Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-10-14
Trial Of Asa MagOon for the Murder Of
Rufus Strecter.

Trial Of Asa Magoon for the Murder I
Rufus Streeter.
Found Guilty or Murder In the FIR
Degree.
On the morning of Friday, Oc
IA, 1875, the people Of Barre ant
adjoining towns were greatly excit
ed over a report that the body Of
murdered man had been found bt
side the road, near the house G
Hannah Perrin, u woman of ques
tiOnable character and habits. Tn
body bore evidence of a most fearful
struggle and brutal treatment. Tn
clothes were all drawn oil of til
lower part Of the body, and feal
tul cut AS if with u bowie knife
made clean across the abdomen,
foot long. The face was terribl.
mangied, being one horrid mass a
it beaten by II stone. Investiga
ton showed that the man seen las
with the deceased was Asa MagoOl
who lived near the village of Cor
inth, and he was arrested. A hear
ing before II Justice was had OF
Tuesday, Nov. 2, and the prisone
was bound up to await the actor
Of the Grand Jury. Subsequent!
il bill was found and he was incict
ed. His trial commenced at Mont
pelier on Tuesday of last week.
The jury panel was sworn as fol
flows: Il. Il. Freeman, Moretown
William NJ. Wade, Waterbury; q
w. Bragg, Warren; ID. A. Gray
Duxbury; Willard G. Walker
Montpelier; o. B. Bailey, Berlin
William b. Circuit, Roxbury; Ru
fus M. Lawson, Woodbury.; J. G
Gallup, Mortified; Z. f. Kimball
Montpelier; George L. Stone, Wor
|cester; Solun Il. Cummings, Easl
Montpelier.
The most important testimony fol
the State was that of Mr.. and Mrs
A. II. Thnrston of Barre, who were
returning from Orange the night oil
the murder. She claimed she saw
what she supposed was the body OF
II drunken man lying where Street.
er's corpse was found the next morn
ing. He testified that he did no,
SIZE the man, but just at that spo:
his horse SHED, and the buggy
wheels went over II loose board in
the road. MIR. Averill OF Barre was
with the party of six who went to
arrest Magoon in Orange, the day
the body was found. They found IA
buffalo robe in bed room of Ma
goon's house with stains of blood
upon it. This robe was presented
to the jury and the marks Of blood
pointed out.by the witnesses; also
the reins of the harness were shown
that had blood upon them. Ma.
COON told the party who went to ar
rest him that he was at Montpelier
the day before, and wore the same
clothes that he then had on (thr
same that Magoon is dressed in at
his triaD. To enable tue witness to
identify his clothing, Masoon pull
cd, of his coat and and carried it to
the witness box. Blood was found
upon Magoon's wagon, and when
his attention was called to it he put
his hand upon the stain and said it
was pumpkin. When Mr.. AverilI
told limit was blood, he said his
sheep, strayed off and he killed it
and'brought it home in his wagon,
aid that was show the blood came
there. The witness told Magoon:
"You and Streeter killed your sheep
inrtlie barn." Magoon replied that
perhaps so, he had forgotten. Ma
COON showed him fresh sleeps
pelt and the flesh of sheep. Ma
goon's boots had no heels. 1t will
Ue remembered that the tracks
where. the scuff1e was were made
with boots without heels. This wit.
ness said that. when he asked Ma
COON what had become of Streeter,
Magoon answered that che got ont
Of the wagon at the Wa ering trough.
above Hannah Perrin's, and said he
would stay all night"
The counsel for the defence intro.
liuced evidence to show that Street.
er had no. quarrel with Mag COON, but
with Mrs. Perrin about jug of
rum; that Magoon started on and
Streeter went back to stay with her
hat in March previous Streeter and
little Asa Magoon were there one
night; the former went to he'd.
Streeter and Aunt Hannah sitting
up; they had a fight; there was
blood shed, and little Asa got up to
pacify them; it was q scene OF great
she threatened Streeter
aor this, and this deed was done by
her continuance and help; also that
Srreeter was not killed ut or before
or 8 or 8 o'clock, but later; that
,ne man rode by on a gray colt AS
ate as 1880; that many teams
passed until a late hour; that
Streeters process Of digestion. as
shown by physicians. could not have
zone so far early in the evening, as
'laimed by the prosecution; also
hat widow Perrin has told differ
mt stories. and, till lately, blood
scattered on the paper in
room of her housej that u bright
ight shown from her Window that
er curtains were down after II
'clock that night. Two or three,
rho passed late as 0 or 10 O'clock,
either saw or heard anything un
sual two were examined to break
own Bradbury's, his wife's and :
Vilder's testimony about hearing +.
lagoon threaten to kill Streeter: I
hes had heard Wilder SAY he didn't ,
Al 49,, 1