The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-06-14
STRANGE CONFESSIONS.
Men " h" Tnvc owned lp to trimeA
Ih.N NcNcr l'Ommitfcd

Men " no J,nvr owned tp to trimeh
Th". >r,cr Committed.
That - man IN the rack, with every
nerve Iuivcring, with every nerve
drawn to its utmost tension, with the
pain increasing in intensity and vio
lcncr. should confess himself the per
pctIutor 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 il indeed one of the most inexplica
bic things in human history. that men
have been induced by religious exhorta
tiODs 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
1861, with his mother and brother, for
numbering William Harrison, steward
for Lady tHlnpd-n. The testimony
against them was chiefly the confession
of John Perry himself but. to the as
trn-hm"nt Of ALL Harrison, who had
been kidnapped and carried of. return
ed two wears after the execution.
In 1872 man named Russell Colvin,
and suspicions of foul play were enter
tanned. Public opinion attributed his
murder 10 Stephen and Jesse Boorn.
Still. as there was no definite ground
on which to arrest them. the excitement
gradually drew away. In 1919. how
ever, n Mr.. Boorn dreamed that he had
been murdered by two men. whom he
fixed upon as his nephews. Stephen and
Jesse. Tie ghost of the murdered man
even specified the place of tho murder
and the ud cellar hole where the man
gled body had heen thrust Here knife.
and buttons were found. which were
identified as belonging to Culvin. On
this the men were arrested Stephen
and tolviIE had 4uarreled Just before
the disappearance of the latter. and
Stephen had leen seen to strike him
with club and knock him down.
In Il 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 his throat
With jackknife. He further stated
that the next year they made away with
most Of the bones Of their victim
Stephen. after time. admitted the
truth Of Jesse g confession. On this they
were convicted and sentenced to be
hanged on the 28th of January, 1920.
They applied for communication Of the
sentence. and, as some believed their
innocence. advertisements were inserted
in various papers for Colvin. Not long
afterward letter appeared in the New
York Evening Post, signed by Mrs
Chadwick and dated Shrewsbury, n.
j., Dec. 6. 1919. stating that a slightly
deranged man named Russell Colvin
had been there five years before. This
was generally looked upon as hoax, bnt
james Whelpley of New York. who
knew Colvin. resolved to follow up the
clew and actually found Colvin at the
house of William Polhe:nus at Dover,
n. T.. where he had been since Aprii,
1913.
Mr. Whelpley took him to New Vol k,
the common council gave him means to
proceed to Vermont, and he arrived at
Manchester on the 22d day Of Decemo Ger.
The whole place was in stats Of
wild excitement. People gathered in
from all the surrounding country to sse
the dead alive. A cannon was brought
out, and Colvin was saluted with dis
charge of cannon and small arms.
Stephen Boorn firing the first piece.
There was much discussion as to the
motive for the confession, some attribut-
ing 1t to the effect Of imprisonment. a
general sort Of panic and terror. and
others to the injudicious advice and ex-
hortations of clergyman. Wonderful
Events.