Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-04-13
THE GRISW0LD MURDER.
A FAMOUS CASE OF TWENTY-THReE
YEARS AGO.
Review of the Crime, Trial and Cow icti q n
and Execution of the Murderer.-Many
Attendant circumstances still
Unexplained.

in progress in the County Court, calls to
mind one of the most celebrated tragedies
in the criminal annals of our State-the
murder of the wife of MIR. Griswold
The case was remarkable one, not only
for the diabolical cunning with which the
plans of the conspirators were laid, but
for the rare detective skill of the officer
who arrested the murderer, aud for the
hardihood displayed by the hired assassin
who finally expiated his crime on the gal
lows without impiicating those who had
without doubt hired him to commit the
crime.
Mrs. Ephraim Griswold, the victim of
the murder, was woman Of strong char
acter. Going to California at the time Of
the gold fever she had there amassed over
$4,000 III keeping hotel or boarding
house. Returning east she had erected
the house where she was living at the
time OF the murder. The crime was co.i.
mtted Sunday u.ght, August q, 1869. At
this time the family consisted Of Mr.. aud
Mrs. Grlswold aud boy l3 years OLD
An adopted dan Inter aud her husband, ,
Charles Potter q somewhat notorious
character, who had been hotel keeper
just across the Canadian line, had been
making this their home for the gre8 ~
part Of the summer. Because of tn di-.
solute and speudthritt habits Of Potter
there had been Ur"H rOublV between BIN
and Mrs. Girls wolf I'D it was virtual V
understood that sle mad ordered him 20
leave.
On the morning preceding the tragedy
Challes Potter aud his vile, Mr.. GrIs
| void and CLARK Potter, a brother Of
Charles, started Tor Canada, spending the
nignt AT Sheldon. Mrs. Grlswold and the
boy were lett alone. Monday mprnu4.
Morris Sullivan, TIE nearest neghhor,
went to the GriswO.d place on an errand,
and was called to by the boy to let HIM
ont of his sleeping room over the WOud
shed where Ii had been fd-teLel il.
| Blood was noticed on the door step AID in
| the house there was evidence OF y terrible
| struggle On further search the dead
! body OF Mrs. Gtlswuld was found wrapped
| in blanket, IN calf pen near the barn,
| Death resulted from deep cut in the
throat severink the iugular vein. There
were also several other cuts and stahS
| about the neck and one upon the chm
extending from the lips downward, and
the skull WAS fractured by a blow from
some blunt Instrument Bruises upon
| the arms and chest furnished other
marks of desperate struggle. Mr.. Girls
void and the Potters returned home
| Tuesday. having learned of the murder
|
men Of the town of WIlliston offered a
ward OF $500 for the arrest and conviction
of the murderer or murderers, and Mr.
| Griswold an additional reward of 800.
| The only clew left on the premises Dy the
murderer was i Surgeons scalpel with
J which the cuts on the WOmanS taCe aud
| throat had apparently been made There
were appearances teudn., to show that
| the deed was done by some one lolerably
familiar with the house Durin. the
week prect DIM the murder IA stranger
came by train To Williston to see E1ac.e-
Potter who was then at the GII,woli
place and spent several hours there un-
der the pretenCa OF buying n horse. Sat
| urday the same man went te Essex Juuc-
ton, stopping at the hOtel where he bad
"a room On Sunday when Potter passed
through Oh his way t. Canada the two
were seen in conversation. They wer-
also seen together saturday at Winou 'ki
where they met by appointment.
The succeeding Monday, George w.
Kelley OF this city. who was then AN TX
press messenger between this city and
| New Yolk, was asked ny n stranger at the
Rutland railroad depot in this city If h.
could ride down me road with him, and
| as he claimed To ne an intimate freud OF
several OF the express boys" Mr.. Kelley
finally allowed him to do so. There were
some blood spots on his clothing ana to
account for his appearance he tod = story
With only the dc. crlption of this man,
which was obtained part ally from one
and partially from another, n Il. FliuH-
| gan OF burlington went to New York,
and after q long search finally became
satisfied that he had found his mau.
DIGGING his footsteps Flanagan found
that he WAS going back To Vermont, on
some errHnd, and ne accompanied him on
the same train. Tnere We're m any ,u~plc-
ious clrculus tances connected with the
trip hack. The man would ride 90 toe car
platform and when n station was reached
| would step of seeking TO avoid beluA
noticed, but with contrary effect, Thu
course rendering him the more noticeable
| At last when WlnoOskl was reached De
tectlve Flanagan arrested the man. rms
was John Ward alias jerome Lavigne. He
was arrested for the murder, in the evening
OF Scptember20 nearly fonr weeks after the
crime was committed. The next day or tive
| Chal les Potter was arrested for compile
ity in the crime The preliminary eX
animation soon followed aud both meI
were held for trial The Case came to'tria
in the County Court, April o 1866, hefOr,
Ron. John Plerpoint, Chief Justice, vii
liam Y. Reynolds and Stafford Colby, assist
aut judges States Attorney Il. Is Eng!esby
and h. Il. III ard, Esq, appeared tor the
State, and Daniel Rpperis, jeremiah
French aud Henry Ballard, Esqs., foe tht
respondents.
The jury was as follows: Dean Hos
ford, foreman. NJ. n II ,sford Francis Il
Gale, Joseph Bean, William Sanderson
Christian Van Welt, Simeon NJ Mead, H.
man Sprague, George Allen, f. G. Wilcox
Truman Fay, David b. Thompson. The CAS-
was one of the hardest fought cases eve
tried in the county, aud the trial lasted near
ly week The man point relied upon b!
the defense was an attempt TO prove nj
alibi, by showing that Ward was IN New
, York on the Saturday preceding and th'
Monday succeeding the murder, TIT
jury, however. found Ward guilty of mur
der aud acquitted Potter for want OF co
of actual completely on his part, He was
however held, on turee charges Of cOun
tefteting, aud gave bail liz 500 on eaci
count
The case of Ward was taken to the Su
preme Court on exceptions aud was neart
at the January term in 1867 The ludg
ment OF the lower court was ain an'
] he was sentenced To be hun. March q
L. 1868
70 He made strenuous efforts to save hi
t neck, but was unsuccessful aud the sen
teuce was carried out. He made tire
separate and distinct confessions, eacl
fl,a h..-- a ~