St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-03-23
La Page, the Murderer.

The conviction is so general that Ii
Page, who has just had his second tria
i'll New Hampshire, for the murder o
Josie Langmaid, was not only guilty o
that crime, but also of the murder o
Miss Ball, of st. Adams, that there will
be general satisfaction in the prospect
that the gallows will now claim its own
La Page was found guilty at the frs
trial, but the prosecuting attorney
made the strange mistake of presenting
evidence that La Page had years before
outraged his wife's sister in Canada
testimony which had no right to be
introduced. That error secured La
Page his second trial, which resulted
like the first, i'll verdict of guilty
The States Attorney, in summing up
against the prisoner, said:
On the 4th of October, 1875, a crime
unparalleled i'll the annals of the State.
unless we except that of old Evans, was
committed. A young and beautiful
girl was murdered within a third of a
mile of Il populous village. If this can
be done with impunity, the people
must lose all confidence in the law for
their protection. That this murder was
premeditated, and done while perpe-
trating the crime of rape, is obvious.
That it was done with malice, is also
perfectly evident from its surroundings.
1t grew out of a crime worse than muir
der. He did not suppose La Page had
formed any particular design before he
started out that morning, to murder
Josie Langmaid or any particular wo-
man. But he had formed purpose to
attack some woman, and perpetrate
his hellish lust, even if he had to do so
by committing the crime of murder.
Like bank-robbers, he doubtless was
disguised. 1t is likely the poor girl in
her struggles to get off his disguise was
successful, and then he murdered her
to conceal his crime. The evidence is
circumstantial, it is true; but vet,
pointing to one sure conclusion. The
evidence was sifted, and shown to con-
stltute an unbroken chain pointing to
the prisoner as the guilty man. Mr..
Iappan denounced La Pages attempt
to prove an alibi as lie. Where was
he, when this murder was committed ?
This he fails entirely to show. 1t is all
absurdity that in five or six days after,
he could not have accounted for himself.
What was La Pages motive for COM
mitting the crime =? We show what he
was bent on that he was seeking the
opportunity. He is found chasing
women round in Suncook. This all
shows the diabolical lust of the man.
Why did not the defence set up plea
of insanity? His insanity is that of a
wicked lust. There is something about
his lustful eye when fixed on woman
that cannot be Mistaken peculiar
feature which every one in this court
can detect, this devilish dance, like the
eye of "a black snake, which we all see.
Why did he not use the axe to commit
the murder That was just what he did
not want to do. 1t is evident that the
poor girl was alive when he cut off her
head Counsel commented on the in
quiries he made of the Fowler boy and
others, about young women. He asked
whether the girl went alone or not.
and who went with herr In doing
these things, La Page was acting ae7
cording to his habits. BY his own con-
fession, he was on the Academy road