The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-08-30
BORN A CRIMINAL.
Tic Story of Connecticut's Most Awful
Crime.

One of the most atrocious crimes ever
perpctratrdin i'll this country in early DAYS.
and indeed ranking with the most horri.
bio ever known in the United States
was the murder of the Mallory family
Mt Washington, Conn, about ten miles
from the town of Litchfield, in the wear
178O. ~ '"'
In tbs month of December, 1779. a
ragged, penniless, wandering stranger
appealed to the charity of old Mr.. Caleb
Mallory, resident Of the town of Wash
lngton, for nights lodging and a meal
OF vlctuals. The person thus appealing
was not over nineteen years old, and
though large for his age, had a counte
nance that made him seem younger than
In answer to Mr.. Mal!orys questions.
he said that his name was Barnett Day
export; that he had not relative in the
world, and that he was entirely friend
less and homeless.
The old mans kind heart was touched
by this tale of woe, and he readily prof
iered the shelter of his house as n home
!or Inc young man as long as he might
desire to avail himself of it, an offer
"hicn Davenport promptly accepted.
AT TINS time Mr.. Mallory and his aged
wife bad living with them three orpHan
grandchlldren-two girls named Eunice
and Eliza, aud 3 boy named Dayid-tbe
offspring of Captain Eben Mallury, the
Old mans only son. who had been lost
at sea. >''
His kind entertainers were, of course.
unaware that the ono whom they thus
accepted az, temporarily ut least, q mem
Der Oh their family, was born criminal
-one whose Instincts were entirely pe,-
verted to evil, and who had never. in
his short life, given any sign of the
possession OF any moral perceptions
whatever. Barnett Davenport had been
born OF parents who, if not actually
CRIMINALS themselves, were certainly
wlckedly Indifferent as to whether their
son Decame one or not. They lived
near New Haven, and from his earliest
youth Barnett, instead of attending
schooi and receiving any moral training
from his parents, was permitted to as.
soclate unrestrainedly with the worst
boys OF the town. "He was from early
years unprincipled, profane and impious.
Before he was nine years old he was
an expert In cursing and swearing. and
an adept in mischief. At eleven years
he begun to piifer at thirteen he stole
money; at fifteen he entertained
thoughts of murder, and rapidly waxed
bar Ter and bolder in wickedness." Not
wyithstanding his evil instincts and.habits,
he managed to behave pretty well for a
couple OF months, while living with the
Mallory family, aud quite won the kind
hearts OF the old folks, who could scarce
y nave treated him better bad he been
their own son. There is reason to be.
lleve, however, that during this time he
was, with base ingratitude and diaboli-
cal cruelty, planning in his mind most
horrible crime-nothing less than the
slaughter of his benefactors, that he
might possess himself of their most
valuable effects.
On the night of February 8, 17sO,
Barnett Davenport deemed that the
time had come for the execution of his
internal purpose. He slept in a small
room off the kitchen, at the back of the
house, while Mr.. Mallory and his wife
occupied the front room on the second