Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-19

One Ofihe Most Remarkable Criminal
Gases ON Record.

Apropos of the current discussion of the
abolition of capital punishment, Vermont
hail in the last generation a case which may
have some bearing on the matter, and which
was in all respects n most remarkable one,-
being, indeed, almost without parallel in the
annals of crime. Eugene Clifford, more
than forty years ago, murdered his wife and
infant child by drowning them in n Fairfield
pond. lie was a descrter from the British
army, and had gone to Fairfield, little
village of franklin county, where he married
Mrs. Elizabeth Gilmore, widow, who
owned small farm. After few years of
married life he became infatuated witt
another woman, whom he thought he could
marry were his wife out of the way. lie also
thought that he would Inherit the farm and
other property if he survived his wife and
child. So, led on by the tremendous forces
of avarice and lust, he laid his plans to muir
der them. He invited his wife, one Sunday
morning, to cross Fairfield pond with him in
a log canoe, and she accepted the invitation,
taking the child in her arms In an hour or
two Clifford returned alone, and notified the
neighbors that his wife, while adjusting II
shawl around the child, had fallen from the
boat and both had been drowned. The next
day the bodies were recovered, but the
shawls which it was known they had worn,
and which were of considerable value, could
not be found This strengthened the suspic-
son that Clifford had murdered his wife and
child. and an intense excitement pcrvaded
the neighborhood. Onagven time the people
came together from miles around and n
thorough search was made Of every f))t
the shore Of the pond but no trace OF the
missing shaws could be found. Aud now
comes one of the extraordinary facts OF the
case Ga the night Of that day, neghbor,
one Mrs. Marvin, dreamed that she started
out TO look for the shaws. She dreamed
tnat she crJsscl a field IN front Gt her house,
cIned IA fence across which large h.mlock
| Tree had fallen, walked II few yards ON thr
tiunk OF the tree, AMI thence to drusc
growth Of underbrush near The shore Of the
pond; and there, in n shallow hole in the
saud and partly covered she found the
shaws. In llm mornng Mrs. Marvin told
her dream to Lcr husbani, lnlt lie though,
little oi il. Sh". however, PERSUADE
neghbor to accompany her, ANA though she
had never before been over tue Erouad, she
found everything precisely us in her dlcanl'
and discovered the sbawls in the cXacl place
she had seen in her vision.
With the evidence thus furnished, ard
much other of u damaging kind, Clifford, on
trial, was convicted, anu was sentenced t.
be hanged on the expiration oi one year iron
his sentence, April 81, lS43, in the mean
lime to be kept in solitary confinement in tn
State prison at Windsor, AS the law ther
stood the governors warrant was pre-
requisite for the execution Of condemnet
prisoner, and the then governor, from ,
CONSCIENTIOUS motive which appsLrs some
"A ,t1 rut,
for Ciiiro DIS execution; and the next gov
ernor followed his predecessors example
In the meantime, in his solitary cell, Cllifor'
decaved in body aud mind, and suffered boti
nm intellectual and PHI, sical death. For
few months, while admitting his guilt, h
claimed that his act was justiiable, and b
endeavorrd. to get some influence Iron
} abroad used in his behalf. AT tue end OF th
time originally set for his execution hebega
: to have spusms of insane rayiug, when h
was so noisy, abusive aud violent that it wa
found necessary to chain him. Then he wa
, seized with the notion that lie WAS unjusll
= and unlawfully detained, and this ide
would lead him into fits OF violence and IL
u sane rage. Next succeeded wish to L
hung aud the unhappy mau Conildtd 10 tn
prison physician letter to the governor, i
which he implored lin to order his cXect
ton. He thcn attempted to s,arvc hlmse
y to death, but the attempt WIS prevented b
the prison officials. Finally his mind gay
a way completely, and for many months i
# could not be persuaded to uIt,r a word, an
Il at length, after n confinement Of almo
precisely four yeats, deah came to hi
=. relief. And an examination OF his bod
), showed the same pathological condition /
, in wild animals tina, die IN their cages ufl'
4 long confinement.
- /. 4.
u u case-a story which does not rest on me
! tradition, but upon authentic documents
Il every detail.