San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-02-21
The Punishment Of q Vermont Muir.
derer.

ADTOUOS VI lilo CulIChv oioCuoSioh VI
the abolition Of capital punishment,
Vermont had in the last generation a
case which may have some bearings on
this matter, and which was in all re-
spects a most remarkable one-being,
indeed, almost without parallel in
the annals of crime. Eugene Clifford.
more than forty years ago, murdered
his wife and child by drowning them In
Fairfield pond. He was deserter from
the British army, and had gone to Fair
field, a little village of Franklin County,
where he married Mrs. Elizabeth Gil
more, widow, who owned small
farm. After few years of married
life, he became infatuated with another
woman, whom he thought he could
marry were his wife out of the way.
He also thought that he would inherit
the farm and the 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 murder them
He invited his wife one Sunday morn.
ing to cross Fairfield pond with him in
log canoe, and she accepted the invita-
ton, taking the child in her arms. In
an hour or two Clifford returned alone,
and notified the ncighbors that bis
wife, while adjusting 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 suspicion that Clifford
had murdered his wife and child, and
an intense excitement pervaded the
neighborhood. On given day the
people came together from miles
around, and thorough search was
made Of every foot of the shore OF the
pond, but no trace of the missing
shawls could be found. And now comes
one of the extraordinary facts of the
case. On the night of that day neigh
Dor, one Mrs. Marvin, dreamed that
she started out to look for the shawls.
She dreamed that she crossed a field in
front of her house, climbed fence
across which large hemlock tree had
fallen, walked few yards on The trunk
of the tree, and thence to dense
growth of underbrush, near the shore Of
the pond, and there, In shallow hole
in the sand, and partially covered, she
found the shawls. Mrs. Marvin told her
dream to her husband, but he thought
little of 1t. She. however, persuaded a
neighbor 70 accompany her, and,
though she had never before been over
tie ground, she found everything pre-
cisely as in her dream, and discovered
the shawls in the exact place she had
seen In her vision.
With the evidence thus furnished, and
much other Of damaging kind, Cliff
ford, on trial, was convicted, and he
was sentenced to be hanged on the ex-
piration of one year from his sentence,
April q, lS43. in the meantime to be
kept In solitary confinement in the State
Prison at Windsor. As the law then
stood, the Governors warrant was a
prerequisite for the execution of con-
demned prisoner, and the then Govern
or, from conscientious motive which
appears somewhat strained, refused to
issue his warrant for Clifford's execu-
ton; and the next Governor followed
his predecessors example. In the
meantime, in his solitary cell, Clifford
decayed in body and mind, and suffered
both an intellectual and physical death.
For few months. while admitting his
guilt, he claimed that his act was justi-
fable, and he endeavored to get some
influence from abroad used in his behalf.
At the end OF the time originally
set for his execution, he began to
have spasms Of insane raving, when
he was 50 noisy. abusive and violent
that Il was found necessary to chain
him. Then be was seized with the no
ton that he was unlawfully and unjust
" detained. and this idea would lead
him into fits Of violence and insane rage.
Next succeeded q wish TO be hung; and
the unhappy man cOnfided 20 the prison
physician letter 70 the Governor, IN
which be implored him 10 order his ex-
ecuiion. He then attempted 20 starve
himself to death, but The attempt was
prevented BY the prison officials. Final
w his mind gave way completely. and
for many months he cOuld not be per
suaied 10 utter = word. and 81 length.
after c0nfpemeni q almosf prec sly
four YEAR. death came 20 he rrlief
And an examination Of Is tody showed
Tire same pathological condition - in
Wild animals that de n their cages aft
81 q ioug co1fDeDeni-
Such q the theorv q this tnos. re-
rrHrkzbie czss-a sfoTy which doe naf
rssr upon Ders frz.ii 'o-i. bat upon an
fi.erfic docuDsuts IN ercTy cetsil.-
Darlington (PL) Cor bosioE -1euerslscr.