La Junta tribune., 1898-05-21

newspapers of the day. Two yearS
previous to the discovery Of the body
OF Jennie Cramer on the sands of
Savin Rock, Mary Stannard. a girl en-
p!oyed in the household OF Rev. Her.
bert H. Hayden, q Methodist clergyman
at North Branford. Conn, was found
dead in the woods adjoining that town.
Her skull was crushed and a blood
stained stone close at hand told the
fatal story. Hayden was suspected of
the murder. and was arrested few
days later. He had always borne a
good reputation, and the suspicion Of
crime that rested upon him came as a
shock to the community. The standing
OF the young clergyman and the SEN
sational features OF the crime attract
ed attention far and wide. and the case
was easily the most important OF Its
class in the country Mt the time.
Hayden had a wife and children
Mary Stannard was an attractive girl
and 1t was whispered that the clergy
man was not proof against her charms.
His defense hinged upon case of
athletics. 1t was sworn by credible
witnesses that Rev. Mr.. Hayden was
seen in his shirt sleeves splitting wood
In his back yard at certain hour on
the day when the murder was commit
ted. Equally credible witnesses teeth
fed to having heard scream in tho
woods where Mary Stannard's body
was found at a time subsequent to
Hayden's Identification on his own
premises. The distance was three or
more miles. The elapsed time was
about seventeen minutes. The course
between the two points lay across
fields thick with running blackberry
bushes. There were fences to vault.
wooded lanes to traverse and other nat
ural obstacles. The best foot runners
OF the day. amateur and professional.
tried to cover the distance in the time
specified. Each and all failed.
1t was practically an nlibi for Hay
den. But the court and the public had
not figured on one man. Benjamin
Hotchkiss, farmer from an obscure.
village. Prospect. in the range Of noun
tains north of New Haven, was on the
fury. Hotchkiss was "sot man" He
afterward admitted that he was kinder
biased agin preacher folks" and that
he allowed he might be leetle sot
IN his ways" This was shown by the,
fact that when his eleven fellow fury,
men promptly voted mot guilty" on
the first ballot Hotchkiss stood out for
guilty and the death penalty. For two
days and three nights eleven tired, dis
gusted and exasperated men argued
with, stormed at. abused, wrestled with
aud importuned this white-haired old
rustic. "B'gosh, believe he killed the
gal and I'll stick to it till cider max
ing" was all the old man would say.
In despair the jury reported to the
court that there was no hope of reach
ing verdict. They were thereupon dis
charged. The foreman then arose and
stated that the ballots had stood IL to
/ from the start. The presiding Judge
ordered that a nolle pros be entered in
the case and Rev Herbert H. Hayden
walked from the courtroom free man.
The cloud on his life drove him from
the ministry and he is now a contract
ing carpenter in New Haven. Shortly
after the Stannard case the body Of
young woman was found inside stone
walled field on roadway near Stam-
ford, Conn. 1t was identified as that
OF Rose Amber. beautiful GIRL and
the daughter Of widow In the city
named. Her reputation was above re-
proach. She had been strungled and
stabbed. There were vague rumors of