Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-05-05
The Murder Of Alice Meaker.

Nothing Of special Importance can be added to
the details Of this tragical affair as given last
week The father and sister Of the murderer
were before Justice Fullerton Mt Waterbury on
Friday, and their testimony was taken ms pre-
cautionary measure. Mr.. Meaker testified that
he went to bed at eight o cloc on the night Of the
murder, and slept soundly till the next morning,
Nellie, the sister, who had been at work in Barre
for several weeks, came home on Saturday night,
and was ignorant OF the actual fate of Alice, ac-
cepting IA true the explanations Of her disappear
ance given by her mother. This examination,
and the general belief Of the community, relieves
both the father and daughter from all suspicion
Of completely in the murder, or Of any knowledge
Of 1t. Nellie Meaker is n young lady about
twenty-one years Of age. She is of prepossessing
personal appearance and sustains n good reputa-
tation among the most respectable people Of
Barre, Waterbury and Duxbury, who, with I'M
varying unanimity, speak warmly in her praise.
Miss Meaker is overwhelmed by the terrible
calamity that has overtaken her family, and
should have in a generous measure the active
sympathy and support Of the public at a time
when her life Is darkly overloaded. The
mother and son areconfined in separate cells. The
HotHti HiottSNH HtI lhHbtthtt VI any
ton in the crime, but the main points Of the boy
confession, which directly implicate her, II in
deed she is not the active agent in securing the
commission OF the murder, remain unchanged,
They are strengthened by the evidence of Charles
Thompson, who lives about a mile below Water
bury, and whom the Meakers passed short dis
lance below the old location OF the reform school
on the night of the murder. Mr.. Thompson was
returning home on foot, and as the vehicle passed
him he recognized Almon Meaker, and observed
that there was n woman and child with him.
When Mr.. Thompson arrived at the top OF the
hill, about half a mile beyond the point where
the buggy passed him. he observed the vehicle
standing still not far in front OF him. but II mme-
diatey moved on. It was during this halt tina,
the strychnne was mixed and given to the girl
Mr. Thompson judges that this was about half
past nine o'clock. 1t intensifes ones horror Of
the crime and detestation OF the cold cruelty Of
the murderers, to know that the cup in which the
infamous draught was pressed to her lips was til,
child's own china mug, the gift of her mother
and bearing on it in gilt letters motto of ma
ternal affection Following the murderer's di
rections, given in a supplemental confession OIL
Thursday, Sheriff Anterior found the mug in tn,
house Of the Meakers The bottle which con
tanned the sweetened water was thrown into
brook which crosses the road near their house, oil
their return at three o'clock in the morning.
is Just one year ago to-day that the children wer
delivered to Mr.. Meaker at Waterbury depot b,
the overseer Of the poor for the town of Charlotte
On that occasion Mr.. Meaker signed the BON
customary in such transactions, and receive
from the overseer fifty dollars for the keeping Q
the children The motive for getting rid Of til
child in any money consideration does not seer
| to exist Why it should have been thought neces
sary to murder her when there were other way
of disposing of her not only simpler than the on
chosen but free from criminality, il very hard t
reconcile with the reason given for getting rid {
| her-that she was cross and hard to get alon
with, and that Mrs. Meaker had come to hate tn
child with such malignity that she could not Ell
dure her presence. The cool Implying deliberi
ton that marked all their proceedings would seer
to indicate familiarity with such work, and it
darky intmated that another child has disal
peared from this family when they lived in a !,
cality much more favorable to the commisso
and concealment Of crime than that in whic
they have recently lived.