Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-10-18
MAN & STATE JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 49, 1882
The Case Of AlmOn Meaker.

Public interest in the cruel murder Of
little Alice Meaker, in Waterbury, in April
1880, is sharply revived by the full comics
sion of Almon Meaker, one Of the persons
now under sentence of death for participa.
ton in that crime. The confession is pub
lished in full in our Supplement. Beyond
the facts set forth in the confession, all Of
which appeared in the trial substantially as
narrated by the confessor, IL may not be out
OF place to add that in the trial before Wash
ington county court which came off at an ad
iourned session in November, 1880, Almon
Meaker pleaded guilty. It was generally
understood at the time that he took this
course to shield his mother who had also
been indicted for the murder of the little
girl. Mrs. Meaker was tried and convicted
The evidence not only of her guilt, but that
she was the dominating principal in the
murder, was overwhelming. Her case was
taken to the supreme court on exceptions,
which were overruled and sentence of death
pronounced. At the time of the trial before
the county court an effort was made TO in
duce Almon Meaker TO make clean breast
OF all he knew about the murder. No in
huences could move him. It was generally
believed that If he should open his lips he
would seal the doom of his mother and he
seemed to be immovable in his purpose to
go to the gallows with the hope of saving
her neck.
1t seems from all that had transpired
about the murder that, youth of weak
mind, he had been dominated by the over
mastering will Of h'r oort of an accomplioe
oompulsiOn acted uhe paic - on
=, me crime While his lack OF intelligence
anu inc evident unwilling part he lad borne
in the murder, it was thought, should save
him from the death penalty, there was no
alternative but to sentence him in accord
ance with his plea Of guilty to the charge Of
murder in the first degree and leave his case
to be finally dealt with by the legislature
There has been no change or disclosure in
his case till the appearance of the confession
which is published to-day. The confession
was made to Hon. w. H. H. Bingham, one Of
the directors of the state prison, with whom
Meaker, who had formerly lived in Stowe
on farm owned by Mr.. Bingham, was &C.
quainted. The story of the murder, of the
beastly treatment melted out to the child by
Mrs. Meaker before her brutal impulses had
ripened into murderous purpose, is entirely
consistent with the evidence given in the
trial. There is no room for doubt that
Almon Meaker has told the whole truth.
In the light of all the facts, there can
hardly be a question as to what action the
legislature should take on the bill intro
duced in the house on Tuesday of last week
by Mr.. Huntley of Duxbury, of which
town the Meakers were residents at the
time of the murder, for the commute
ton of the death sentence of Louis Almon
Meaker to imprisonment for life at hard
labor in the state prison. 1t is evident, so
far as the facts have come to light, that in
the commission of this crime Almon Meaker
acted entirely secondary part, and that his
dull moral sense and weaker will made him
the plant tool of the stronger mind and sa-
tanic purpose of his mother. STILL he is by
no means entirely irresponsible for his acts.
He had sufficient intelligence to compre-
bend, in measure, the nature of the deed
to which his mother impelled him, but he
lacked strength of will and clear moral per
ception to resist her purpose. Mother and
son are now under sentence of death for the
commission of this crime. As the relation
of these convicted persons to the crime in
which they jointly participated is now seen
and understood, it seems clear that substan-
tial justice will be done by the execution Of
the death sentence upon the principal GRIM
inal, and by committing to imprisonment for
life the sentence pronounced against Almon
Meaker
We believe that his case is 90 strongly
marked by exceptional circumstances that a
dangerous precedent would not be estab-
lished by the exercise of legislative Glenn
ency and that the communication would meet
the approval of an impartial public.