St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-16
Vermont Criminals.

The correspondent of the Boston
Journal has been visiting murderers
now i'll the prison at Windsor. He
thus speaks of Hayden, who brutalIy
murdered his wife at Derby Line last
September, and attempted to kill his
brother-in-law at the same time
L found Hayden sick in bed, and he
looked like a man in the last stages
of consumption, and he seemed to be
in wretched frame of mind. | re-
marked to Hayden that the report had
gained considerable circulation all over
the State that he was going to make a
stubborn defence on the ground of in
sanity brought about by excessive
drink.
The prisoner rose up in bed and
said: tell you just what propose to
do. When L get before the court and
am asked to plead, l shall plead not
guilty. L do not propose to offer any
defence, for the reason that / have not
had the means to have counsel. Ii is
true that the State has given me two
OF the ablest lawyers in the State,
but L have not seen either of them !;
they have not been near me to consult
me, nor do L know what they have been
doing in my behalf. No | propose to
protsest against any plea other than
that of not guilty, because 1 do not re-
member anything of the awful crime
with which l stand charged. Besides
all this, know just what pressure is
brought to bear against me. Had |
S2OOO to procure witnesses at my trial.
could prove to the world that | am
not the villain | have been called. I
am here to-day for safe keeping. I
propose to take whatever sentence the
court may impose upon me with the
conviction that l am able to bear with
1t, and L tell you right here L propose
to offer plea of 'Not guilty, and shall
protest against anybody offering a de-
fence of insanity brought about by ex-
cessive drink"
Hayden spoke with seeming earnest
ness III this respect. In reply to nv
query whether he would be able to at
tend the trial set for Tuesday, and nv
telling him that Deputy Sheriff Gallup
was at Windsor to take him to Iras-
burgh on Saturday, he replied, eyes. L
shall go. l shall go if | have to be
taken on my bed. Nobody shall saw |
am playing sick. | want to 90. God
knows do and shall go if die.n
left Hayden, and passing the sec
ond cell below, number ID, the one
where Miles was kept for safe keeping
a year ago, while awaiting trial. | was
greeted with a ''Good day, Mil
and looking toward the grated door
saw the face of John P. Phair, the con-
demned murderer, sentenced TO he
hung on the 9th OF April. Pbair mt
his right hand through the bars and
shook hands with me. He spoke in a
tremulous voice, and was undoubtedly
labonng under great mental agony.
de SAID he was innocent of the crime
Tor which he was to be executed. II
told him that | feared there was no
hope for him. He realized the fate
which awaited him, and said. s'Yes.
and the time is very short for me to
live. did not know until day before
yesterday that the Governor could not
commute my sentence or pardon me /.
That 1t took the action of the Legisla-
ture. The only action the Governor
could take would be reprieve.n
Phair spoke for some moments re-
garding his past career. When I fold |
MIN that had only an hour previously |
read MS death warrant which was in |
the hands OF Sheriff Stimson for his ex
ecutlon, the tears trickled down his
cheeks and he then, more than ever
before, realized the doom which await |
Gu MIN. lie passes his time 10 solitary |
cohnnement and reads the religious
DOCKS given him. The execution will
oe DIS private as possible. Already nu-