The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-12-08
SAWTELLE IN COURT
The Murderer Tells How He
Killed His Brother.
FIRST SHOT IN THE BACK
His Body Filled With Bullets, and His
Head Chopped of,

The Slayer Would Have Committed Sui
eide, But the Thought Of Hts Mother
Stayed His Hand--Novsr Made Up His
Mind to DO Murder--The Body Found
In Maine, which May Save sawtene
from the Gauows.
CoNcoRD, n. H., Dec. S-The hearing
in the petition for new trial
in the case of Isaac B. Sawtelle, under
sentence OF death for numbering his
brother Hiram, at Rochester, N. H., was
held before the full bench of the Su-
preme Court in the Senate chamber yes
terday. The hall and corridors leading
to it were thronged. Sawtells in
charge OF Warden Col olbath and manacled
to prison officials, came into court and
told the following story Of the murder
81 met my brother Hiram on Fsbru-
ary 8, 1890 at Rochester when he got
off the train. l told him his daughter
Marion was sick told him she was
out of town. | got a team at Smart's
stable, and went from there to Wallace's
hardware store where | got spade,
pick and shovel, and asked if they
would take back the tools if they were
not used. They said they would. 1 did
up the tools and put them in the back
Of the wagon.
81 drove past Raukin's in Maine.
| When | turned into the Marsh road he
wanted to know where l was taking
him. Directly turned into the little
path near the woodman's shanty in the
woods / saw he wanted to get out, and
he did. Then he got in again. l said,
4 have got some papers here that l
want you to sign | took the papers
from my pocket and said; You may
| sign these or take that, pulling out
revolver and pointing 1t at him.
"He held my hand in which the re-
volver was until after l promised not
| to hurt him. He then began to walk
| toward the shanty and after going
some 20 feet broke into run. | started
after him and called several times,
| 'Hiraml Hiraml stop, or l will fireP AS
! he kept on running l fired. He ran a
/ little way and fell l then ran up and
shook him, but he said nothing. ! then
put the pistol to my head to kill myself
and said Good by, Hiram, Pm going
to shoot Immediately l said: My
Godl There is my poor old mother l
must live for herr
Il lowered the pistol, and as
thought Hiram was moving fired three
| more shots into his body to put him out
of pain. l then took hold of the boot 8
and dragged the body about 100 yards
and began digging a grave. hurried
up and took off his clothing. The grave
1 dug was not large enough, and took
the hatchet and chopped off his head
and arms l found l had not buried
the head, and took it and put it in the
bag with his shirt around it, put the
bag in the team, and finally drove into
the woods and buried the head under
some birch trees, dug hole, took the
head out of the bag, and, as l buried it,
said, 'good-by, Hiram. l threw thu
axe, lamp and shovel into the river as l
crossed the river from Maine back to
Rochester, took Hiram's clothing to my
boarding house and went to bed
CDR. Blood gave me plan of the
woods Rnl the vacant shanty in Maine
and l went over there from Rochester OF
Tuesday to locate them. sDr. Blood sale
it would be just the way to go up t.
Rochester and take mother and Marion
with me and send for Hiram. He alsC
spoke about the vacant house. | never
made up my mind to kill him, for
knew if got him into the shanty ant
put my back TO the door he would sigr
tAe papers without my killing him"
, Ihs case is being continued to-day.