The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-05-27
ALL SAVED THEIR NECKS.
CLOSE CALLS THAT SOME CON
DEMNED MEN Rave HAD.
a Case Where a Single Broken Bolt
at the Throttle Saved an Engineer

cases have been related :. the writer during
the past week.
Judge Baldwin, with a career OF more
than forty years at the bar, proved TO be
one of the most valuable contributors.
Zone of the most remarkable cases that
has ever come TO my notice." said Judge
Baldwin, twas that of the two Boorns, who
were convicted years ago in the supreme
court Of Vermont, in Bennington county, OF
the murder of Russell Colvin.
lit appears that Colvin, who was a
brother-in-law of the prisoner, was a per-
son Of weak mind, and was considered bur-
densome to the family of the prisoners, who
were obliged to support him; that at the
time Of his disappearance he was in a dis
tant field where the prisoners were at work
that violent quarrel had broken out be-
tween them, and that one of them had
struck him a severe blow on the back of
the head with a club, which felled him to
the ground. Some suspicious arose at the
time that he was murdered, and these sus-
picions were increased by the finding of his
hat in the same field a few months after
ward.
''These suspicious in process of time sub
sided, but later one OF the neighbors, having
repeatedly dreamed of the murder with
great minuteness of circumstances both in
regard to the missing mans death and the
concealment of his remains, the Boorns
were vehemently accused and generally be-
lieved to be guilty of the murder. After
close search the pocketkpife of Colvin and
button of his clothes were found in an old
open cellar in the same field in which he had
last been seen, and in hollow stump not
many rods from IL were discovered nails
and a number of bones believed to be those
of man.
"Just prior to their trials friends of the
Boorns said that the evidence against them
was too Enthusiastically plain for them to
longer hold out, and urged them to make q
clean breast of the entire matter, holding
that if they did SO they would undoubtedly
get their sentence of death, which was sure
to be the result of Their trial, committed to
Imprisonment for life.
1.-THE men were tried and sentenced to be
hanged. Their friends renewed their re-
quest that they make a full confession. One
Of them finally complied with the request,
detailing a long story as to just how the
murder had been committed. The other
confessed but with great reluctance and
doggedness, and would not go into details.
THE one who had made the full COMES
sion had the sentence of death committed,
while the sentence of the penalty of the
law was ordered carried out in the oese of
the other.
AS bue udy Ol UIl6 6AoCublOn dppTOdCueu
the doomed man made a declaration that
he and his brother had lied; lied outrage
ously; and that for his part he would not
risk facing his Maker with so awful lie
upon his soul. The declaration was received
simply as an act of supreme cowardice in
the face of death, and caused all but two or
three of the most intimate friends of the
maker of it to turn against him, so plain to
their minds, and to the minds of the entire
mil hat hnth vN,av,
guilty beyond all possible doubt.
1.-THE last sunrise but one for the doomed
man was just flooding his Vermont home
when who should appear at the door but
Russell Colvin-the man for the murder
of whom Boorn was upon the morrow to be
executed.
"The explanation of the whole matter, !"
added Judge Baldwin, sis simple in its
character.
1.-THE two Boorns had Jumped upon Coll
vim in the field and beaten him. He had
escaped from them, leaving his hat behind,
and so overpowered was he with fear that
he continued his flight until he found him-
self in New Jersey. At the last moment he
had learned that one of his prosecutors was
about to be hanged as his murderer and,
although he had suffered great brutality at
his hands, Colvin Immediately hastened
back to save the unlucky fellows neck. AS
for the confessions which the Boorns made
particularly the full and very explicit one
they were made simply for one purpose,
that of trying to save their necks.
while addressing the jury in a criminal
case a few weeks ago." continued the judge,
81 found myself at a loss for Il suitable story
with which to illustrate the great and
supreme need existing for calm Judgment
and a complete investigation, particularly
when human life was at stake, and so
manufactured this one:
"A passenger train was pulling into q
station Of a little New England town. The
engineer had seen many years OF continuous
service on that particular run, and was
known and honored as a reliable man,
and it was known to an inch where he
would stop his engine upon reaching the
town.
"a great celebration was held in the
town one day, and when the train came in
the track for fifty feet ahead of the point
where the old-time engineer had always
stopped his train was crowded with men,
women and children, SO great confidence
did all have in the power and rule of the old
engineer to always stop his engine at the
one particular spot.
came in-horror of all horrors Instead of
stopping at the usual spot it plowed on
through the dense mass of humanity, grind
ing the life from out a score Of human be-
ings, and stopping only when its wheels had
found no more human blood to drink
Courses deep and black as ever were ut
tered were rained down upon the engineer.
Then came the cries Of lynch himl lynch
himn
"a rope was procured, but before it could
be wound a Jout his neck fome of the cooler
heads in the maddened mob counseled less
haste-advised that the fiend of an engineer
be given moment or two to explain.
with his face as white as a specuer the
engineer stepped to the platform of his cab
and looked the turbulent sea of infatuated
humanity full in the face; but he was
speechless.
Enough Kissed the crowd His crime
has stricken him dumb. Put the rope
about his neck-the bloody monsterr
'''Neverl For Gods sake, neverp shouted
the fireman. whose trained eyes had been
eagerly scanning the more important
mechanism of the locomotive
"'Here,' he continued, holding aloft
little broken bolt, not one and half inches
in length; here is the cause of the accident
a broken bolt at the throttle
"And so it proved to be, when those who
had counseled discretion in the wreaking Of
vengeance upon the engineer, had made an
examination.
81 believe" concluded the judge, "that I
won one of the greatest cases Of my life
on that little bit of fiction. And what do
you think? After court had adjourned a
fine appearing, gray haired old gentleman
came forward and, grasping my hand, ex-
cIaimad.