St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-01-18
Correspondence.
AN OLD-TIME TRAGEDY.
The Bnrnham Murder at HaverhiII, N.
H., in 1905.

H., in 1906.
have chosen the incidents of
tragedy once famous in the annals
of New England crime, to show GER
tain customs and some legal usages,
which have so long passed away,
that the present generation will
hardly believe that such existed IN
this part of the country, within the
present century.
Thirty years ago the aged people
of that day, in Haverhill and the
surrounding county were wont to
use this event as a landmark IN the
Journey of time, and l remember
often hearing it said that such and
such thing took place 1.-The year
that Burnham was hung at Haver-
hill"
There were certain historic incl
dents connected with the affair
which make it memorable and lend
interest to the story, although all
the actors and nearly all the specta-
tors of it's scenes have passed away.
In the month of December, 1905,
three men, Russell Freeman, Esq,
Capt. Joseph Starkweather and
Josiah Burnham occupied the same
cell in Haverhill jail.
The two former were in Jail for
daL+ Tr,.~;eo.,oa,,+ for debt was
then considered a just and salutary
punishment for the insolvent debtor
and was defended by many sensible
men upon grounds which a more
humane agehas rejected as both cruel
and inexpedient. But in those days
it was not at all uncommon to see
among the felons and poor and brok-
en- men who filled the jails, persons Of
rank who had been conducting large
enterprises, but who, having become
financially embarrassed had been
thrown into prison by their credi-
tors, and kept there for years, per-
haps to die in Jail at last. The case
of General Barton, a revolutionary
hero, who was confined in Danville
Jail fourteen years for debt, will &C.
cur to many.
Russell Freeman was past the
prime of life; he had been soldier
in the war of the Revolution, and
was a prominent citizen of Han
over, who had filled several impor-
tant Offices in the county and state,
with ability and acceptance. The
circumstances of his financial en-
barrassment form no part of this
narrative. OF Starkweather, who
then lived in Lebanon, less is known;
he had been also a Revolutionary
soldier, and was involved with Free
man in the same business misfortune.
Burnham lived in Haverhill, at the
time of his arrest, and had been, by
turns, farmer, schOolmaster horse
dealer and vagabond. He was also
a very good surveyor. He had been
in jail several times, and the particu-
lar offence for which he stood COM
mitted was forgery, in which his skill
as penman made him dangerous.
The two others had amused them
selves by teasing him about some
doings of his which were we'll known
to them, which excited his rage to
such an extent that he determined
upon revenge. He had secreted
long, sharp knife, and falling upon
them when they were defenceless
on the morning of the IS of De-
cember, stabbed them so brutally
that both men died within three
hours.
1t took three men to overpower
and disarm Burnham, who expressed
no remorse for what he had done.
Haverhill Corner was then the
most important place in the state
north of Concord, fourishing vii
lage, the residence of a number of
professional men of wide fame in
their day, who built for their homes
large number of the square sub
stantial mansions, which were the
fashion of the time and which still
adorn one of the most beautiful vii
lagos in New England.
The surrounding country was a
quiet region of farms, whose iEhabi-
tants held little communication with
the outside world The mails came
twice in each week from Concord,
but stage-coaches had not then be-
gun to run in this part of the coun-
try. NewSpa perS were rare, and the