The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-27

When the present generation of Sta
tea Island folk were either children or
yet unborn, a little child and man
were horribly murdered. More hor-
rihle still. the child's own mother was
suspected to be the murderess. and
YVES tried three times for her life
None of the three juries would agree
that the evidence against her was so
strong as to preclude the possibility of
q reasonable doubt in her favor. 50 the
prosecution. in despair of a verdict,
let the mother go free.
She went to the house in which the
murders had been committed and
lived blameless and accomplishing
life for half a century before death
came to her release. Her neighbors
fully believed in her guilt, and shun-
ned her and hers as if they had been
aepers. To the tragic and dramatic
circumstances OF the murder itself
was added the profound belief on the
part of the country folk around that
the ghosts of the victims walked at
night, and those who could pass the
place after sunset without shuddering
were considered brave indeed
The late Archibald Douglas Gordon,
whose high literary reputation was
well established before his death,
knew this place and its uncanny repu-
tation. and went to live in this haunt
ed cottage for some time before his
death Among his papers was found
the following story, relating TO the
murder and 10 his existence as dwell
Ter in the haunted house:
II is not much to boast of or 80 con-
TESS. and all my neighbors know It
7 live in a haunted house. The house
is no more than a journey of an hour
and a quarter from New York. Al
most fifty years ago there occurred IN
Al a hideous and horrible murder,
,r-uel butchery, closely resembling the
BORDEN murders in the Superhuous
ferocity shown by the wretch who
committed it. Like the Borden muir
ders. it has never been solved, and the
shadow of a frightful suspicion as
we'll as the memory of an awful crime
has hung for half a century over the
haunted house in which live.
Not long ago the grave closed over
The human being who, after having en-
dured for fifty merciless years, with
placidity apparently Incompatible with
the theory of guilt, hatred ana a re-
sentiment on the part OF her nelSh-
5ors l1nnaralleled in its vehemence,
died without a murmur, without con-
fession. For fifty years she met the IN
exorahIe detestation and contumely OF
those who had grown old in the same
village with her with an absolutely IN
scrutable face. Fifty years ago. they
tried. simple and stoiid folk as the
reople are, To kill her bare-handed in
q nassion of vengeful hate. Ihree
si,nes did she. confront, unquaking and
.intaoved. three different juries. Ana
when at last the authorities gave up
their efforts to make the evidence III
their theory of her oIoodgulitlness'
with the same amazing courage when
characterized her in all she did, she
came back to live in the mouse IN
which the murders were done-tne
haunted house in which live. Ihere
she made her home through all the
gloomy years during which the furious
passion of long ago simmered down
into q dull and chilly hate
There is no need, by recalling the
details Of the tragedy, TO harrow up
4ha innocent and stricken hearts that
have suffered for a, lifetime, the ccnse-
auences of this deed of somebody On
them. meekly enduring through their
ruined lives such sorrow ana shame
as weighed upon the guiltless kindred
Of those who died at the stake for
wischcraft, the shadow of an inefface-
abIa curse has rested implacabiy for
two generations. So long as the iron
heart of the woman who went Two
wears ago from mortal 10 1nInlte JUG
,nent. neither bent nor broke, so long
might one refer to the unforgotten
crime. But now that she has dissolved
once more into her original elements
and nothing is left to remind one or
chat dreadful Christmas Eve save the
bo1,se in which [ live and the resigned
.,,d nstient woman, her kin, bent and
bowed by an unending storm OF venge-
EN- renrobation, it is only just 10 let
q vague uncertainty mantle the story
~ +he house in which l live, precisely
.e tbe roses and the lilies make
~o,,nterpane for her last bed, ana
5aeDen fhe silence of the lips that snail
never speak again.
she and the victims of that tragedy
IF a most un-Christian Christmas Eve
ssara saf one family, but their Gust does
not co-msngle Her grave is some us
fance from the village IN wnlch an Oh
them were born and died Inc same
stony road on which looks down the
e,ous= IN which the deed was done
winds past the lsttle graveyard IN
vhsrh the poor victims have Deen
esleep for half cen-ury. 1t IS but a
5sten from one to the other, and II IT
wee not for the screening trees L
coui6 lgok out of a window of the
room in which the savage hand or
Murder translated them upon the
rrhiSe stone, shining n the moonlight
that simply comnaecl.; rates the mother
and the child long since turned to dust
hans-efh IT. There remain, indeed. no
offgx,. vestizes OF the tragedy than
: akessS <6ha mo graves in separate