Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-09-26
) Ii1E AID. VERSUS
: SUPERSTITION.

tOriginai.l

iSis'iuouS evidence Is bad.
n'ppcheu III lie beginning of the las
''h'ui!' III gwen as fiction the autho
would be considered to bnvc oxh,u,,o,
ms powers >f mventing rcasonabl,
happenings. 'pd rs fact it Is liable I,
"c put down IS tissue of lies.
l" iSi- me Yen little village OF Man
''cs'er' VI. Yls shocked ut the dlsap
pe"ruhcc OF oIe OF It's citizens, Russell
Gown Two toung men. Stephen and
JESSE bourh' We're suspected of the
murder. Just before fine dIsonno,r
"nce stephen 'pd Colvln had quarrelcd
ana stephen hal knocked Colvin down
with a club. This had been seen nv
persons who were ready TO testify to
the fact.
hut SO long Is Colvln had not been
Killed, not eva seriously injured. this
was not suilicint evidence for his con.
victlon, the Burns were not nrrcstcl
and the excitement gradually died
away. Sevenyears passed md tho
mystery of Collins disappearance came
to be rcgnrdcI as one of those riddles
th"t would nccr be solved. Then one
night IN lS10in uncle of Stephen and
Jesse Dourn ecamcd that the ghost OF
colvin append TO him, denounced tho
two Bourn bSs rs his murdcrcrs md
said they hn buried the body I'm tho
ceiinr. Thenncle gave the ghostly
testimony tohc authorities.
n century 90 dreams were supposod
TO be, reliabl sources of lnformntiop
ana ghosts bouncing their murdercrs
was not untral. Now we know tbot
dreams are Nothing more than tho
working of f brain in slccp. md no
for ghosts. TIT are principally interest.
Ing to socicts for psychical research
Nevcrthclesshc cellar floor was dug
up, ana nlfc and buttons were
round that ire identified rs having
belonged tobc missing Colvin. Tho
Bourn broths were arrested
In time ice Bourn. exhortcd by his
spiritual ndser. confessed that hc
and his brotr Stephen ana thcir ia !
'her. AFTER sphcn had knocked COL
YIN down. hirarrlcd him to the cellar
ana cut his lroat with n jackknife.
The next ycThey managed to remove
most Oh me linalns of their victim.
NC co.'icssil OF one man may turn
OUT 10 DC iaii but there was another
confession inlis case that nrccludo5
any uoupt Viewer that the first was
genuine. stem Bourn after II time
admitted that>lat his brother hnd
s"iu was true.l y father and the two :,
sons were CONWAY nnd sentenced TO
be hanged on tI2Sth of Jonuory n
1890.
Despite the dout confession tboro
were persons so istinatc I'm tho,r
opinions M to holdat tho mon ,vor,
inhoccil, ah'i some hard headed us
to doubt even tha,olyln vos do,d
Some of these took upon thcmsolvos
to Insert ndvertisents I'm II numhor
of papers for the ming mnn Th,,
came another OF fse chapters OF
events. letter ed Shrewsbury
n. j., Dec. O, 1S1tnd signed Inv n
Mrs. Chadwick aprcd In the New
York Evening Postnting that a de.
ranged man namedssell Colyin had
been there five yca5cforc. The let.
ter was considered Ioax.
In tle Colyln cas was different
James Whclplcy dew York. who
had known Colyln, Iolvcd TO follow
up this clcw. Hpckcd the man
who Ind been seer Shrewsbury to
Dover, N. j., ilftyles away. Mr.
Whelplcy went til and found hls
old acquaintance. lcll Colvin. He
had been there evclce 1913.
The evidence thhad determined
Colvin TO have beenrdered and tho
process by which lns discovered is
Il singular Illustrator the blending
or tho superstition he century with
the more cnllghtennethods OF tbc
eighteenth centur,Hc had been
pronounced dcad bghost seen in n
dream. Those he ned were nlocod
under that InQuiial process IN
vogue during the previous cen.
turtles. The clergye stu n power
and Clergyman eted the accused
10 confess. as thostused Of witch
craft had been c;ed to confess is
Then comes In thwn of n more n
enlightened age TITLE newspsDer nc
OF that period. cacompnred with er
.he sehrchlight Oily. to cast its y
feeble rays upon tlstIm nud LIGHTS
up the truth. On
Mr.. Whelpley 1.-THE murdered ar
man with him to York. and tho ur
city council gave HONEY To 20 70 to-
Manchester. where rived obout n fct
month before his crers were In
have been hangc6f course bIs ssr
coming had been ;nced by mail "a
- lie prisoners werpased. the be-
licvers In dreams cl I'm with those n
who had believed le Rourns, IN. e
noccnce, and the Q town, wild n
with excitement, r,rced by dele 81
cations from the snding country. 81
prepared to welcoIe man called n
back from the deA salute was e
fired from a cahnol small nrms