Sharp County record., 1878-08-16
AN OLD STORY RETOLD.
The Famous Spooner Tragedy, and Its
Swift Punishment.

Just 100 years ago Tuesday there oc-
Cured in the city of Worcester public
execution which, because Ofthe sex and
the high social position and family con-
nections of one of the parties which sui
fered, rocked the whole community with
an intense and unprecedented excite
ment. Until. within few years there
might have been seen still standing,
ab6ut a half mile eastward from the
village common of Brookfeld on the
north side of the old main " or stage
road leading to Worcester, the house,
unchanged save by the waste of years,
though then utterly dilapidated and
falling rapidly to decay, in which, on
March /, i77S, was perpetrated muir
der which, IN consideration OF its long
generalization, the number OF persons
concerned in ,it, the methods made use
of to accomplish their ends, the high
social position and family connections,
already stated, of the principal in the
crime. together with the exciting trial
ensuing, and the public execution of the
convicted fel9ns at last, was long con-
sidered one Of the most notable events
in the annalsof New England crime,
and produced profound impression on
the minds of 1the generation belonging
to that remote revolutionary period. For
generations he story of the "Spooner
murder" and the execution of the gull
tv perpetratotS thereof constituted the
staple and t additional horror of the
region wher$ it occurred; while, for
many a yearl it is said, travellers, on
passing this lPng-famous locality, were
wont to request the. stage-driver to halt
that they might go4nh peer into the old
we'll in which the body of the murdered
man was said to have been found. The
story was told in detail by the RepNblt-
can seven years ago, and its chief fea-
lures are now repeated in view OF the
recent centennial of the exciting close
of the tragedy.
Bathsheba Spooner, the chief actor IN
this tragedy, was the daughter Of Gen
Timothy Ruggles. a distinguished law,
yer. Harvard graduate, and at one time
holder of some of the most important
offices in the province. He was born
at Rochester in Plymouth County in
III, but on his practice becoming eX,
tensive removed to Hardwick in 100
He was made Judge two years later, and
Chief Justice of the Court of Common
Pleas in 1862, holding the office till the
Revolution. He was also distinguished
as a military commander, was Colonel
under Sir William johnson in the eX
pedition against Crown Point; was sec,
ond in command at Lake George when
Baron Dieskau was defeated, and was
Brigadier- General under Lord Amherst
in the Canadian expedition. He was
also several times member of the pro-
vincial Assembly, was made Speaker
of the Housa. and was MASSACHUSETTS
-'tle9sset9-,-l g r,o.6sfv-err- a,,ut
I CONGRESS of the colonies at New York
which complained to the King OF their
grievances, and claimed exemption
from all taxes but those imposed by
themselves. Ruggles would not con-
cur in these proceedings, for which ne
was censured by the House on mis- re-
turn home. Still remaining loyal to
the King, he was forced to leave the
country forever on the breaking out OF
the war, and his great estate, which IN
cluded deer-park of ~ acres, q pack
of hounds and 80 horses, was cOnhScat-
ed. while he was looked upon as the
worst of traitors. His daughter Bath
sheba, who was born in 1745, was high
" educated, unusually handsome, pre-
possessing in manners, and of brilliant
intellect, though she had been spoiled
by indulgence, and was naughty and
! imperious in temper. She was married
{ in 1866 to Joshua SpoOner, a retireC
trader, a weak man who seemed inca
pable of supporting manly Importance
as the head of hh family. As was natur
al he and his wife frequently quarreled
{ and her contempt for him soon changed
to utter aversion.
In this way they lived 1.-The year be-
7 fore the murder, when there joined tht
, family handsome young Continental
, soldier, Ezry Ross, only IL years old, o
highly respectable family at Ipswich
: and one of five brothers, four Of whom
joined the army early enough to fight a
2 Bunker Hill. Ezry on returning from
his first campaign was cast on the hos
pitality of the Spooner family, and was
= nursed through severe illness by Mrs
, Snooner After this Ross became a fre.
uuent visitor in the family, and, though
Spooner never suspected it, and sht
was twice his age, there grewup Grim
inal intimacy between his wife and Ross
which as their passion strengthened LED
the wife to plan and the youth to ac
auiesce in the murder of her husband
which was brought about March 1,1778
/ Spooner spent that evening at "Cooley'.
Tavern" and started for home about
o'clock. But in the morning one Of hi
servants reported at the tavern tha