The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-27


cry stable where he placed them under the seat
of the buggy that be rode in 10 the station TO
meet his brother This indicated to the dstee-
tives and TO the newspaper men working the case
the TACT that murder was probably int.nded- The
road 10 East Rochester was gone over and the
team In question traced, by reason OF the pecu-
nsr style OF the horse and the fact that buggy
was driven over snow when 8 sleigh would have
been more useful made the searchsrs expert
ence little difficulty III tracing the murderers
course. Three days were consumed IN search,
but at the end OF that time success rewarded
the efforts OF the Investigators. II was aseer-
tanned that in East Rochester about $50 o'clock
on the fatal afternoon Sawtelie stopped st store
and purchased lamp, pen, ink and writing
paper, and inquired the way TO Springyale, a
town nine miles from the line of Maine.
large number OF men searched the long miles OF
road between this store in East Rochester and
the place where Hiram's body found.
through the sagacity of Officer Shields Down
al uufrequented trail made by woodehoppers,
at point nearly twelve miles from Rochester,
solitary grave was found. covered with
hemlock branches. II might have es-
capped observation forever had not piecss
OF paper similar to that in which
sawtelle's tools were wrapped been lodged in
the underbrush near by. 1t was with intense
excitement that Officer Shields aud his four
companions, alone in the heart of the great for
est, pulled aside the boughs that had covered
the mound OF newly turned earth, and began
with their hands and knives digging away the
frozen elods that covered something they knew
not what, but believed TO be the body OF the
murdered man. When two feet below the sur
face human arm was excavated cut Off close
at the shoulder. The diggers were wild with
excitement. A human leg was soon discovered,
and within half an hour manglcd body was
pulled forth from the ground. The head was
gone, the arms and legs were hacked, and only
the trunk and some pieces OF clothing were In
the CHASTITY heap. 1t was easy to explain the
murderer's work. Wishing to reduce the labor
OF grave digging, he had cut the body to pieces,
thinking IL might be thus less easily identified
and handled with more facility. Two thousand
men at least were on the scene within two hours.
A day before the finding of the body, Isaac
had been arrested in Portland, Me-, by police
officer, who recognized him by the published
description. Isaac admitted that his name was
Sawtelle. and he was taken TO Dover, n. H., and
placed in Jail TO await developments. At the
time OF his arrest the prisoner was cool and col
leeted. He said that he had no connection with
his brothers disappearance and knew nothing
Of il, and would have undoubtedly maintained
his assertion successfully had not the body been
found the very afternoon that he Was committed
20 TAIL. Isaac was indicted aud tried the follow
ing fall, and the evidence secured against
him guaranteed a conviction at the outset
His defense was primarily that no crime
was committed in New Hampshire. He did not
take the stand but his counsel alleged that the
eutcing of his brother 10 New Hampshire-a
fact that was adnlittcd-was for the purpose of
getting him into position to forcibiy secure a
paper addressed 10 the court in Boston in which
he, Hiram, would withdraw all opposition to
the conveyance made by his mother to Isaac
The defense alleged that Hiram was turned over
to a man who Tad been convicted contemporan-
eousiy with Isaac, and that the murder was
committed by him or some other person at
time and place unknown to the defendant,
while the effort was being made to secure the
paper i'll question.
On Christmas day, at an early hour in the
morning, the case was given 10 the jury, and
when the gray shadows OF night were falling
over the city on the day when good cheer and
happiness is supposed to prevail throughout the
land, verdict of guilty was brought in. Chief
Justice Doe then pronounced sentence of death,
and it was the most impressive sight ever wit
messed to see this man in the twilight rise and
receive the death order to be hanged by the
neck until dead between the hours OF 10 and
o'clock on the 5th day OF January, 1892. This
was Isaac Sawtelles Christmas gift.
On December Z, 1891, the attorneys for the con-
demned man brought the latter into court at
Concord to testify in o rehearing for new trial,
the prisoner claiming that the murder had been
committed in Maine, and his conviction in New
Hampshire was therefore illegal. If this point
had been proven 1t might have resulted in his
securing new trial in Maine, where capital
punishment has been abolished. Isaac at this-
hearing testified as follows:
II met my brother Hiram on February 5, 1890,
al Rochester when he got of the train l told
him his daughter Marion was sick. / didn't say
where Marion was. but told him she was out of
town. l got team at Smarts 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 il they were not US ed
They said they would. did up the tools and
put them in the back of the wagon / drove
past Rankin's house in Maine l asked Hiram
ii it was not better to sell the land and pay up
the mortgage, SO as to have an income from
the house on Dudley street, rented in
Boston He said he would like to have an
income. When / turned into the Marsh road he
wanted to know where was taking him. Di-
reetly turned into the little path near the
woodman's shanty in the woods / saw he want
ed to get out. and he did. Then he got in again.
said: Il have got some papers here that want
you TO sign took the papers from my pocket
and said: You may sign these or take that
pulling out Q revolver and pointing ii at him.
He then jumped from the wagon and after
him. He fell down and said: Don't, Isaac,
don't said: No, Hiram, won't. Do as
want you TO and won't hurt you He held
my hand in which the revolver was until after
| promised not 10 hurt him. Then stepped
away and he got up. then said: i came here
not to do you any harm. want some property
from mother He then began to walk toward
the shanty, and after going some twenty feet
broke into run started after him and called
several times: Hiram! Hiram, stop, or
I will trel As he kept on running
fired He ran little way and fell then
ran up TO and shook him, bat he said nothing. /
then thought OF the horse, and, after securing
it, came back TO where Hiram lay. and he did
not speak. then put the pistol to my head 10
Kill myseIf, and said 'Good-by, Hiram, I'm
going 10 shoot Immediately said: MY God!
There is my poor old mother. I must live for
her. / lowered the pistol, and as ! thought
Hiram was moving. fired three more shots into
his body to put him out OF pain. / then took
hold of the boots and dragged the body about
l0o yards and began digging grave. hurried
up and took OF S claihing. The grave dug
was not large enough, and I took the Ratchet
and chopped off his head and arms. I found
had not buried the head and took il and put it
in the bag with his shirt around il, put the bag
in the team, and finally drove into the woods
and buried he head under some birch trees. /
dug hole, took the head out of the bag, and, as
buried il, said: Good-by, Hiram"
To give color 10 this confession. Sawtelle indi-
Gated v here the head was buried, and q search
ing party found skull stated, though there
was no possibility OF identifying it as that of
the murdered man. Exactly one year after being
sentenced to death, on Christmas day, the
doomed man was stricken wish spoplexy. So
concludes one OF the most notorious chapters in
tie criminal annals OF this country.
Tacoma interpretations.
TACOMA, Dec. 26.-[Specia!. The Gar