The New York herald., 1879-12-09
Peculiar Surroundings of the Scene
of the Tragedy.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDEN CE
Places Made Memorable by the Prolonged Trial
Of the Accused Minister.
MRS. HAYDEN'S TESTIMONY.


scale. When the HERALD correspondent. the other
day. drove out from the long stretch OF forestlned
road into the little clearing at the hamets centre
the landscape gloomy with drizzling rain.
Rockland lies dozen miles back from the shore Of
Long Island Sound The last three miles through
almost wilderness. the country is uneven and
rocks are everywhere Miniature clearings are
at intervals. but otherwise the woods are un-
broken. excepting where the charcoal burner has
welded mis- axe. The crossroads at the Centre
have but half dozen buildings. story and half
high, unpainted and indicating that their owners
wrest but scant support from the sterile fields
adjoining. little schoolhouse, about 80 by 15 Is
perched ON the hillside. just above the intersection
OF the roads. and is gay beyond its neighbors in
coating Of white paint. Mrs Hayden there taught
the village children to add to her husbands scanty
income The fronts of the houses dead. for there
located the "best rooms, opened only for chance
company. and the people themselves live mainly in
their kitchens or sitting rooms. Not human being
was in sight any where other than farmer ploddng
along the road with hoe slung over his shoulder.
HOW cmcUMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE MADE.
The Centre and the few houses in view to the
northwest encompass substantially the entire ham,
let. 1t has aggregate of only sixteen dwellings.
and the adult males in the place at the time Of the
murder were but twenty-four. Upon this the pros
case. They prove by various witnesses that of the
twenty-four thirteen wore absent from the hamlet
on the afternoon OF the murder. Eleven remained,
and of these ten in the company Of other per-
sons. who have testified to their presence or the
entire adult male population. therefore, HAYDEN
alone fails to provo by other than his own
assertions his whereabouts. He says he in his
wood lot, lonely place quarter Of mile back in
tine woods from mis- house. The buildings in the
'Centre itself. hudded together they are occupy
no more than a New York block" stones throw
northward is the little Methodist Church where
Hayden preached for $500 per annum, his
house rent and the trifing perqusites OF clergy
man in SO small settlement. 1t is a white build
ing, accommodating hundred or more, and sur
mounted by a stunted spire coated with TIM He had
left this charge at the time of the murder and
was preaching in South Madison, ten miles distant.
for $3.50 per annum. The Rockland parsonage Is
nearly the road from the church. but Hayden
after taking his South Madison charge had leased
house and small farm, two minutes walk up the
road This house often mentioned in the trial is
white painted structure rather more imposing than
its fellows and close beside it is weather beaten
barn. Across the way. and more elevated ground.
10 the Luzerne Stevens house, story and half high
and painted dinRy red 1t commands full view
of the minister's premises. and from its windows
the record of the trial shows-the inmates kept the
clergyman and his movements under close surveil-
cleared fields with powders cropping every
where, and beyond stretch away meadow and the
woodland where the clergyman claims to have
passed his time on the afternoon of the tragedy.
The Hayden house commands view of many OF
the places memorable in tho trial. Just to the north
ward acoupe OF hundred feet the road forks
and following the road passing to the right the view
embraces. across meadow, the houses of the three
neighbors and the Burr barn. point of woodland
juts into the meadow to within hundred feet OF
this barn which stands by the roadway. One story
is that Hayden in keeping his alleged appointment
the woods, crossed this open space to the shelter
OF the barn. and passing the roadway plunged
row path he reached and crossed another roadway
into the woods to point few minutes walk from
Big Rock. where Mary awaited him. TIE houses
covering view of the open spaces the route
unoccupied that afternoon Did he know this?
woman passing the fork of the roads claims to
have man crossing the last named roadway
an hour or more. before Mary Stannard's dying
admitted on cross-cxamination that the person was
too far on to distinguish the face. and her glimpse
was but momentary. she did not observe the cloth
ing. Another theory is that Hayden did not
VISIT his wood lot that afternoon at all.
His wife testifes that sitting at her window
above mentioned. At that point he might have
turned to the left into the woods of the triangle
formed by the forked roads and thence made his way
to .Big Rock The road turning to the right at the
forks has been described That to the left IL bordered
by small trees and from the Hayden house. as in the
case OF the other. tho eye follows 1t for some dis
tance. Five minutes walk from the house is stile
in the stone wall leading to the spring. where Hay
his way from her house to his own.
STANDARDS HOME.
The Stannard house il elevation but little
distance from the spring. 1t is OF cheap and prn-
tive order OF architecture, story and a half hiph
unpainted and weather beaten with its windows set
of with blue paper curtains. To tho right il a kit
chen garden. now disordered with the debris Of
plants and weeds. The house impinges close upon
the road way, and 1ammed between 1t aud the fence
II an ancient cherry tree Under its welcome shade
with the thermometer in the nincties. the New
Haven doctors made their post -mortem examination
OF Mary Stannards body. They say it was
hurried one. Considering the heat and the
Hayden house the humble home OF the STANDARDS is
now dmly visible rough the bare branches of the
trees When in their foliage it was concealed from
view. Nearly opposite the Stannard house a barely
traceable pathway leads of into the woods toward
''Big Rock" This pathway Mary Stanuard entered
Her father and old Benjamin Stevens, having told her
where blackberries were to be found. stood
lie woods. She was found 'appeasru corpse fq fsp
back in those woods four hours later.
stains. Three minutes walk northward from the
house an ancient. abandoned roadway crosses the
main road. 1t was used century ago one of the
principai tnoroughtares OF tho county, and,
the custom in those days, it built in straight
line: without taking advantage, as in modernized
roadmakinp. OF the easiest grades. Turning into IL
TO tlie left from the main road i've minutes drive
brings the visitor TO the spot where the body was
found. light carriage can traverse the distance,
but at imminent risk Of smashing the running gear
on the rocks left bare by the washing Of the sol.
ROCK.
The death bed OF Mary stannard is on the RIGHT
side OF the roadway, and on an ascending slope A
stick topped by a white cloth marks where the
head rested. and sand is sprinkled the ground
which soaked up the crimson stream from tho neck
wound. Fifty feet further up the road Is another
stake and cloth where was found stone with which
at tinio IL was believed cruel wound upon her
head inflicted. New Haven scientist thought
he discovered upon this geological fragment ninia
turc spots OF blood Chemical and microscopical
tests proved them to be. not blood, but minute
plants OF the order of align. After this the
second stake may well bo removed. IL serves but
as reminder of the uncertainties OF science-noth-
ing or TO the left, hundred feet from where
the body was found. is Fox ledge, just the spot u
couple would select as trysing place. IL is an n-
mense bowlder. and the east side. away from the
roadway, huge fragment split of has fallen IN
position to furnish a seat for dozen persons.
The forest Is al every side, and through 1t
to the eastward lies the Stannard house. Paths
traverse the woods. but almost undistingu uisl-
able, although the section has been tramped
by thousands since the day of the tragedy. Even
now visitors come daily from the surrounding coun-
try. aud residents OF the little hamlet often 20 to the
Iincc with nscnrtalnaLin ...tiuu 20,