Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-12-01

tue muruer OF her husbands halt-sister,
little Alice Meaker, closed yesterday. The
jury left the court room at a quarter past
8 and came in with verdict of guilty of
murder in the first degree at O'Clock.
The trial had lasted seven days. the testi-
mony being concluded Monday forenoon.
Mr.. Dillingham; for the state and Mr..
Palmer for the respondent occupied Mon
day afternoon'in argument, and Mr.. Heath
for the respondent and Mr.. Plumley for The
state took the most Of Tuesdays sessions.
Judge Redfield closed his clear charge at
6 O'Clock last evening.
Saturday Mrs. Meaker testified and as
all questions had to be written because of
her deafness, she was long while on THE
stand. She was born in Barre in june,
1888 and was married in Plain6eld in
1857. The life of the family had evlden thy
been one of good deal of moving md
attendant hard work in struggling for IA
living. The condemned woman evidently
has not come to the foot of the gallo VS.
because her hands have been Idle.
And it is herein the want of motive -
that the strangeness of the tragedy begirls.
Alice, slight girl of ten years, had liv ed
in the Meaker family year, when siae
was murdered. She was not favorite
with Mrs. Meaker who treated her harshly
and who did not allow her to play with
the children of the neighbors. The little
girl never accepted invitations of other
children to come and play but was some.
times seen standing by the window-he.
tween that and the watching
their games.
But FROM, whatever motive-none could
have been adequate the deed Was done
The little girl was taken on the evening of
April 23d to the village of Waterbury by
the mother and son who now lie convict ed
in Montpelier Jail; Almon bought the
strychnne and hired team, and the pair
set off With their victim. That they SIC
Iected a poison which leaves the brain
OlChl "hilC dSOuN 10 uut
more probably to ignorance than design.
But they did not relent when they saw
this agony-from the time when Charles
Thompson saw the little girl throwing up
her hands when the poison was first ad-
ministered at the Henry hill-all through
the ride up Little river, when the Civ
called mother" in the bridge-till they
stopped by the side of the road where a
big rock overhangs the stream and waited
till death came, there was the continuing
of murderous will, aud there was No
turning back from the nhuman deed.
The business like burial of the body in
the muck swamp and the return home
followed. Then, three days after the boy
Almon weakened and confessed and it
came true again that murder will olt.'
Frank Atherton's night ride with Almon
and the recovery of the body followed
rhe preliminary examination brought out
substantially all the facts of Importance
that appeared on the trial during the past
week except one. This was that Mrs.
Pickett saw Mrs. Meaker with Almon ami
Alice in Waterbury village on the fata
evening.
When the main trial came on and Al
mon plead guilty it shut out his confession
made to Atherton, and so Mrs. Meakei
claimed to have been at home all the eve
ming. Mrs. Pickett's testimony supple,
the necessary "missing link Of idenlifi.
cation of the woman in the buggy. 1t was
fatal to the defence.
The stranger conduct of Mrs. Meaker
in JAIL her setting fire to the building Il
few weeks ago, and her note written 10
her daughter last evening, in which sht
asked for powder and matches, are not ex
plainabe any more than her great crime
wherein she not only killed a friendlesl
child, but also involved her own son in IA
deed that brings them both to the gallows
| tree.
Some of her follies are so strange as t.
seem - 10 UlduHeSS near tllied, Dup HoA
conduct on the stand showed her to bN
sane by all rules ordinarily applied.
The verdict was one expected by thost
who knew of the testimony, and though i
condemns II woman to the gallows it does
so after fair trial in which her oounse
ably used everything that could go to cast
a reasonable debut on her connection
with the horrible crime. In fact the terri
BILE cruelty of the crime was the mos
potent defence that Mrs. Meaker had
That it did not avail against the chain o
circumstances that bound her TO hel
crime is not to be wondered at.