Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-08-31

preaching and prafSrs:s "a sS tracts al

preaching and prayers; ;tfacts anG
sermons, religious conversation
and apious directions, told that
there was no doubt n-any ones
mind bat that Stephen commit,
Eted the murder, uTgedcto make a
clean breast of it and thus save
body and soul, what wonder that
the man confessed, : or was alleged
to- have confessed, that, Stephen
Boorn did murder Russell Colyini
On September g. 1878, the
4 Grand Jury found a bill Of in
dicfment against Stephen and
Jesse Boorn fornthe murder Of
Russell CoIvin! z William Farns-
worth testified that Stephen con-
fessedo that he did it, and that
Jesse helped him; that they hid
the body in the bushes, then
buried. it, and then ,scraped the
few remains ana hid them ia a
stump. Upon this unsupported
evidence the jury returned a YER
dict of guilty against both pris
oners, and they were sentenced to
be hung on January %, 1920.
And now the men came to their
senses. They asserted their in
nocence. They said they had
confessed as their last hope. Some
compassion began to be felt for
them. They may after all, be
innocent. A petition for their
pardon was presented to the Leg
islature. But it availed only to
obtain ccmmutation of Jesse's
sentence to Imprisonment for life.
No more. Stephen was to be
hanged.
| Let the reader now turn to an
other chapter of this strange his
tory.
In April, 1913, there lived in
Dover, Monmouth County, New
Jersey, a Mr.. James Polhumus.
| During that month wayfarcr,
begging food, stopped at his
door, Being handy, good-na-
tured, obedient, quiet, homeless
and weak of intellect, too, he
was allowed to stay. He said
that his name was Russell Col
vim, and that he came from
Manchester, Vermont.
Not far from Dover lies the
little town of Shrewsbury, then
a quiet hamlet, now invaded by
the cottages of Long Branch
pleasure seekers. Here lived
Taber Chadwick, brother-in-1aw
to Mr.. Pohumus, and intimate
with the family. Accidentally
reading the New York Eceni,eg
| Post he met, not the notice Of
the Rutland Herald but an. ae-
count of the trial oflthe Boorns.
| Convinced that the Russell Col
vim alleged to have been MUIR
dered was the very man then
living with Mr.. APolhumus," " he
wrote a letter to. the Ereni11g
1 Post. which was nnhliShed De-
cember 9, 1919. - - az ~
Upon the arrival of this pa
per at Manchester it excited but
little attention. The letter was
believed to be a forgery or a
fraud, Had not the best speo-
tple of the town long believed
the Boorns to be guilty? Had
not one, perhaps both of them,
made full confession? The
bones of the murdered man, a
button off his coat, his jack
knife-had they not all been
found? Had not an upright
Judge made solemn charge that
the evidence was conclusive,
and an intelligent jury found
them guilty, and the Legisla-
ture sactioned their findings?
There was no doubt Of their
guilt - none whatever; and
therefore no benefit Of q doubt
had been given BY the jury,
Chief Justice, or Court Of Ap-
peals. edfelC
/ Mr.. Chadwick's letter was,
nevertheless, taken to Stephens
cell and read aloud. The news
was SO overwhelming that ma
ture could scarcely survive the
shock. The poor fellow dropped
in a fainting fit TO the floor, and
had to be. recovered by dashes
of cold water.
intelligence came next day
from a Mr.. Whelpley, formerly
a resident of Manchester, that
he himself had been to New
Jersey and seen Russell Colvin.
The members of the jury which
had convicted the Boorns, how
ever, hesitated to accept any
thing short of the mans pres
ence, and Judge Chase, who had
sentenced them, pointed to Ste
phen Boorn's confession.
Tho third dav came another