St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-02-27
THE SAWTELLE MURDER.
History of One of the Most Remarkable
Crimes Ever Committed.

Few crimes have ever been commit
ted in New England which have at
tracted so general attention as the
murder of Hiram F. Sawtelle. There
have been murders where the lives
of more than one person were taken
and where the details were perhaps
as fiendish as in this case, but there
was never a more cOld-blooded muir
der or one more deliberately and
maliciOusly arranged and carried
out.
To understand the case fully it is
necessary to go back to last Deem
Der, when Isaac b. Sawtelle was par
doned from the Massachusetts state
prison, where he had been for 10
years, serving a 80 years sentence
on three indictments for raping
young girls. His pardon was pro-
cured by working the pious dodge,
as he claimed to have experienced re-
ligion. Clergymen and sentimental
women worked in his behalf and sue
ceeded in arousing a maudl1n sym
patty. All the members of the gov
errors council recommended a par
don and nothing was left for the
governor but to accede to what was
asked.
As soon as released Isaac went to
live in the family of his brother,
Hiram, in ROxbury, Mass. The lat
ter kept fruit store on Washington
street, Boston, which, together with
his residence, had been owned by
their father and was now held in
their mothers name The property,
said to be valued at $4,000, had
been accumulated through years of
labor, and Hiram, who was an hon
est and Woodworking man, had done
more than anybody else to secure it,
having been associated with his
father before carrying on the bust
ness alone. Isaac succeeded in work
ing upon the sympathies of his
mother, claiming that he had never
had fair chance in the world, and
that the possession of money was
the stepping stone by which he could
regain his respecta Utility. The mother
transferred the property TO him, but
Isaac put an injunction upon it, so
that he could not sell it. These
transactions had caused hard feeling
lieved that in order to remove every
obstacle from his path and to give
him possession of the property
Isaac Sawtelle plotted to remove his
brother and the latter's entire family,
consisting of his wife, daughter aged
eight, a son aged five and an infant.
Some time ago Isaac asked Mrs.
Sawtelle's permission to take one of
her children to Lowell. Being SuS-
picious of him, she refused.
On Feb. 1 Isaac made arrange
1nents to take his mother to Lowell,
and told Hiram's wife that her hus-
band had given him permission to
take the little girl to Lowell, and
the mother finally allowed her to go
with him. When the father came
home at night he denied having
given his consent for her to go with
her uncle From Boston Isaac took
his mother and the little girl to Low
ell, staying until Monday, when they
went to Rochester, N. H. While at
the latter place the little girl claims
that her uncle attempted to poison
her with medicine and little pills, but
only with the effect of making her
sick. Then he telegraphed to his
brother Hiram in Boston that the
little girl was sick with the grip,
This was Tuesday evening, Feb. f..
The next morning a second telegram
came, to the mother, urging her to
come to Rochester, the inference be-
ing that if she had responded in per-
son she too would have been dispos-
ed of 1t was finally settled that
Hiram, the father, should go alone,
and he left Boston Wednesday at 1
p. m. From this moment his move
ments became shrouded in mystery
and he was never again seen alive by
his friends. The following day,
Thursday, Feb. 6, Isaac and his
mother and the little girl arrived
home.
Isaac denied having seen Hiram at
all. Mrs. Sawtelle was suspicious of
foul play and accused Isaac of put
ting his brother out of the way,
which he strenuously denied. Isaac
remained in Boston until the follow
ing Sunday, when he disappeared.
Hiram's absence was reported to the
police on Saturday, and on M onday,
Feb. 10, Special Officer Shields start
ed for Rochester, while search was
also begun in Boston. From investi-
cations madeby the police it is learn
ed that on Wednesday, Feb. 5, Isaac
Sawtelle hired a team at a Rochester
livery stable and met a man at the
depot (Hiram without doubt with
whom he drove away. Within half
an hour he returned alone with the
team Laterin the afternoon, about
o'clock, he purchased a hatchet,
pick AK and spade at a hardware
store, also canvas bag in which to
carry them. Then, again hiring the
team, he drove off in the direction
taken in the morning, not returning
until 9 at night To inquirers as to
his purchase of a spade, he replied
that he intended to buy a farm in
the vicinity and wished to test the
soil. 1t seems that on his departure
from Boston the second time, Feb. 9,
Isaac went to Rochester, buying two
tickets the next day for Portland.
At Portland he registered at the Fal-
mouth house as J. Bridge, Dover.
On Wednesday evening OF last week
the clerk of the hotel recognized
Bridge" as Sawtelle, from the pic
ture in an evening paper, and Thurs
day caused his arrest. Sawtelle adj
mitted his identity and was taken to
Rochester Thursday night. He re-
fused to make any statement except
to say that Hiram was all right and
would turn up at the right time.
There were reasons for believing
that Hiram's body was hidden in the
woods near Rochester, and a sys-
tematic search for it was begun Fri
dau The hn1v WAS finallv found