Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-08-07

Ah"i SN"iSt 'SNO''
an interesting young lady of Is years.
At some time during the summer AL
phonse Chaquette, a Canadian who had
been in the States about II years and
was then residing in that vicinity, called
upon Miss Pigeon and proposed mar
riage. This was the first interview the
two eyer had had. She rejected his offer,
but was again visited by him later in the
summer, when a similar proposal was
again made by him and again rejected.
Late in the fall Chaquette took up his
abode in the Ainse household as a board
er and continued to press his suit for the
young woman's hand; but he never re-
ceved any encouragement from her.
Early in the year 1889 he ceased to board
there, and once afterward, in the spring
of that year, made an Intellectual attempt
to see her at her grandfather's house,
The previous winter Frederick Collette,
the murdered man, began to court Miss
Pigeon and was married to her on the
2Sth of October of that year. He went
to reside with her at Ainse's. Chaquette
hired out to Robert Sattley, who lives
about two miles from the Aipse house
and was still in his employ when the
crime was committed. On the 3lst day
of August, 1890, a Sunday evening, about
the hour of s o'clock, Hanks, Collette
and his wife and the latter's brother and
his wife and their infant child were sit
ting in the kitchen at the Hanks house
when their attention was arrested by the
prolonged barking of the dog. The men
went out and looked around, but discov-
cred nothing and returned to the house.
Mr.. Hanks was STOPPING over to put
away the bootjack, when a shotgun was
discharged on the outside of the north
end of the kitchen through a window in
the door, the charge passing over the
back of Hanks and mainly through the
left eye of Collette, who had just arisen
from his chair, out through his skull.
some of the shot burying themselves in
the casing behind. Collette fell dead
and his wife fell by his side, though she
was not hurt.
1t is claimed by the State that the pris-
oner was inspired by revenge and that
| the circumstantial evidence connects him
with the commission of the crime. 1t is
claimed for the respondent that the crime
was not committed by him, but that if he
did the shooting he was irresponsible by
reason of insanity. The witnesses on
Wednesday were President Brainerd, who
made survey of the premises the widow
of the deceased Collette; her brother and
sister-in-law, Mr.. and Mrs. Pigeon: Fr.
Campeau, the Catholic priest at Ner-
gennes, whose good offices the prisoner
had bespoken in his suit for the young
lady's hand; DR.. Shipman of Vergennes,
who, with DR.. Cram, performed the post
mortem; Benz. L. Bailey, a near neigh
Dor; John @. Adams and wife, also
neighbors, and with whom the prisoner
had lived portion of the time covered
by the narrative. 1t was shown by two
of the States witnesses that the respond
ent had said in substance that if Mrs.
Collette did not marry him it would be
the cause of his losing his soul. 1t was
also shown that the respondent was de-
vout Catholic, of somewhat taciturn
disposition and of good habits.
The first witness Thursday morning
was States Attorney w. II. Bliss, who
detailed the procedure in investigating
the crime, giving an elaborate oral de-
scription of the premises and surround
ings, and put upon inspection for the iu-
~ the gun, one of the bullets and other
accessories of the killing. Alonzo Pig
con, father of the widow of Collette, tes-
titled briefly and only to the point of find
ing in the roof of the house one of the
buckshot, the next day after the occur
renee. The stenographer's report of the
testimony of Antoine Ainse, the grand
father of Mrs. Collette and with whom
the Colettes were living at the time of
the tragedy, was next read to the jury
the witness who gave it at the court of
inquiry having since died. He had heard
the barking of the dog on the night of
/ the murder, but did not see any person.
Later he started the hunt by calling up
the neighbors. The charge of shot that
killed Collette passed over his head as he
was leaning over to pull off his boots.
Alonzo Bell, now of Willsboro, n. Y,
then worked for r. p. Sattley in Ferris
burgh, and occupied a bed in the same
room with Chaquette. On the night in
controversy he said Chaquette did not go
to bed early, as was his custom, but came
in very late, He described the retiring,
uncommunicative disposition of the pris-
oner, his moods and manners, his habit
of talking to himself, shifting his hands
and making violent calculations, some, I'M
distinguishable, being in French. He de-
scrbed the arrest, occurring less than an
hour after Chaquette got home, and was
not shaken by long and rigid cross-ex-
animation by Mr.. Ballard.
The case is drawing large crowds to the