of this strange history.
In April, 1923, there lived in Dovef
Monmouth county, n, J., Mr.. Jane
Polhamus. During the month way
farer, begging food, stopped at hi
door. Being handy. good .natqr ed
quiet and obedient, homeless, an
kesk OF intellect too, he was slllOwe'
. to stay. He said his name was Rus
sell COlvin, and that he came from
Manchester, Vt.
: Not far from Dover lies the littl
town of Shrewsbury, then Il quie
hamlet, invaded by the cottages an
villas of Long Branch pleasure-seek
ers. Here lived Taber ChadwicE
brother-in-law to Mr.. Polhamus, an
intimate with the family, Accident
ly reading the New York EteRia
Post, he met. not with the notice 9
the Rutland Herald, bat with. an &C
count of the trial of the B0orns. Con
vinced that the Russell COlvin, al
legged to have been murdered, was TIA
very man then living with Mr.. Polhs
mus, he wrote to the EceRing Post
letter. which was published Decem5e
8, 1913.
The third day came another lettel
~ have Russell .Colyin with me,
wrote Mr.. Whelpley. i.I person&Il
know Russell Colvin, sWore Joh
RemptOn, ''he now stands befor
me-" 'iIt is the same Russell Colvi
who married Ann Boorn, of Mar
chester, Vt.," made afEadavit Mr.
Jones, of Brooklyn. But it woul
not answer. Pride of opinion is stub
born. Doubt of opinion dies harl
Manchester intelligence, not to ss
piety was on trial, and it behoove
all good residents to hold out agains
conviction to the last.
However, Colvin, or Colyin'sdoublC
was on the way. As he p2sse
through Poughkeepsie thestreets weE
thronged to see him. His story ws
3 printed in every newspaper and tOl
at every fireside. At Hudson eanno
were fired (; in Albany he was show
to the crowd from a platforms and q
! along the road to Troy bands OF mus
were playing and banners were flsun
; ing and cheers were given as Colvi
passed by. Some men become famoU
from having been murdered. Russo
Colvin was famous because he ws
alive.
Toward evening on Friday. Decen
: Der p, 1919, q. double sleigh wa
driven furiOusly down the main sire,
OF Manchester to the tavern door.
J. contained Whelpley, Kempton, Chao
wick and the bewildered Russell Co
u win. Immediately a crowd OF meI
lwomen and children gathered aroun,