The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-05-28
A Remarkable Case.
Boston Advertiser.l

han half a century ago. Knowing that the
venerable Judge Sprague, now eighty-six
years of age, but in full possession of his re-
markable faculties, had seen the principal
actors in that tragedy, he requested the judge
| to dictate an account of it, which he kindly
consented to do, and the narrative is as fol-
| lows
| In 1915, at Augusta, Maine, became ac-
| quainted with James McCausland, who then
was, and bad been for several years a prisoner
in the common Jail at that place. He was
confined as an insane person, and was, in fact.
monomaniac on the subject of religion. I
w's informed that before his imprisonment
ht lived in Pittston, a town on the Kennebec
| riv opposite the town of Gardiner; that he
| common laborer quite ignorant and un-
abs to read or write. There was in Gardiner
an Episcopal church which he sometimes at
tended, but his religious excitement was occa-
| stoned by hearing an itinerant preacher. He
| told me himself that it became impressed on
| his mind that he must make a burnt Offering
| sacrifice, but he didn't know how tol do
| it, and was much troubled At length it oc-
cured to him that it would be best to burn
the church at Gardiner, and kill certain
woman who living in small house
1 on the bank of the Coboseconti a few
miles above Gardiner village; but he was still
| doubtful. That in this unsettled state of mind
| he went alone at midnight into the church,
and while there, thinking on the subject, he
| heard voice from heaven, saying, "Young
man push on" that this meant that he should
| go forward and do what he was then contem-
| plating that is, burn the church and kill the
| woman This removed all doubt; then he
| knew what he must do. He thought he
| would save the "holy things" as he called
them-that is, the Bible, prayer-book and pull
| pit cushions. He accordingly carried them o
! short distance and hid them under the roots Of
tree which had been blown down. He then
went and got some live Goals, carried them in
shoe to the church, set it on fire and it was
wholly consumed. He said the next day there
was great talk about it and another man was
accused, but he went forward and told the peo-
pie that that man had nothing to do with it,
that he set fire to the church himself, and to
! convince them of it he carried some of them to
| the place and showed them the holy things
| which he had saved. The burnt offering was
then complete, and it only remained to make
the sacrifice. For that purpose he got into
\ canoe in the night time, showed it up the
| stream till he came opposite where the woman
lived, there landed and went into the house.
| On entering he found two men asleep on the
floor he stepped over them and saw the wo-
man sitting by the side of bed ON which
| there was a sick person, and, at the same time,
by the light of the fire he saw butcher knife
| sticking in beam overhead, and he knew that
the Lord had prepared that knife for his pur-
| pose. He took it, went to the woman, seized
her by the hair and cut her throat-that he
then left the house without being obstructed,
| got into his canoe and went home. The next
day great crowd came after him, some of
them armed, as if they expected violent re-
sistance, but he had no s uch idea. He submit
ted quietly and they carried him to jail.
/ was told by others that when he was ar
| ralgned in court upon an Indictment for mur-
der, he said he killed the woman. Chief JUS
tice Parsons told him that he was under no OBJ
legation to confess his guilt and had a right to
| require the commonwealth to prove it. He
| answered that he killed the woman and he
shouldn't lie about it. The jury upon his trial
returned verdict Of guilty, but he was never
sentenced. On the calender of prisoners was
an entry, "James McCausland, convict Of muir
| der, ''and under this record he was held in pris
on until his death, more than thirty years,
and he always told the same story. He an
swered all questions readily, and without ex-
element. 1 asked him if he was sorry he ha
killed the woman? He said, no; he was COM
manded to do it, and his sins were forgiven.
asked him if he would do the same again if he
were out of Jail? He said, no; he should have
no occasion for it. 1 said: "But suppose you
should receive another similar command
would you obey it?' He answered: "Oh,
shouldn't receive another command; my sin
| are forgiven" He was always grave and seri-
GUS. never saw him smile, but he had no
tinge of melancholy or depression. He never
indicated wish to be liberated, nor made
complaint of his treatment by the iailor He
seemed perfectly satisfied with himself and his
condition was told that a woman on seeing
him burst into tears He said to her: Good
woman, don't cry for me, but for yourself and
your children. 1 am better off than you are.'
Hh had no anxiety for the present or the fu-
ture. He once said to me: 81 am as happy
here as in the arms OF my Saviour, as an in
| FAINT child in the arms Of its mother" / think
he never had doubt that burning the church
and killing the woman were meritorious acts
in obedience to an express command from
| Heaven, and that his sins were thereby expia-
ted and forgiven.
He was so much an object of curiosity that
he had many visitors, from each of whom he
extracted two cents. We all stood outside
the iron door of his cell and saw and talked
with him through small, square hole near
the top. If, while conversing with one another
main there until the tribnte was paid I
| asked him why he charged that sum and never
more or less. He said that it was because that
was the smallest sum mentioned in the Scrip
| ture the widow cast into the treasury two
mites,-and he thought that if he charged
| only the smallest sum mentioned he was doing
right He learned to read while in prison,
but never saw any book in his cell except
Bible and prayer-book. He generally asked
his visitors il he should make prayer; If the
answer was in the affirmative, he would repeat
one of the prayers of the Episcopal church.
He was a large man, above the average height,
with broad shoulders and other indications of
| physical strength. In his countenance there
was nothing remarkable except his eyes, which
were very piercing. He wore gown or robe,
covering his shoulders and reaching to his an
kles He was cleanly and neat in his person,
and when he stood erect, with his long, abun-
dant beard resting upon his breast, his appear
ance was dignified and patriarchal. His cell
was not large, and was situated on the ground
floor near the entrance of the building. After
being in the gloomy cell many years, think
about twenty, he was on one occasion taken
| out. 1t was in order to measure him for some
new clothing. The jailor conducted him
through a covered way to his dwelling house. He
| was there met by q tailOress who at once pro-
| ceeded to take the necessary measurements.
While the was doing this, which was but short
time he stood perfectly still; when she turned
away, he walked to the middle of the room,
looked about, and said, 'This seems to me
|
he said' What large windows you havel'' 1t
was a small dining-room, with painted floor,
an ordinary table and few common chairs.
The windows were small. There were four OF
five men present besides myself; they made
some few remarks, but McCausland was silent.
He seemed excited, walked to and fro three or
four minutes, and then said, 81 will go back"
Mr.. Dillingham;, the jailor said to him: ''You
needn't be in a hurry, McCausland, sit down."
and offered him chair He said ''No, I'll go
back" and then of his own accord he returned
to his cell. Some years after this when was
attending court at Augusta, Mr.. Dillingham;
came to me and said "McCausland wants to
see YOU" 1 was much surprised, and went
forthwith to the Jail. AS soon as he learned 1
was there he put out his hand with some bank
bills in it, saying to me, Take this" l de-
clined, and asked him what he wanted. He
replied, "You are going to Washington soon,
and 1 want you to go and see General Jackson,
and get him to order them to pay me my PEN
sion'' Che had been soldier in the war Of the
Revolution0 he added: ''The country now
take my pension to pay for my board, but
think if they keep me here they ought to pay
my board" 1 told him that General jackson
could not help him, that the law directed how
l.: ,,;o, ,,cIo,, hol IL =