St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-11-26

| NOT i've Ill thlS immediate vicinity, we
would say that our Advent friends hold
their meeting at Paddock village, not
in Summerville.
Petition for the Pardon of Maurice
Bowen.
In December 1873, Maurice Bowen
of this place was convicted in the coun-
ty court of rape upon sixteen years
old girl and sentenced by Judge Ross
to the State prison for fifteen years.
During Governor Proctor's administra-
pardon, which the Governor declined
to grant. The present week Mrs. Bow
en- is again circulating petition for his
pardon, addressed to Governor Farm
ham. This petition is signed by nearly
all the lawyers of the town, and by
quite number of prominent business
men. 1t may not be out of place here
to give summary of the evidence on
which Bowen was convicted. We copy
from the Caledonian of Dec. IL, 1873:
The case of State against Maurice
Bowen which has been on trial before
the County Court the present week, has
been one of such interest and so much
importance to the well-beiDg of the
community at large, that brief resume
of the main facts in the case are worthy
of repetition here. In June, 1871, Maui
rice Bowen was taken in behalf of the
State for rape upon Harriet LongevOn,
domestic then living in his family.
Both pal ties lived at Paddock village
in this place. In his hearing before the
Justice court, bail was fixed at $4,000.
This was afterwards cut down by the
court to 81 600, and 0. S. Burke and S.
Randall went as bail, Mrs. Bowen con
veying her property located at Buffalo,
n. Y, over to them as security. AS
soon as Bowen was released on this
bail, two civil suits were brought
against Bowen, one by Miss LongevOn
for rape, and one by Miss Walcott for
attempt at rape. Bonds were furnished
in these two cases by the same bonds
men as in the state case. As soon as
released Bowen left the state, and when
the grand jury found bills against him
for the above crimes he was not present
for trial. Thus things remained until
the present fall when Bowen was ar
rested in the vicinity of Boston for a
similar crime. On learning that Bowen
was in the clutches of the law in Massa-
chusetts, the men who were on his bail
at this place went after him and secured
his transfer and gave him up to the
authorities here, aud this is his first
trial. the evidence In behalf of the
state was very strong, including the
testimony of the girl herself, her moth
er, Mrs. Rollins "a neighbOr,) who heard
her outcries and ran to her assistance.
Mr.. Rollins the police officer who arres-
ted Bowen, and DR.. Billiard who was
called to the girl the next day after the
assault. This evidence was all SO direct
and conclusive, that there was not a.
shadow of doubt in the case. The out
rage was most cOwardly and brutal,
without, one mitigating circumstance.
Besides other injuries, the medical tes-
timony showed that the girl was choked
so that the distinct marks of every
finger and the thumb was to be seen on
her neck twenty-six hours afterwards
one-half her chest was black and blue,
and by striking or kneeling on her
stomach she received injuries that re-
main to this day, two and a-half years
after the occurrence. The victim of
this outrage was a slight-built girl of
sixteen ; Bowen is an athletic man of
thirty years or more. The girl is of
French extraction, modest, well-appear
ing, and not breath of suspicion ever
uttered against her character. She
went through the ordeal of the witness
box with credit. 1t is enough to say of
the man that he is of VIGOROUSLY bad
character, and is considered by the of
ficers of the law as a dangerous man to
be at large. He has already been I'M
der arrest for three crimes of this kind,
and quite a number of other kinds. He
is well-appearing and intelligent, which
makes the case all the worse. The wife
of the accused is an illustration of wo-
mans nature the world over. No one
knows his brutality better, yet she fol-
lows him and clings to him, gives up
a large property which is in her own
name to bail him out of Jail, and is the
one person of all others in the court
room the most anxious to secure his
release,
We do not recall this case now be-
cause we wish any i'll to Maurice Bow
ou but when there Is persistent eff
fort to set man free who is under the
just condemnation of the law, and for
this kind of offence too, we think the
public should know it. Society should
be protected. Probably one prominent
signer to this last petition expressed
the sober SECOND thought of most of
them when he said II am sorry l
signed it if had stopped to think two
minutes should not have done it," 4
West Concord.
The sixth and last lecture of the
course will be Wednesday evening,
Dec. !, by Rev. j. E. Wright of Mont
pelier. Subject: "That Acrid Nepen-
the.r
Geo. N. Gilbert is very sick with
pneumonia.