Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-17


Knocked him down stairs, and then he ran
for help, he talking all the time in the
most rambling manner. Iatro had on
nothing but shirt, which was torn and
bloody, and his hands and legs were al
covered with blood. An inquest was held
over the body, and the evidence was 50
convincing that the jury were but II mo
ment in coming to the conclusion that Ed
ward Tatro wus the murderer, and he was
Immediately arrested and taken to s,
Alhans Jail, where, in Il few days, he Sent
for his mother, and to her made the fol
lowing confession. which we are crcdibly
Informal is correct, although he modified
it somewhat a few days afterwards, thu
relieving it of some of the improbable
features:
THE CONFESSION.
| cut the hole in the wall; | think that
was the day before the murder; dug the
hole with the shears the day after the boy
Willie Fortune left. On the evening of
the murder, about quarter of 0, Mrs.
Butler was lying on the bed down stairs.
| went in there and sat down in chair
near the bed; felt sick ut my stomach.
probably from the effects of some liquor
had previously drank, and she got up and
prepared me some saleratus and water;
went up stairs and took the saleratus and
water; | went to my room and turned
down the quilts to my bed, but did not
take off my pants. Mrs. Butler came up
stairs and went to her room; | heard her
when she came up. Then | went in there
and found her sitting on the side OF the
bed. We talked Il few minutes and | sat
down by the side of her and pulled her
over back on the bed. She jumped up
and ran out into the other room. Mean
ing the large unoccupied room where the
first struggle took place. She picked up
Il chair lnat was near the stove and threw
it at me. | threw the chair back at her
and she threw it at me again. Then |
took it and struck her and knocked her
down; | broke the chair all to pieces
there; | don't remember of hitting her
but once; it was dark; must have broken
the chair upon the floor. She got up and
went to the head of the stairs. There we
had a hard tussle, and both struggled
along down stairs. In the dinsng room
she got up and ran through the kitchen
into the wood shed and got the AK. |
stood by the kitchen stove. | told her to
behave herself and l would She threw
the AK at me. threw it back near the
water pail, where she stood. She threw it
at me again. left it there where it fell.
She ran TO the wood box and got stick of
wood and threw it ut me, 1t hit me in
the palm Of my hand as raised it TO ward
off the blow, then struck me over the eye.
| picked up the stick and struck her with
it and knocked her down. | picked up
the AK and went for her and struck
her with it. | then went and got the
gun, which was in the kitchen stair
way, and laid it on the floor near the front
door. | did that for II blind. The gun
was not used at all. then went through
the front door and ran over to Mr.. For
tunes.
In answer to questions Tatro stated: |
did not hear Charlie coming when | went
out; didn't hear any one. | did not mean
TO kill the poor woman when struck her
with the AK.
At the trial he pleaded not guilty, on
the ground that he was 50 full of liquor
that he did not know what he was about,
and that he had no remembrance of com
hitting the deed He had IL fair and i'm
partial trial, and was ably defended; but
the evidence was 50 convincing that the
jury brought in verdict of murder in the
first degree. His counsel took exceptions,
and they were fully considered, but Judge
Redtield overruled all the objections
brought, and in january, 1873, he was
sentenced in the following words:
-
TIE sENrENCE.
uTb,t van E1y,rd r,tro ho ho.,
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