Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-10-11
The Barre Murder Trial.



The Evidence Closed Argument Of Counsel
and Charge Of the Court Magoon Pound
Guilty Of Murder In the First Degree.
wEpNrsnAy, October lth.
The trial Of Asa S Magoon, Of Orange, for the
murder Of Rufus streeter, at Barre on the four
teenth Of October, 1875, which was begun on
Tuesday, is progressing. Yesterday was taken up
with the continuance Of the testimony for the
The following witnesses were ex-
amined: r. T. French, Charles Smith, Sanford
Smith, Mason h. jackson, Hannah Perrin, W =.
bradford, Gilman l. Jackson, Liberty T. Kinney
and Dr. j. H. jackson, all Of Barre. The four
first named witnesses and Mr. Bradford testified
TO the marks Of the struggle, and the wagon,
horse and foot tracks in the road near where
Streeters body was discovered Hannah Perrin
il the woman at whose house Streeter and Ma
COON stayed on the evening the murder was com
mit,ted and as there is an evident tendency on
the mart Of the defence to connect her with the
crime. her testimony was very interesting. She
is genuine Irish woman, with strong hroguo
and keen wit and even the searching cross eN-
animation To which she was subjected by Mr..
Heath failed to elicit even hint Of the dread
secret which is supposed to be locked in her breast
Her story is that Magoon and Streeter came
TO her house at about sunset on the fourteenth on
their way home from Montpelier and the Barre
race.track and were somewhat under the inhu-
ence Of lauor that streeter there ate his last meal
on earth, crab-applc pie aud cup Of tea that
he and Magoon there had dispute about a trivial
matter, during which Magoon threatened TO kill
him. that they soon made up, and that Maeoon
l.. 4.
was left behind while streeter drove on towards
Orange; that Magoon followed soon after and that
she didn't see either Of them again that night and
knew nothing Of the murder till informed
Of It by the peddler John S. Clark, early
the next morning. Dr. jackson made the
post norton In conjunction with DR.. Bigelow,
and he gave an account Of the wounds inflicted
upon Streeter which we're simply terrible aud
sufficient to kill ten men, and Of the condition Of
the undigested food In Streeter's stomach, which
he claimed showed that he must have been killed
not less than half an hour or more than two
hours. after eating the pie at Mrs Peuin's This
goes strongly to support the governments theory,
that Magoon committed the murder almost inn
medately after leaving Mrs. Perrins, and before
halt-past seven in the evening. The defence will
till ten OF eleven o'clock at night, and that he re-
manned behind at Mrs. PERKINS,, and let Magoon
go home alone. In support Of this theory, Mr..
Heath will attempt 70 prove that Streeter' 5
stomach, being weakened by continual intoxca-
ton, digested slowly, and that Mrs Perrin had
repeatedly threatened TO have vengeance upon
Streeter for leaving herit seems they used u live
together and marrying, or pretending to marry,
for he had another wife living in Barre, Magoon
daughter The case IL conducted with great skill
on both sides, and the court house is crowded
THrRsDAY, October 9Th
The prosecution have nearly finished their e,i-
dence and their theory Of the affairhas now been
fully developed. It il in substance that Magoon
and Streoter had a quarrel az Hannah Perrin's
which had It's origin In the loss Of jug Of rum by
Magoon, that streeter got into the team, drove II
into the road, and there avowed his intention Of
going Immediately home that Magson thereupor
threatened his life followed him to the spot in IL,
road opposite where the body was found, split
rail from the fence, struck Strceter repeated,
over the head and murdered him The principa
witnesses, yesterday, were Mr. and Mrs Romano
Bradbury, Of Washington, and Merrill Wilde o.
Orange who witnessed the quarrel At Hannah r
and in addition Bradbury testified that he hearC
the blows struck The Court House was crowde,
all day, a large number Of members being present
rnIpAY, october 9th
The prosecution finished the opening Of thei
case, yesterday afternoon, and the defence begal
the presentation Of their evidence. The most i'm
portant witnesses produced by the state yesterday
were Mr.. and Mrs. A. L. Thurston, of Barre VII,
on the evening Of the murder, returned home iron
a visit to Orange, and Mrs Thurston claimed tina
she saw what she supposed was the body Of
drunken man, lying where Streeters corpse wa
found the next morning This was about hal
past seven In the evening. MIR. Ihurston did no
see the man but he testified that just at that spo
his horse SHE'D and the buggy wheels ran over
piece Of loose board in the road. MT Heath he
son the case for the respondent by making brie
statement to the jury, Of the line Of defenc,
lie said that the facts which had bee
developed by the prosecution in regard TO Ii
visit made by Streeier and Magoon to Mont
pelier and the Barre troitng park an
thence 10 Hannah PERKINS, were substar
TALLY true. lie would prove, however that Will
at llannah's all three drank of this liquor whic
had been mentioned, and Streeter ate some pie
that jug Of rum was there stolen from MIagoou
probably with the connivance OF Sreeter; tina
some sharp words took place between Hannah an
Magoon about the theft; that he and StGeete
then left in the team and proceeded a. far as IN
watering trough, where Streeter got out and rC
turned to Haunah's to pass tho night, an old habi
of his, which was the last Magoon ever saw O
him alive; that Magoon went directly home tina
so far from Hannah being in bed with the ligh
out, at nine o'clock, as she had testified we vii
prove that there was light in her house as lat
as eleven o'clock that Hannah had made threat
Of vengeance against Stree,er month or nor
prior to the murder, aud that the murder wa
committed by her alone, or by her procurement
and assistance. lie then called a large humble
of witnesses. 1t is hoped that all the evidence
will be in by tonight.
SATURDAY, October It'll
| The evidence on both sides was brought to Al
/ end on Saturday noon and in the afternoon Mr.