Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-05-17
MURDER THE CHARGE.

Ada Chamberlain Of Vvardsboro AIIepsd
to Have killed Her IIIegItImate chm,
---the Head Found In n Wall at A.h-
burnham, Mass.
The same section which last week ,,ro
duced case of rape and attempted murder
is heard from again this week in a cbaroa
of child murder, against Ada Chamber.
lain, a supplemented young woman. ~
wears old. She is daughter of Augustp.
Chamberlain, farmer at Wardsboro. She
has worked for some time at West Jamaica
She left there about Feb l last to visit
former schoolmate, whose maiden mama
was Ida Rice, but who is now the wife of
Myron w. Grover, and lives in Ashburp.
ham, Mass.
While Miss Chamberlain was VISITING in
Ashburnham she was i'll with cough and
a pain in her side DR.. w. Z. Patch of
Ashburnham formerly of Brattleboro. who
was called to attend her, recognized her
delicate condition and advised her TO bs
married at once
Miss Chamberlain returned to West ia.
maica early in March. The head of a baby
was found April % hidden in a wall which
is only about 80 feet from the rear door of
the house occupied by the Grover family
at Ashburnham. The case was placed in
the hands of VIM. Richardson, a deputy
sheriff. Mrs. Grover acknowledged to him
that Miss Chamberlain had been i'll at her
house, but denied knowing about the birth
of child The case was referred to p. F
Murray of Worcester, a state detective
Mr.. Murray communicated with Chief Of
Police Mcclure of Brattleboro, and on Sat.
urday night Murray and Deputy Sheriff
Richardson came here. The following
morning they left for Jamaica accompanied
by Chief Mcclure. They were Joined at
Jamaica by Deputy Sheriff j. Q. Shum.
way. The party drove to West Jamaica.
where Miss Chamberlain was at work for
Douglass Forester. Shumway and Nc
Clure first talked with the young woman.
For long time she claimed to be innocent
and would disclose nothing, but on being
confronted with statements made by Mrs.
Grover she confessed that she had given
birth to a child. She said the child was
dead when born, and that the Growers
knew nothing about the birth. She
wrapped the body in a sheet and on the
day following went out by the back way.
in Mrs Growers absence, and hid the pack.
age in the wall. She could give no ex-
PLANTATION of the decapitation, and claimed
to be entirely ignorant of it. 1t should be
said that the head was cut off with some
blunt instrument, probably an axe. The
head alone was found, there being no trace
of the body.
Miss Chamberlain said that her betrayer
was a young man in West Jamaica. The
officers talked with him. He claimed to
know nothing about the young woman's
condition. the birth of the child. or the dis.
posal of the body. Miss Chamberlain con-
sented to return to Massachusetts, without
eXtradition papers She was arraigned in
the district court at Gardner Wednesday
on the charge of numbering the child. She
| pleaded not guilty and was bound over 10
the next term Of the criminal court. to be
held in Fitchburg next August. The COM
plant alleges that death was caused by
sutfocation, and that Miss Chamberlain de-
capitated the infant with an axe. The
prisoner will undoubtedly remain in the
Fitchburg Jail until her trial takes place.
Should she be found guilty of murder the
crime is very grave one If not found
guilty of this charge she will be liable to
term of Imprisonment for concealing the
birth. 1t is believed that the whole story
has not come out. 1t does not seem proba-
bic that the child could be born and dis
posed of unknown to any save the mother