Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-07
THE STORIES OF CRIMES.
Remarkable Occurrence Connected
With Criminal Actions a Hundred
or More Years Ago.
The Body of a Murdered Woman
Evinces Great Agitation in the
Presence of Her Muderers.

Law reports of the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries contain numerous refer
ences to supernatural occurrences in the
court and ON the scaffold says the St. Louis
Globe Democrat. One Of the most remark
able records of this kind is connected with
a murder trial which took place in Eng
Ian d early in the reign of the first Charles.
Sir John Maynard, one of the first lawyers
of the century, is authority for the super
natural events of the trial, and in his
quaint preface to his notes he says he
thought good to report the evidence
which was given, which many did hear,
that the memory thereof might not be lost
by miscarriage of papers otherwise One
Johan Norkett, farmer wife, had died,
and at the coroners quest evidence was
given proving that the women's throat
had been cut from ear to ear. At first they
favored verdict of felo de Sc, and the body
was inferred. But rumors became general
pointing to foul play, and the body was ex-
humed. Thirty days after the death the
jury assembled before the body, and four
suspected persons were brought in. The
only evidence against the prisoners was
that they had slept in an adjoining room,
and that no one had passed through that
room. Therefore, if she did not murder
herself they must be the murderers. y
What took place at the remarkable post
norton inquiry may best be described in
the words of witness at subsequent trial
who was described as IAN ancient and
grave person, minister to the parish where
this murder was committed. - The estim-
able gentleman said: ''They (the prisoners
did touch the dead body, whereupon the
brow of the dead, which was before livid
color, began to have dew of gentle sweat
arise upon it, which increased by degrees
till the sweat ran down In drops upon the
face, the brow turned and changed into a
lively color, and the dead opened and shut
one of her eyes and shut it again, which
she did three several times. She likewise
thrust out the ring or marriage finger
three times and pulled it In again and the
finger dropped blood on the ground
Naturally enough such remarkable evil
dence as this was received with some sus-
piciOn by the court, although the witness,
to again quote Sir John Maynard, twas a
reverend person about 20 years of age, as
could be guessed. His testimony was de-
livered gravely and temperately, but to the
great admiration of the auditory" Ample
confirmation of an obvious imperial char
acter was, however, forthcoming, and the
admiration" changed to horror, so much
so that the prisoners were convicted and
two of them suffered death at the hand of
the common hangman. Neither of the
victims, one of whom was an aged woman.
could ever be prevailed upon to confess any
completely in the crime.
OF much more recent date was the record
of the red barn murder, remarkable for
the fact that the murder was discovered
through the means of information impart-
ed in a dream. The victim of the murder
was rustic beauty named Maria Marten,
who was a source of perpetual jealousy
among the young men In a village near
the English east coast. Maria s father
was a mole catcher, but the girl was edu-
Gated beyond the average of village maid
ems. Her first accepted lover was a rich
young man named John Gordon, who led
the girl from the path of virtue and then
abandoned her. A still more wealthy
sutton appeared, who, in turn, was dis
placed by William Gordon, brother of
John. Under promise of marriage Miss
Marten was again led astray, and, when
she found herself soon to become mother
she importuned her betrayer to fulfil his
promise Gordon tired of this, and going
to the house one evening arranged with
great detail to run off with the girl to a
neighboring city, where they were to be
secretly married. The girl gladly consent
ed and agreed to meet her lover at a red
barn ON his mothers farm. Gordon met
her there, and in compliance with prear-
ranged scheme shot and buried her. He
then disappeared, returning after a few
days and explaining to the mole catcher
that the marriage had taken place and
that his bride was in lodgings at Ipswich.
Months passed away, the barn under which
the body lay was filed with grain, and yet
no tiding came from Maria. Young Cor
den, however, explained that she had hurt
her right hand and could not write. He
subsequently left the neighborhood One
night Mrs. Marten dreamed that her
daughter had been murdered by Gordon
and that the body was inferred under the
barn. The dream was repeated so fire.
quently that she repeated it to the mole
catcher, who, after many refusals and much
ridicule, finally went to the barn, got the
grain removed, and commenced to dig at
the spot indicated in the dream. The
body was Immediately discovered and
identified. Suspicion, of course, pointed
to Gordon, who was traced to London,
where he had married schoolmistress and
was living on her earnings. He was ar
rested, convicted and executed 1t is re-
markable proof of this story that Mrs.
Marten applied to justice of the peace
for warrant against Gordon three months
before she converted her skeptical husband
to belief in her dream.
In ISL an Irish murderer was convicted
largely upon dream evidence a Water
ford publican named Rogers dreamed one
night that he saw a man murder another
man on a green spot ON the summit of an
adjoining mountain. He was able next
day to describe both men with perfect ac-
curacy, and did so to many of his friends.
One of the men was exceptionally strong,
the other weak and puny, but it was the
latter who, in the vision. committed the
murder. Rogers persuaded the parish
priest to accompany him to the spot,
which he found without difficulty, but
where there seemed to be no traces of muir
der or struggle. Hence Rogers was laughed
at. Next day, however, two men entered
the saloon, and Mrs. Rogers at once recog-
nized them from her husbands description
as the heroes of the vision Much alarm
ed, she fetched her husband, who was also
they rose to leave Rogers begged the one
he expected to be murdered to remain. but
without avail He nearly tainted with
fright after the men had left, and finally
persuaded a neighbor to accompany him
to the green spot ON the hill, where, sure
enough. the tragedy of the dream had tax
en- place in reality. The murderer was
tracked and caught, and Rogers was the
principal witness. His recital of his
dream was SO vivid that the prisoner at
once confessed, adding that he killed his
companion exactly as foretold in the dream.