Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-10-20
STRANGE CONFESSIONS.
Men Who Have Owned tn 20 Crimes
They Never Committed.

That man ON the rack, with every
nerve quivering, with every nerve
drawn 20 its utmost tension, with the
pain increasing in intensity ana vio-
lonCe, should confess himself the per
petIator Of crime is natural enough.
The prospect Of relief frCm actual pain
Is a temptation that blinds the sufferer
to the future But it may seem strange,
and is indeed one of the most inexpliCa-
bic things in human history, that men
have been induced by religious exhorta-
tions and other means of persuasion to
sign their own death warrants by con
Tossing crimes actually never commit
ted. Such in England was the case of
John Perry, executed near Campden in
1901, with his mother and brother, for
numbering William Harrison, steward
for Lady Campden. The testimony
against them was chiefly the confession
Of John Perry himself, but, TO the as
tcnishmcrt Of all, Harrison, who had
been kidnapped and carried off, return
ed two years after the execution.
In 1912 man named Russell Colvin
living at Manchester. Vt, disappeared,
and suspicious Of foul play were enter.
tanned Public opinion attribGted his
murder to Stephen and Jesse Bourn
SUll. as there was no definite ground
on which TO arrest them, the excitement
gradually drew away. In 1919. how
ever a Mr.. Boorn dreamed that he had
been murdered by two men, whom he
fixed upon az his nephews, Stephen and
Jesse. The ghost Of the murdered man
even specified the place Of the murder
and tho old cellar hole where the man
gled body had been thrust Here a knife
and buttons were found which were
identified rs belonging to Colyin. On
this the men were arrested. Stephen
and Culyin had Quarreled just before
the disappearance Of the latter, and
Stephen had been seen to strike him
with club and knock him down
In short time Jesse confessed that
he and stephen, with their father, after
stephen knocked him down, had carried
him to the old cellar and cut bis throat
with a jackknife. He further stated
that the next year they made away with
most Of the bones Of their victim
Stephen, after a time. admitted the
truth Cf Jesse : confession On this they
were convicted and sentenced to he
. hanged on the 2sth of January, 1920.
They applied for Communication Of the
sentence, and as some believed their
innocehce, advertisements Were inserted
in various papers for CClviu. Not long
aftcrward letter appeared in the New
York Evening Post signed by Mrs.
Chadwick and dated Shrewsbury. n
j., Dec. 8, 1919 stating that a slightly
deranged man named Russell Colvin
had been there five years hefme. This
was generally looked upon as a hoax, but
James Whelpley of New York, who
knew Colvin, resolved to follow up the
clew and actually found Colvin at the
house Of William Polhemus at Dover,
\ J., whore he had been since April,
/ 1913.
M Whelrley took him TO New York,
the common council gave him means t.
proceed to Vermont, and he arrived at
Manchester on the 22d day Of December.
The whole place was in a state OF
wild excitement, People gathered in
from all the surrounding country to SEQ
the dead alive. a cannon was brought
ont, and Colvin was saluted with a dis
charge OF cannon and small arms,
stephen Eoorn firing the first piece.
There was much discussion as Il the
motive for the confession, some atlcbut
ing it to the effect of imprisonment, n
general sort Of panic and terror, and
others to the injudicious advice and ex-
hortatloEs ot clergyman. --Wondel
Events