The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-23
The Mortified, Mass, Murder Case,
TRIAL OF sEssg H.. LEWIS.

There is much local interest In the trial
which opened in the Windham county
| court house at Newfane, Wednesday, Of
| Jesse II. Lewis of Mortified, Mass, for
the alleged murder of Albert w. Deming.
| The circumstances of the case, which will
be readily recalled, are thus outlined In the
| Indictment Ca Wednesday, April 81,
| 1875, Jesse II. Lewis, William Airing and
Albert w. Deming left Mortified, en-
route for Jamaica, to run logs down the
West river, being in the employ of Clark
s. Chapman of Turner's Falls. Stopping
at Brattleboro over night, Lewis obtained
a flask OF whisky, into which he put NOR
phine, the party continuing their journey
the next day to Jamaica. On the evening
Of the goth the three started to cross Bald
mountain, in the town of Jamaica, as the
| nearest route to the residence of William
Underwood, where the three were board
ing. Before starting up the mountain
| Deming was given a drink of whisky from
| the flask Supposed to contain the drug /;
half way up the mountain Deming, com
planning of being tired and sick, was given
| another drink, and on arriving at the sum-
| nit Deming, being unable to proceed, was
left unattended with the flask and it's con.
tents. Lewis and Airing reached Under
woods about 10 O'Clock at night, and
Lewis explained the absence of Deming in
q manner unsatisfactory to the inuuirers.
No search was made for Deming until the
morning, when he was found dead near the
| spot where he was left the night before by
| Lewis and Airing, accompanied by one of
the villagers. The body was some hours
afterward conveyed to the Jamaica town
hall, and was subsequently taken to North
field, where an autopsy was made by DR..
Ward, revealing the poison. Suspicion
| resting upon Lewis, he was arrested a year
ago with Airing a, an accessory, and since
Lewis has been confined in Windsor prison.
A murder case in quiet old Windham
county creates much excitement, and dense
ly packed the court rooms. The accused
man was born at Mortified, and is now
forty-eight years old, of muscular build,
and, to all appearances, of mild DISPOSE
ton. His only living relatives are a sister,
Emma Gray, living at Pittsford, Me-, and
| a half brother. Lewis has been 80 well be-
haved duripr his stay in Windsor prison
that its officers make a voluntary state
ment to the court commencing his charac-
ter and conduct while with them. Some
little difficulty was experienced in drawing
the jury, on account of a disbelief on a part
of some of the panel in capital punish
ment, but the following were finally select
ee: H. P. Farr, Edmond Aver, Thomas
Smith, Stephen NJ. Nutting, Joel Lyman,
Luther X. Farnsworth, Silas w. Aldrich,
Nathan D. Mann, Estus G. Sargent, Luz
| cius G. Richardon, Fred II. Harris and AL
bert L. Tucker. Nineteen witnesses on be-
half of the state were called, most of whom
were residents of Jamaica, where the muir
| der is said to have been committed, includ-
| ing also State detective Philbrick, of Law
| renee, Mass, Harrison III. White of Gill
| and Chauncy Bryant of Greenfield. The
trial will continue through to-day, and pos
| siblY tomorrow.