Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1905-12-14
WOMAN CHEATED eALLows.
Seventy Years Ago, Mrs. Peak Took
Poison to Escape Public Execution.


Poison to Escape Public Execution.
The execution of Mrs Mary Rogers last
Friday has caused to be revived, both In
private conversation and in print, the cir
cumstances and history Of the women who
had previously been convicted OF murder
IN this state, and brings to the memory
OF our oldest inha bitants the trial. the
conviction, and preparations for the hang.
ing OF woman in this town 20 years ago.
/ This woman was Rebecca Peak. The
story, as nearly as il can now be obtained,
/ Is as follows, for details Of which we are
J largely indebted to Col. Z. =. Emery
( County Clerk II. K. Darling and "Uncle'
I Joe French.
| Mrs. Peak was a widow with several
children when she married Jonathan Peak,
who was a widower, and also had children
They resided in Randolph near East
Bethel. There was probably a feeling OF
Jealousy in the family, arising out OF a
mixture of children and so the old lady
proposed to wipe out the inmates OF the
house Of Peak who we're in opposition to
herself and children. To this end she OBJ
tanned some arsenic, mixed it in hash. put
it in the tea and coolly fed it to Mr. Peak
and his children for four days.
The old man found fault that the hash
did not taste right, but she told him she
would warm it over and put in more po-
tato and it would be all right. She kept
them eating hash and they kept getting
sieker until son, Ephraim Peak, sue
cumbed to the poison and died Aug. 20, /
1885. One girl, Fanny Peak, was made a
cripple for life. The fatner in time re-
covered.
Mrs. Peak was arrested, duly indicted /
and tried at the December term Of Orange I
county court. The trial begun Dec. 23d 1
and the respondent was found guilty of 4
H. ss.N . Il
o'clock p. m. This trial was presided
over by Hon. Charles X. Williams, chief
justice OF the supreme court. With him
sat Hon. Jacob Collamer, who was then
presiding Judge of the county court, and
two assistant judges. Judge Collamer
later became a United States senator and
postmaster general. The states attorney
was Hon. VIM. Hebard, afterward judge
Df the supreme court. The attorney who
defended the respondent was Hon. Will
lam Upham OF Montpelier, an able advo-
ate, and subsequently United States sem
ltor The old court room was a small
lffair, and the crowd was large, so the trial
vas held in the Cong'l church. which had
good sized room with a gallery on three
ides. Erastus Bugbee, then boy OF IA,
attending this trial and sitting
n the gallery.
No law then required that a session OF ,
xecution of a condemned murderer, so .
Mrs. Peak was sentenced to be hanged in
wo months OH Friday, Feb 26, 1896, be-
ween the hours of 10 a. m. and p. IN.
Earnest efforts were made by her able :
ounsel to get a reprieye from the gov
rnor until after the legislature had met
n hopes that the sentence might be COM s
nuted to life imprisonment. A petition
o this end was taken to the governor, but '
"A ma ha EH n ia
eply:-
"This case stands without parallel for !
moral guilt, as compared with the convic- ,
ions Tor capital ofienses heretofore had in
his state.n ,
Sothere was no reprieve and the public
xecution OF this old woman was to take I
lace on the date specified. The gallows I
'as built by the late Eddy Tracy and Col.
eorge, ready to be erected the morning
I the execution on the northeast corner c
what is now the South common, in l
ont of the court house. Holes were dug y
lady TO receive the posts of the gallows,
ut the instrument Of death was never h
sed and the community was relieved [
om the revolving spectacle, as the old n
oman killed herself by taking poison the a
ight before the execution was 10 have
ken placo. She had complained that she
,uld not sleep for few nights before her :,
sath and her physician. DR.. Ninslow, !
no lived in the house now occupied by !,
r4M. III. Corwin, gave her opium TO pro-
ace sleep. This she saved instead of
king it each night, as was supposed, and u
len took tile whole of it at one dose, 2
death and cheating the gallows y
its victim, Z
The Hon. Matthew Hale, late OF Albany,
", native of Chelsea, in letter writ n
n to II. X. Darling, Esq, in 1896, said b
''Great preparations were made for the 81
ecution of this wretehed woman. The n
eriff OF the county seemed to be a man d
a good many words, and talked freely
to what be should do on the occasion. 81
3 was to ride around with a drawn sword HI
d il he saw more than two or three peo- 2
E conversing together he was to ride up b
d order them to disperse. Ii was gem &
ally anticipated to be a big day for the is
wn.
The day was ushered in with a terrific r.
owstorm but Notwithstanding this the M
vn was filled with people curious to see NJ
e hanging. Many came for miles on /,
lt in the snow. Most of the people OF N
E village were gratified that the con- ~
nplated barbarous exhibition did not ~
Se place"