The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-11-20

PLYMOUTH, N. H., Nov. 1s.-Almy ha
pleaded "gailty''to the Indictment charging
him with the murder Of Christie Warden
In open court Monday afternoon, Aim!
retracted his plea Of mot guilty. mad
for him at the time of his arraignment o.
Woodville, and by so doing has placet
his case in the hands Of the judges instead
of the hands of jury.
The question of whether or not he ear
escape the gallows by his plea will be do
eided by the judges upon evidence sub
mitted to them concerning the crime.
There will be trial, but it will be be
fore the judges instead of before jury
and the qvestion will be wholly as to the
degree of guilt.
If upon the evidence presented the
judges find him guilty of murder in the
first degree, he must be hanged. If they
find him guilty of murder in the second
degree, it rests with them as to the term
of imprisonment he must serve. The
judges cannot give him over thirty years,
and may give him less if the evidence so
warrants.
Tho Scene in the Court Room
yesterday afternoon when the new plea
was made was most dramatic one. It
was witnessed by very few people, how
ever, for the fact that Almy was to be
taken into court was known only by the
officials interested in the case and by the
newspaper men.
It was just 2:4O o'clock when the big
double doors in the rear of the court room
opened and Almy and the officers guard
ing him entered. Judge Allen was upon
the bench, and had just been in consultA-
tion with Attorney General Barnard and
the counsel for the defense, Hon. Alvin
Burleigh and Joseph c. Story, and these
gentlemen had just taken seats in the bar.
County Solicitor Mitchell was also present,
and Clerk Griswold and Sheriff Brigham
were at their respective desks.
Moments Of suspense.
- The prisoner w,.s1 glyxa 4 place w4thir,
the bar and exactly facing the judges
bench, and as he took his seat Clerk Girls
wold arose and said:
Frank G. Almy, you have pleaded mot
guilty to the Indictment found against
you for the murder of Christie G. Warden.
Do you now wish to change that plea"
II do SIR" came the immediate reply.
what do you now say?" continued the
clerk; ''are you guilty or not guilty."
The silence in the court room was before
impressive, but became doubly so in the
pause that followed the clerks question.
Every one looked ut the prisoner, whose
pale face grew even paler as he realized
the full import of the answer he must
make.
Something seemed to rise in his throat
and stop his utterance Twice he essayed
to speak and twice he failed, glancing aside
l,o 1;1 co if for ba1n
It seemed for an instant as though the
man, who up to this time had appeared TO
have almost an iron nerve, might break
ever, for by an effort he recovered himself,
and, looking steadily at the clerk, pro-
nounced the word, Guilty"
Phe prisoner was then withdrawn from
the court room in the same way that he
had been brought in, and the drama of the
afternoon was finished.
The case the government will present
can be briefly stated. 1t will be an effort
to show not only that murder was COM
mitted, but that it was done wilfully and
deliberately. Almy's act will be followed
step by step from the time he entered the
employ of Mr.. Warden until he was found
IN the Warden barn, and, unless indica-
tions fail, will weave . chain of evidence,
both direct and circumstantial, which will
be hard to break
Day Of Sensations.
PLYMOUTH, n. H., Nov. 1S-Yesterday
was day of sensations in the trial OF
Frank c. Almy, the self-confessed slayer
Of pure and innocent girl. Thrice the
murderer burst into tears. Once il was
when Mrs. Warden was telling of the
present Christie gave him on q happy
Christmas morning Again it was when
Fanny the sister, was narrating the
Incidents near the willows where the
girl was found weltering in her
own blood; and still again when she de-
scribed the friendly courtesies, only
friendly, which Christie showed to the
brute who sent her out of this life.
DIR. Frost of Hanover was called, and
testified to an examination of the body Of
The murdered girl while it lay in the
bushes just after death. In considerable
letail he described the ghastly wound in
Christie's head. The revolver had been
held so closely to the head, he said, as to
burn the skin. Near the body was a pool
If blood.
DR. Frost testified further az to the re-
sult of his examination, his testimony
going to show that. after firing the shot
which killed Christie, Almy perpetrated
! brutal indignity upon her body, using
his revolver
The wound must have been made by
placing the muzzle of the pistol within the
genital organs. The ball could not have
gone in at the back and come out at the
'front.' without making an external injury,
# which there WAS no sign
To question as to the wound in the |
body, DR.. Foster said that IN his opinion |
Ihe wound could only have been made |
when the girl was unconscious. No blood |
was found outside of tho body from this |
wound, % that he judged that the hearts |
lction must have ceased when It was in |
tcted. Nothing new was found on further !