Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-04-30
ANOTHER VERMONT TRAGEDY.

ARREST OF TIE GUILTY PAETIEs.
MATERNITY, VT, April 2I-This vicinity
is greatly excited, to-day, oyer mysterious
and dreadful tragedy, which is not yet I'M
ravelled ard the circumstances of which still
rest in obscurity. The facts in the case, as
far as can be asccrtaincd, are as follows
The victim of the tragedy is one Alice
Mecker, twelve year old girl, who for some
time past has been living in Duxbury, with
her uncle, Samuel Mccker On Saturday
last she suddenly disappeared. After she
had been absent from the house for some
time her uncle asked his wife about her,
and was answered, 'Oh, she has stepped
out somewhere" At length the attention
of the neighbors was directed to the girls
absence. and they finally asked the Meekers
that search be made for her. The request,
however, was refused, though the Meekers
gave no reasonable excuse for her non-ap-
pearancc. This, coupled with other srspi-
cious circumstances, thoroughly aroused the
neighborhood and the conclusion was at once
reached that Alice Meeker had been foully
dealt with. A close watch was kept upon
the Meekers and finally, as a result of the
suspicious and clues, Almon Meckcr, a TWEEN
ty-year-old son of Samuel Meeker and his
wife, was arrested Monday night, on the ac-
cusation of being concerned in the girls
mysterious disappearance. Young Meeker
was completely Frustrated by his arrest on
the terrible charge and made full confess
sion.
HOW THE GIII WAS MURDERED.
The substance of the confession is that last
Friday night at about o'clock he and his
mother took Alice Meeker in a team, drove
to a distance of about two miles from their
dwelling. and there gave her strychnine in a
dippcr of swcetened water They then drove
about three miles further on The poison
at once began its fatal work and the unfor-
tunate young girl was soon in the agonirs of
death. At the end of the three miles mother
and son were the only living occupants of the
team, the poor girl having breathed her last.
The guilty couple then stopped, took the
lifeless body and buried it in the dark re-
cesses of a swamp near by.
Accompanied by an officer, young Meeker
went to the scene OF the dreadful tragedy
and pointed out the spot where the remains
of the girl had been buried. Search was at
once made and the body found. There was
no appearance of violence and everything
thus far attests the truth of the young mans
story. In order to shed further light upon
the shocking affair the stomach has been sent
away for analysis. Mrs. Meeker and her son
have been imprisoned.
rpr yrpnrprrs ,pp,cxrn--rur c,sr cox.
T,xrrnw,y ATTrwpT To Iyycu Tur
cpryIy,Is
wy ". ,.,,- Al, Nj,
EHh'ha' VI Apri -Aiiiion 'ieeA-
or and his mother, Lucy Meeker, were ar
raigned before Justice this afternoon on the
g. IS -ao- ,,;.o >,o.,.. Tho,,
p'e"'e' no' S""', "". '"e was '0n
tinued until MONDAY, May loth- Aimon
Meeker has now modified his confession and
SAYS that his mother was not with him when
a., !, tn, ..,.;a,, o.,
'"' s"i was N''ie'' ''N''s Ill INT 'i'''''l'''.'s
Upon himself. Mrs. Meeker ON her part de-
MES all knowledge Of The tragedy. The eX-
citemcnt has increased hourly and is now in
tense The Infatuated mob threatened to
lynch the Meekers and they have been kept
under n strong guard. No event of recent
wears has so wrought up our people and
nothing else is thought of or talked of. the
current of The popular feeling running strong
" against the accused PARTIES.
Almon Mceker saws that the reason of the
girls murder vas that she was cross and they
wanted to get her out of the way. The
strychnine was purchased at Carpenters drug
store, in Waterbury, and the fatal Journey
with the doomed girl was from the house of
the Meekers toward the valley of the river.
Going up the hill, at lIcnry's. the poison was
administered and the girl died when they
I'ai soi'r apout ohe huh''ieu ious iiV s mat
her month and Hurled her in the swamp.
The affair is now being thoroughly inves-
llsatec ana audiliohai de''ihs VIII De iorth-
y. ,ao NIL,
er's father died two wears MOO and She and a
brother. seven years old, were paupers in the
town oil Charlotte; The town gaveio samuel
- 5nu M M ,ai' u, ~ ~. o,,;,dran
samuel Meeker is about As and his wife 40.
Alice had been let 10 service to farmer to
,re ne%bbors made innu;r;es and Mrs. Week-
er told them that ''she had got out of her
window at night and ran away They
ASKED II search shoulu MOI oe maui anu Al
search for her" ON Monday The neiobbors
got excited. and Monday night Almon was
arrested, and made his confession The
oou. y, -nt "ii'n as iUi"u ~ 'ie ann
Samuel, who is quite deaf, knew nothing of
the crime. Almon is u harmless appearing
young man not over bright. He said Don't
cry, mother: no use crying for split milk !;
trust in God, mother"
,,,.-
'oAh AD''' i0NA'-
ii. c. Meekcr, uncle of the unfortunate
Alice MeeLer is a farmer in n small way. liy-
;.a :. Drvbrrr .hor, m;le and half
ins Il" "''u' -'iN
from Waterbury, and, though poor, mas
heretofore borne good character He is a
,,o, o,o,, FORTY, five and his f,m;lv consists
:.
OF MS WIFE, woman aoout ioi'y years vi
age, and his son, Lewis A. Meeker' young
man about twenty. Young Meeker is de-
lad, ,,,,o u,oS h;o Sunday scbool
10y i.
teacher se'erai years "So 10 d no' 'eiy ois
boy but orderly and apparently well-inten-
toned II C. Me,ker had received the
,....so ,,,,;ooa
amount Vi money he'e'oioie "''u,''N'
(S4OO) for the care OF the children until such
time as they could care for themselves, and
he could have had no reason for Kidding him
~ -, - o.;,a cove 20 ra,;ava him
SCH VI '"ei y '''', y.
self OF their care anu the triiiing expense
they might be to him. Those who live near
the Meekers say the children have been
shamefully abused by their guardians. Very
many times has Alice been whipped very Sc
vcrely by Mrs Meeker, and this abuse has
been frequently spoken of by the good peo-
pie and gossips of the town.
After the disappearance the elder Meek
er stated that Alice had left her home
on Thursday night for the purpose of
visiting her mother in Charlotte.
This story, which was told in the most
straightforward manner possible, allayed all
suspicious. and the authorities, who had be-
gan TO move in the matter, were satisfied that
everything was straight and proper But on
Monday the gossip was again renewed, and