Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1896-10-08
Personal "reminiscences of Halt a Gen.
fury Ago.
BY HON. MATTHEW HALE OF ALBANY,
My.
Hale K. DARLING, ESQ, Chelsea. Vt.

| Dear OH - am very mllcn ulSap-
pointed in not being able to attend NJ
Chelsea on the centennial occasion
next week. had anticipated much
pleasure in being there, and showing
my young children the surroundings
of the place of my nativity, and also
in meeting some few, perhaps, of those
who dwelt there half century AGO
but a sudden attack of illness last week
from which l have not entirely recov-
cred will prevent my attendance. |
Twill therefore, by the aid of a stenog-
rapher, send you few of the recol-
lections which it was my expectation
to be able TO give orally next Wednes-
day
Ny recollcctions ofthe courts, Judges
and lawyers i'm Chelsea are all prior to
1916, in the fall of which year / left for
a term at Bradford academy, and since
which think ! have never attended
court in Chelsea As | was born in
1929, you will see that these can be
only the recOllections Of boy Some
of them are quite distinct, however.
while others are necessarily vague.
My fathers house. YOU will remember.
was ON the west side of the Jail, front
ing the north common, except for the
intervention of the old meeting house
Both my fathers house and the old
meeting house, which stood on the site
of the present church. were DESTROYED
by fire at different times, many wears
ago. | notice in an article of yours in
the HERALD that You say that tavern
was kept in this house. think this is
a mistake. Certainly no tavern or ho-
tel was kept there within my recolec-
ton, and although my father did at one
time, think, keep a tavern or hotel.
my impression is that it was not in
that house; indeed the arrangement Of
the house was not such as 10 suggest
anything Of this kind. Ny fathers
barn was upon the south side OF the
brook and on a line with the old court
house, which set back considerably
from the site OF the present court
house. As Il boy, therefore, ! used To
see the Judges, the sheriff and the law
yers rs they passed from the Orange
County hotel, mp over the bridge to the
court house, and also in returning. As
a boy ! was very fond of going into
court and listening to what was going
on whenever could do 50. either by get
ting away from school, or at hours
when school was not in session. The
schoolhouSe, was then as | believe it is
now, on the south side of the South
Common, only a short distance from
the court house.
The first case of which | have any
recollection was the trial of Mrs. Re
becca Peakc for the murder of her hus-
band, which occurred in December.
1885, | was then but six years old.
and am not sure whether | attended
any session Of the court. but my inn
preston is that did. think ! can
remember hearing Mr.. Upham in his
summing up for the defence. but am
not certain of this. Ii may be that my
recollection is only of what heard
from others at the time. | distinctly
remember this, however, in relation to
the case: One of my married sisters,
Mrs. Bliss. was on a visit to our house.
She, with my mother, and think some
other members of the family, went in
the evening TO hear The verdict rem
dered. When they returned | rcmem-
Der distinctly, calling ont, equity or
Not Guilty?" and that my sister re-
sponded, Guilty" and | have dis
tinct recollection of the subsequent oc-
cuTrences. Mrs. Peake was sentenced
"To be taken TO the place from which
she came and there keptuntil Friday the
26th day of February next, and on that
day between the hours of 10 O'Clock i'm
the forenoon and o'clock in the after
noon of said day, at some place of exc
cution to he selected by the sheriff of
said Orange county, to be hanged by
the neck until she be dead"
Great preparations were made for
the execution of this wretched woman.
A gallows was prepared, which was to
be erected on the South Common in
front of the court house, in sight of
everybody who chose TO be a spectator. !
The sheriff ofthe county. who seemed TO |
be a man of good many words. talked |
freely rs to what he should do on the |
occasion. He was to ride round with |
a drawn sword and if he saw more |
than two OF three people engaged in
together. he would ride /
M and command them to dispcrse, and /
was made,for what was gen
orally anticipated as a great day for
Many of the people however, |
did not feel that the occasion was TO 1
be hilarious one. | remember that
my next older brother. William. was
very much disguised and had arranged /
to 90 out of town so rs not to be pres
ent at the hanging. 1t turned ont that
the 10Th day of February, 1886, was
one of the worst days of the year. A
terrific snowstorm had set in day or
two before, and the roads about the
were drifted so a. to be almost
impossible. Notwithstanding this, the
little town was filled with eager specta-
tors. or persons who desired to be
spectators of the execution, but in
spite of their great efforts they were
The old woman had in
some way obtained laudannm in the
ail and had poisoned herself the day
before, so that the 9allows they had
prepared was never erected, and those
who came to witness the putting to
Heath of a feeble. wicked old woman
were disappointed. Rage took pos
session of their souls Good old Dr. i
INinSlow. whom some people charged