Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-09-15
is SENTENCED FOR LIFE
GRAFTON MURDERER PLEADS
GUILTY IN SECOND DEGREE.
James Mitchell viii Spend Balance OF
His Days in States Prison-His
Willingness to Plead Guilty a Sur
prise-White Will Case.

Totally blind and with his head
wound In bandages TO cover his
wounds, James Mitchell. the Grafton
murderer. listened Monday afternoon
TO words from Chief Judge John w.
Rowell which will send him to the
state prison In Windsor for the rest
of his natural life. Mitchell was ar
raigned ON the charge of killing Mrs.
| Linnie b. Rankin of Grafton by shoot
ing her August s. He said he would
be willing to plead guilty to murder
in the second degree. States Attor-
ney II. ID. Ryder of Bellows Falls
and Attorney General c. c. Fits Of
Biattleboro stated what they probably
could show il the plea was not ac-
cepted and an effort was made to
prove murder In the first degree. and,
after considering the matter a short
time Judge Rowell announced that the
plea of guilty in the second degree
was accepted Then he sentenced
Mitchell to Imprisonment for life at
/ hard labor In the state prison at
Windsor. In view Of MitchelPs physi-
cal condition it is not known just
what the nature of his hard labor Will
be. 1t was generally understood that
defence would be made on the
ground of insanity, and Mitchelfs plea
| WAS IL SuTDTlSt. IllS dltoihtSS NNts
Thomas +. O'Brien and Charles II.
williams of Bellows Falls
! Mitchell is 80 years old. Mrs. Ran
| kin was "a years old. AT the time OF
| the tragedy she was working in Graf
1 ton. In fit of jealousy Mitchell shot
Mrs. Rankin twice in the head, killing
| her almost instantly. He then ran TO
hay loft in barn and shot himself
| In the head, placing the revolver
against his temple. The bullet cut on
the optic nerves. leaving him blind.
The grand jury returned several in
dictments, in addition to the one
against Mitchell. which were made
public Monday night, the respondents
having been arrested. They are as
follows: George Bowen of Vernon for
adultery Dennis Johnson OF Towns
hend for assault with intent to kill;
James sullivan of Springfield Mass
for larceny; Henry Capen of Rocking
ham for rape; Fred Illsley of Grafton
for larceny: Charles w. White OF
Rockingham for larceny: John Walsh
of Claremont, n. H., for larceny; Rena
Pease of Vernon for adultery. Capen
pleaded guilty of the charge against
him and was sentenced to not less
than IL or more than IA years In states
prison.
The case In Re Will of Luke White,
George E. Shippee of Whitingham.
proponent, and George S. Rice OF
Rowe. Mass. contestant, came on Mon
day afternoon and the evidence was
not all in up to last night. 1t appears
that Luke White lived all his LIE,
until about November /, 1904, on
little farm in Colrain. Mass, that he
has never married and had no living
heirs except the contestant George >.
Rice a nephew, whom he had not seen
for eight or ten years, although they
lived only about ten miles apart. Inc
evidence also showed that White had
said that his nephew should not nave
his property. White lived alone all
his life until by reason of old age ne
was compelled to go somewhere ana,
in November, 1904, made arrangements
with George E. Shippee, the proponent,
to go to his house to live, promising to
give Shippee his property after he was
through with it in return for taking
care of him. Shippee and his wife
took good care of the old man and he
was pleased with his new home, and
on January 27, 1905. made his will
giving the contestant SIS and the bal
ance of the property to Mr.; Shippee'
Four days afterward White died, leav-
ing an estate worth about s4'ooo. Al
ter the death the contestant appeared
and claimed the property by reason Oh
being nephew. Cnaries .. OnaoI
and c. C. Fits are acting as counsei
for the proponent; w. A. Davenport
of Greenfield. H. G, and f, r. BARBER
for the contestant.