Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-06-19
Tatfs aud Sketfhfs.
cop,inued from yesterday.

i Continued from yesterday
/ He took a hoe from Joseph Bemis, from
Kinsey's currier shop calf skin. he broke
into Inc larder of Carroll's Tavern where
Mr. Cotter now lives and drank as much
wine as he could. At Capt. Upham' >
Tavern he waited until the dancing was
in full blast and took six cakes and some
cheese. From Leonard & Kinley's he
pnr,niued a leather band, which carried
some par of the machinery hid it in bis
] nasom and made belly band for his
masters horse.
I At The time ofthe murder. Jacks master
/ resided in the house near Aunt kaiy's
Brook. which he erected from the timbers
If the "Oid English Church = and it was
afterward remembered that while the pro-
cession. bearing with them The unfortu
nate girl TO her final resting place. was
passing Mr. Blackman's house. JACK was
i observed leaning on the fence in front OF
the house viewing the funeral cortege. to
all appearances with the utmost lndiHer-
ence.
On Thursday, the day of the murder
Jack had been sent by his master to hoe
corn in a field which belonged to Mr..
Blackman, near the scene OF the awful
occurrence. Another iaborer was also
hoeing 10 an adjoining field and whenever
they came near enough they conversed
together. At about seven O'Clock Jack
was seen to leave his work. and giving
some paltry excuse to go in the direction
of the lane leading to the Talbot farm
house. No consequence was attached to
this incident at the time, and it was only
afterwards that it was considered as a
| link in the chain of circumstantlal evil
dence with which Jack was surrounded.
| On Sunday night, July 1, as we have
before stated, Jack left the house OF his
employer and under cover of night, start
ed with the intention of walking to Prov
idence; then TO New York: where it was
probably his intention to 60 aboard some
vessel, and so out of the country. The
first nigh. he passed in the woods in
Sharon. The next day he resumed his
march. and stopped at farm house in
search of food. The owner asked him
several searching questions and finally
ended by telling him that he believed him
to be the Canton murderer. On another
| occasion Jack overheard conversation as
he was passing along the street, in which
| his own name was distinctly audible. One
entire day be passed in swamp fearing
| to show himself on the public highway,
On the fourth of July he approached
Taunton, and heard at distance the salvos
of artillery that ushered in that day.
Guided by the noise, he approached ''the
Green" and procuring some refreshment
returned to the woods. Hungry and
thoroughly exhausted he found himself
in Atteboro, and in that town, near Bal
CONS Tavern, was overtaken and cap
tured.
Up to the time of Jacks leaving Can
ton in the night no suspicion bad been at
tached to him; but as soon as it was
known that he had gone, he was
considered as guilty as though he had
already been tried. Measures were at
once taken to capture him. The people
of the town divided into parties. and trav-
eled in al directions. Mr. Jesse Daven-
port, near neighbor of the Talbots.
drove directly into Boston, and spent
Monday and Tuesday in walking through
the streets visiting the wharves and ship
ping. Mr.. Leban Lewis rode to Slough
ton Corner. Bridgewater, Randolph,
Braintree. and Milton. Others went to
| Dedham and the towns to the westward.
The successful party went in the direcs
ton of Providence and on the 9th of July,
captured the object of their search. Bat
tus had his preliminary examination be-
tore Squire Elijah Crane on the 9TH of
July at Carols Tavern and was then
taken to Dedham Jail by Sheriff Quque
Kollock having confessed the crime.
On the 25th of Sept. he was tried at
Dedham. To the indictment he plead
Guilty" A motion was made by James
Sullivan. Esq. the Attorney General. that
sentence of death be passed On HIN and
the Chief Justice, after solemn, affecting
and impressive address, ordered that he
be taken to the gaol from whence he
came, and from thence to the place of ex.
ecution, and there be hanged by the NECK
until he be dead" And added, "may the
God Almighty have mercy on your soul"
Previous to the execution while con-
fined in Jail, he sent to the Rev. Zachariah
Howard. who had visited him number of
times. and tried to comfort him with ghost
~ advice, the following note -
| John Battus desires an interest in your
public and private prayers, that God
would be mercifully pleased to give him
to see his sins, and enlighten his under
standing. and prepare him tor the APP
preaching hour of death; and afterwards
receive his never dying soul to those
bright and blessed mansions where Christ
has gone to prepare place tor all those
who love and serve him.
On the eighth of November, after a
prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Grafton, of Newton,
the prisoner assembled the scaffold. erected
on the great common in Dedham, shook
hands with fellow prisoner, bowed to the
assembled multitude, aud was launched
into eternity. He was buried as was the
custom. temporarily beneath the gallows.
Jack sold his body to surgeon, DR..
Miller of Franklin; but after the execu-
ton, parties from Canton bid claim to it,
and in endeavoring to enforce their claim
the contending parties swayed back and
forth over the coffin, creating most scan
dalous scene. A fight was only prevented
by some persons offering to treat the
crowd.
A broadside signed IAN EngIishman
living in Canton soon afterward appear
ed. containing three poems-The irag-
eiy The Sentence and An Innovation J.,