The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-01-18
The Lapage Murder Trial.

murder Of josie Langmaid, at Pembroke,
N. H., October 4, 1876, began at Con.
cord, N. H., on Tuesday, January A.
The Grst day, after procuring the jury,
was spent by the jury visiting the scene
Of the murder, some five miles distant,
accompanied by the prisoner and counsel.
The second was principally taken up in
proving the circumstances Of the finding
of Miss Langmaid's headless body, head
some eighty feet distant, ETC., as substan.
tally made public in the published &C.
counts. On Friday, Hiram Towlc testified
that while driving to Chichester, Octo-
Der 2, he met Lapago not more than fifty
or sixty rods FROM the place of murder,
carrying a stick similar to the one found.
A Mrs. Watson testified that some days
before the murder, while walking in
llooksett with her daughter, they were
watched attentivcly by man, who dis.
appeared in the thickct wheu they were
met by friend, George Meek, who hap.
pened to be picking berries near. She
recognized Lapoge as the man after be
was put in Concord Jail. She also testi-
fed to receiving three anonymous threat.
ening letters.
CHARLES Emery, a Canadian swore to
seeing Lopogo in Cofran's woods at two
o'clock P NJ, the day of the murder
Lapege complained of being awfully
tired, saying that be had got lost, aud had
been wandering in the woods Albion
2. Dearborn, Boston detective, testified
to the circumstances Of airestiug Lapagc !;
iouud blood ou his clothing, and heels Of
his boots correspondod with tho print Oh
Josie Langmaid's face, found knife and
razor at Lapage's house the knife the
latter denied was hie bat On searching
his overcoat pocket witness discovered
some oats, and several grains were found
in the knife. handle. Detective Moses
Sargent also testified 10 arrcstipg the
prisoner, to cutting blood spots from bis
clothing, etc. These we're examined by
Doctors Horace Chase aud Joshua b.
Treadwell, OF Boston, who detailed their
methods Of developing aud examining the
corpusclcs DR.. Chase said that the
blood found on the front Of the overcoat
was not human, hut, il his opinion, that
found on every other article Of clothing
was, and it Teacmbled iG every respect
that found oU Lapage's clothing. DR..
Treadwell testified similarly also that
he examined a chcmi.o and skirt said to
have belonged 10 Josie, aud that there
was no appreciabe difference between the
blood stains upon these garments and
those Of Lapnge. excepting in the range
Of figures ia tao ton-thousaudths Of an
inch in the measurement or the coipuscles.
Mrs Harriet Towle swore that On the
Saturday morning before the murder she
rode over the academy road with her hus.
band, an6 met man who she thought
vas cra2y carrying a stick behind him in
in peculiar manner it was Whitfield at
ono end ; was a sort Of stake next saw
him in JAIL and picked him cut from the
other prisoners; also selected the coat
which he wore from q number Of others
no one pointed him out to me there; |
feel sure ihat Lapage is the man | saw in
the woods. Witness husband corrotor.
atod ter testimony.
Charles G., Davis, jailor at Concord,
testified that Lapage was delivered to him
October IS. aud had been an uneasy pris.
onor most Of the time. Witness found
sixteen bricks dug out Of bis cell about a
week after he arrived; also an iron brace
in bis bed, which was shown in court
Laqeeo was at the time put back, as wit
ness saw 10 dagger Of his escaping The
cell was repaired, he being removed to
another From this another brace disap-
pearod, which Davis found under the left
arm between bis shirts
Julien Rouesc Of Jollci. Cauads, test.
fed:
Am 4 sister Of Lapases wife; last saw lalagc
in June, 1871; met him when in pasture going
to milk cow, in st. Beatrice, Canada when
arrived at tho pasture the cows were not there;
tho pasture wa, about ten acres from my home
lapage had buffalo robe, a mask in his hand
and hal a faded red flannel shirt, and pair
of linen pants, with a belt about his waist; he
carried pine root two and one-halff feet lon and
as large as my arm; he was about four or five
rails distant from me when first saw him; there
were no houses in sight; it was seven o'clock in
the morning, Juno 1871; when lie came to me he
away; after had gone about four or five rails he
took bold Of the; when he got hold Of me / turned
and pulled the mask from his face and recognized
him; | knew very well that it was Lapaee; after
pulling the mask from his face he rolled his head
in my skirts and tried to choke NE l then turned
upon my stomach, when hr rubbed coarse sand in
my mouth and eyes and after lie saw my strength
was gone he Outraged me: l do not remember
when he left me, us l had become inscnsible; II
htYnl iTG8H Ey hQ Wars w6 6a a hS
unmarried; Lapage at this time was married t.
NY sister, he lived twenty-five or thirty acres
from my homei 1 saw Lapage the day after TIA,
outrage had no conversation with him; have not
seen Or spoken to him since that day,
Monday afternoon of last week the de-
fence was opened by Mr.. Norris, couuse
Tor LApage He claimed that 10 motive
bad been shown that the marks Oh the
face OF deceased might have been made
by thousands of boots within reach OF the
scene oi murder that day that the blood
on Lapago's clothes was not proved to be
human, aud might have got there il his av.
ocation Of wood chopper. The defense
attempted was an alibi. Lspage's sympa
thizers 10 court were some twenty five
frenehmen iiom whom were obtained The
wiiuesscs to prove his pleseacc olsewhere
1t was failure so FAY as pioyiog an alb
was concerned. The jury SO decided il
on Thursday last, by bringing in verdict
of guilty OIL mundcr in the dr,t degree
The judge promptly pronounced his sen,
tence, which was that he should be hanged
upon the l9,h day Of January, n, D..
1877, and to be couiued in the state pris
on at Concord uutil that time.
Fraudulent Failures.