The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-17
QUEER CONFESSIONS.
Men Who Confessed to Crimes They
Never Committed.
From Wonderful Events.

From Wonderful Events.
That a man on the rack, with every
nerve quivering, with every nerve drawn
to it's utmost tension. with the pain IN
creaslng in intensity and violence, should
confess himself the perpetrator of crime
is natural enough. The prospect of re-
lief from actual pain is a temptation that
blinds the sufferer to the future. But ID
may seem strange, and is, indeed, one %
the most inexplcable things in human
history, that men have been induced by
religious exhortations and other means "a
persuasion to sign their own death WARE
rants by confessing crimes actually neyer
committed.
Such in England was the case Oh
John Perry, executed near Campden I'D
1861, with his mother and brother, for
numbering William Harrison, steward OF
Lady Campden. The testimony against
them was chiefly the confession of Johh
Perry himself, but, to the astonishmen1
of ALL Harrison, who had been kidnappe1
and carried off, returned two years alter
the execution.
In 1872 a man named Russell Colvin, hV-
ing at Manchester, VT, disappeared anu
suspicious of foul play were enterta'neo
Public opinion attributed his murder 'o
Stephen and Jesse Boorn. Still, as lhei Y
was no definite ground on which TO al
rest them, the excitement gradually uV"
away. In 1919 however, Mr. bool
dreamed that he had been murdered W
two men, whom he fixed upon as '"
nephews, Stephen and Jesse. The snoS'
IL Il Il
place of the murder, and the old ceHar
hole, where the mangled body had Oe5n
thrust Here a knife and buttons "elo
found, which were identified as belonglus
to Colvin. On this the men were arIesNu
Stephen and Colvin had quarreled gus
before the disappearance of the lat',
and Stephen had been seen to strike l'"
with a club and knock him down.
In a short time Jesse confessed thal ~
and Stephen, with their father alg
Stephen knocked him down, had caISt
him 10 the old cellar and cut his tnfod.
with jack-knife. He further stated Una.
the next year they made away with no'.
of the bones of their victim. Stephen dill'
a time, admitted the truth OF Jesse 0V
fession. On this they were conYicted @Dp
sentenced to be hanged on Jan % lo-"
They applied for Communication OF the seu
teuce, dnus as some DGileNeu tbNi
cence, advertisements were inserted III va
rious paprs for Colvin. Not long altl
ward a letter appeared in the New or
Evening Post, signed by a Mr.. ChadWES,%a
and dated Shrewsbury, N. j., Dec. o. ls-'
stating that a slightly deranged man h"r pau,
ed Russell Colvn had been there five yeNo
before. This was generally looked w.,
as hoax, but James Whelpley OF Nv
York, who knew Colvin, resolved TO lOi
low up the clew, and actually found vi
Win at the house of William Polhemus,
Dover, ". j., where he had been s"N'
April, 1913.
Mr.. Whelpley took him to New l"S
the Common Council gave him means
proceed to Vermont, and he arr"eu
Manchester on Dec %. iii,
The whole place was in a state Of WI
excitement. People gathered in from a.
the surrounding country TO see the usi
alive. A cannon was brought out, anu ~
win was seiuted with discharge OF 0e a..
non and small arms, Stephen Boom
ing the first piece. There was much olsg,
sion as to the motive for the copiessi,'
some attrbutlng it to the effect Of .-
prisonment a general sort Of panic ..,os
ror. and others TO the injudicious au''
and exhortations OF a clergyman.