The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-04-07


on my journey | had never dreamed that
such an accusation awaited my return
home, for God above all others knows that
my trip had been contemplated at least one
month before it was taken, and that no
dishonesty attended it. Fifth, and last,
when arrested and accused of the unfortu-
nate woman's death, ! had only my wear
Ing apparel in general and five dollars in
money to my name. Had / then the one
sixth part of the money expended by the
prosecution in efIecting my foul conviction,
haven't doubt but what | would have
cleared myself as honorable as ever man
was acquitted in any court of Justice on
| earth. This | did not have, and conse-
quently was obliged to submit to the gross
Injustice | knew was beng done me.
HIS UNFORTUNATE TRIP TO BOSTON AND
PROVIDENCE.
AS have said before, my journey to the
city of Providence was made on the 9th of
June, and after stopping over night start
cd for home on the 10Th, arriving at Bos-
ton at 12 o'clock NJ, where was Obliged
10 wait until p. m, for the first train for
Vermont. My time between trains at this
place was occupied in visiting the Charles
town navy yard, its machine shops, ships
of war, and so forth, all of which were of
great interest to me, because of my being a
machinlst by trade, and also having served
in the United States navy during the rebel
lion. | lett Chqrlestown railroad station
for Rutland at o'clock in the evening. At
Fitchburg | met young man from Rut.
land, who was also returning home on the
same train with me. The man first inform
ed me of Mrs. Freezes death by reading
an account of the same from the Boston
Journal AT Cuttingsvile, a station ten
or twelve miles south of Rutland, the train
on which l was returning was boarded by
two officers from Rutland, who arrested
and searched my person in the car. The
search was very closely made, but resulted
in finding nothing but my railway ticket
and 50 Go in money. A handcuff was then
placed on my right wrist, and on the arri-
val of the train at Rutland | was taken to
Jail and locked up for examination. My
photograph was then taken to Boston by
these reward-seekers and shown to the
Jew pawnbrokers before they had ever
seen or tried to identify me. My picture
was taken in light-colored, summer bust
ness suit, and when these men were
brought to identify, | was not allowed to
appear before them in any other suit of
clothes than the same in which my photo
graph was taken. The only public identi-
~ made took place in the town hall at
Rutland, about week after my ARE at,
and was conducted in the following man
ner The three so-called witnesses who
had been brought from Boston were taken
to the hall, where nearly 800 people had
congregated to witness the identity. These
men were then seated on side seat at the
left hand entrance to the bail. | was then
compelled to walk from the Jail through
the streets to the hall handcuffed and be-
ween two officers A large crowd followed
in the rear until we reached the hall door,
where, in the presence of the so. called wit
nesses, the cuffs were taken from my hands
and requested to take seat between five
men, all of whom had on dark clothes and
were at least ten years older than myself
| was seated in the centre Of these five
men, and at my back stood one of the Of
tcers who had brought me from the Jail.
This Ounce stood there until the pretended
wrath of the reward-seekers was raised to
such pitch that he was seized by the arm
and dragged away by them. The Boston
men were then one by one led past us by a
justice of the peace and asked to point out
the man they claimed to have seen in Bos-
ton. Each one of them pointed to me,
but not as the man they may have seen in
Boston, but rather the man whose photo
graph was shown them in that city.
he WAS NOT THE MAN.
This pretended identity was a complete
sham, and every fair-minded person who
witnessed it on that day knows it to have
been both a farce and an injustice. But
this was very mild transaction when COM
pared with the ridiculous attempts, or
rather pretensions, at identity which took
place az the Jail under the sole direction of
+ the two scheming wholesalers and So
called detectives, who have won popular
E praise for the vlllainous work they have
, done under the disguise of law. 1t has
, always appeared to me that had these men
been honest they would have brought these
Jews to Rutland without first having shown
them my picture and talked over the crime
with which l was accused. was in safe
, custody at the time and could see nothing
. that warranted their carrying my picture
, about the country and exhibiting il 10. such
as they were able to induce to swear tC
anything they might ask of them. One OF
these so-called detectives was better ac-
, quainted with Mrs. Freeze than any other
man in Rutland, and employed three noted
, bad women, who were not strangers to the
unfortunate woman, to appear against mt
|
by him was an ex-convict from Boston,
Sull another OF the prosecutions witnesses
now langulshes under four years sen.
tence in this state prison for the crime of
adultery. So much is known of these wit
, nesses, and time will undoubtedly prove
the character of the rest. In connection
with these witnesses l also desire to cal
attention to the fact that the prosecution
claimed my conviction wholly on the test
C mony of the Boston Jews. In his charge
C to the jury, Judge Wheeler said that the
A finding of Mrs. Freezes property in Bos
ton, and in my possession, as these Jew!
D had testified to, and unexplained by me
t was sufficient to convict. This was asking
a an explanation not in my power to offer
D for the means by which her things reached
: Boston was as foreign to me as was tn,
5 means by which she came by her death
G Now, every intelligent person must know
II that jew does not recognize an oath ad
@ ministered in our Christian form as beinl
y, sacred, or even binding. The only form
!, and oath that they regard as sacred, is tina
e which is administered 10 them by Rabbi
d and in this case the oath was administered
IS to them in our regularly established form
! The question arising from this fact is sim
r ply this Is it right to admit in cas-
: where persons life depends upon the &C
. tual truth, the evidence of men who hav,
1t never regarded our Christian form of oatl
g as being in any way binding on their con
1t science before either God or man? sou
e state laws declare that every person &C
c cused of capital crime shall have fai
n and impartial trial." 1T also declares tina
&c the accused is entitled to and shall hav
j the full benefit of all doubt as to guilt
IS This understand as meaning fair chanc
i for the liberty and life of the accused.
lr asked no more than this, and that 1t wa
. not granted me every fair-minded man VIII
+ reads the following solemn facts will readl
:, ly zee.
u TIE QUESTION OF TIME.
,, Be it understood that Mrs. Freezes hous
N WAS located in the outskirta of the village n