St. Paul daily globe., 1890-05-08
THROUGH The BARS,
A Very Peculiar Marriage ID
the Vermont State
Prison.
A Widow WedS the Murderer
Of Her Devoted huS-
band.
Farmer Gould Foully MuP-
dered on the Night OF His
Wedding.
His Fair Brides Sweetheart
the Man Who Committed
the Crime.

A brief dispatch recently noted the
fact that Mrs. Laura Could had married
in prison, at Montpelier, VT. her hus-
bands murderer. Sherman j. Casweli.
Caswell is prisoner for life, aud tbs
strange couple clasped hands through
the grated door of his cell while tbs
clergyman pronounced the words thai
made them man and wife.
The story of the murder and of this
marriage are closely interviewer. for
Caswell killed the woman's first hus'
band through jealousy. Caswell HIM
self is a man forty-fve years old. and
draws a pension of S24 month for .
wound received at Gettysburg.
At the Close of the War
He went to work as hired man on ti,>
farm of Willard Cutter, near here.
Laura. well-deyeloped girl of fifteen,
was the only child of the Cutters.
With this young girl Caswell became
enamored. The young lady did not
seem to be averse to the attentions OF
her soldier lover, and undoubtedly she
would have been Mrs. Caswell years
ago, as she testified in court that she
had been ready since 1867, but for the
strenuous opposition of her father, who
knew the diSSolute habits Of CaSwell
better than his daughter did.
CasweH continued to reside at the
Cater homestead. and. during the de-
cling years of Mr.. Cutter, took the place
of a son in the care of the old gentle
man. In 1880 the father died. and then
Caswell pressed Lara to marry him;
but. as she had grown wiser, and had
faA
as she says, and as he claims,
Kept Putting OFF the Event.
Evidently preferring to be loved, yes
no wife for while longer. Two years
ago farmer named George J. Gould
began paying attentions to Miss Cutter
and in some way gained so complete
an ascendaney over her that she secretly
agreed to marry him. Caswell, not
ing their intimacy, became exceedingly
jealous, and to quiet his suspicious she
agreed to marry him. Caswell even
bought her wedding dress. On Sept.
4, 1889, she and Gould stole away to
town and were married. They slept
that night at tho home of her cousin
and drove back home the next day.
Caswell was in the chamber overlooking
the yard. Scarcely had the bridal pair
well thrust heavily-lOaded shotgun
out at the window and discharged it at
the head of Gould, who was standing on
the doorstep directly under the window.
The charge of mixed shot did not strike
Gould fairly in the top of his head.
AS Was Evidently Intended,
but entered the back just over the lefa
eye, and l:lowed furrow as broad as a
mans hand diagenaily across his face,
taking off portion of the nose and one
side of the upper lip, which, with the
mustache, was afterward picked up on
the doorstep: broke both jawboneS at
the center and tore out the entire chin,
making a terrible wound. The shot
propelled by the heavy charge of pow
der did not stop there, but penetrated
the right breast through the lung,
diaphragm and liver. Gould, who
had no warning of danger, gave
a wild shrek, and. cIasping his
mangled face in his hand, ran blindly
from the house, some $50 feet across
the road, when he fell. and after some
terrible struggles, lasting about thirty
minutes, expired. Caswell at once gave
himself up. He was tried three weeks
ago, and found guilty of murder in the
second degree, and sentenced to life
Imprisonment. Within week after
the murder Mrs. Gould visited him in
his cell. Her old love for him seemed
to return, and she testified in his befyM
at the trial. She has now become his
wife, although she will be able to see
him only few times a year.