Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-02-29
CARLYLE GUILTY
IN FIRST DEGREE
CONTINUED from page ~

continued from page ~
the time he killed Fox. Miss Hoiipack
testified that Carlyle had on sevcrai
occasions acted in u way that wouio
tend to make one think him not sounn
mentally. She cited instances when
he had come to her home at unusua'
hours and made statements for "hich
she afterwards found there was no
foundations and she said That on one
occasion when she told Carlyle she
had prayed for him he told her to stop
praying for him because his inothcr
prayed for him also and the prayers.
brought him bad luck. lie threatened
to shoot her, the witness said. If she
did not stop praying for him. She
also told of going to Fort Ethan Allen
after n large sum of money which
CARLYLE had told her he wanted her to
place in the bank for him and OF ind
ing that he did not have the money
and had forgotten that he told her
ANYTHING about it. These. and num-
her of other instances, she recited. to
show that Carlyle was subject TO
queer spells.
The history of the Carlyle family
was begun when Mrs. Josephine Car
lvle took the stand She created a
surprise by stating that she was the
second wife of Carlyle. he elder The
latter's first wife. Mrs. Narcissus Car
1yle. was sitting near Carlyle in the
courtroom Carlyle's father, Edward
Carlyle. sat apart. but the three APP
pealed to be on friendly terms. Car
i-.f.. oil ~ q l.
mony that developed later. had not
seen his first wife or his son in TWEEN
ty years Both women. ana Carlyle's
father. testified in the respondents be-
half. The story, when completed, gave
one reason to believe that possibly
Carlyle had been mentally unbalanced
when he shot FOX. In substance it Is
as follows:
Many years ago white plantation
owner kept az "A slave a black woman.
No marriage ceremony was ever per-
formed for these two but several chill
dren were born to them. OF the num-
her. Matthew Carlyic's father. Edward
T.. Carlyle, was one. Ills mind was
sound but he had two brothers who
were fecblemindcd. and sister who
was violently insane His mother and
father, the plantation owner and the
slave, both became violently insane
Edward Carlyle married and his wife's
father was also insane. To them was
born Matthew carlyle. When the lat
ter was about five wears of age. Ed
ward Carlyle separated from his wife
ana left Matthew Carlyle in her
charge The boy wandered away. join
ed the army and finally was arrested
at Fort Ethan Allen for the murder
If Andrew G. Fox Carlyle the elder
had married again in the meantime
and had lost all trace of Matthew. his
son. one day Carlyle the elder saw
an account in the newspapers of an
attorney having been appointed to de-
fend Carlyle in a murder trial He in :
quired who the man was and found
it was his own son. He came TO Bur
lington and saw his son again for the
first time in twenty years. His second
wife came with him ana his first wife
had also been summoned. so that the
three met in the courtroom where
young Carlyle was to be tried for his
life.
The foregoing story was related by Ed
ward T.. Carlyle. The witness was moved
Ia toars when he spoke of his mother
, She WAS of African descent, he said, and
p, had been freed by the eman c!pation procl9
nation. He had several brother and sis
tiers, he said. and he could remember tn.
acts Of frenzy committed by his mother
and father when they later became in
sane and also by a sister, Janet, who
= showed strange mental symptoms. Two
other brothers. he said had been weak
minded. MIR. Carlyle testified that Wher
Matthew Ohe respondent was a small
: boy he had shown symptoms of a strange
disease and would throw himself on tn,
ground and foam nj the mouth and &c
like an animal.
Z In all of his testimony. the elder Car
= lyle was corroborated by Mrs. Josephine
= Carlyle VINO saiu she had known he
= husbands sister. Janet, and had Otter
= seen her run into the street and yell ST
= that she could he heard for blocks. Sh
D also corroboratel her husbands testi
7 monN concerning his mother and broth
Y crS.
y Another star witness was Mrs. Narcis
I sus Carlyle. the respondents own mother
who came all the way from La Grange
n Ga. TO testify In her sons behalf. Mrs
y Carlyle was very deliberate in her an
) swers and she hesitated often because
u as she said, she WAS not certain that sh
could answer the questions truthtullN
y She related how her father had gone in
II sane few years before his death an
u how II had been necessary to keep hin
l. restrained. She had been school teAch
T. e. once, she said, but for many years ma
~ supported herself by doing different kind
= of work. She said she had always man
aged to keep in touch with 'arlNl
through letters which he sent her pei
Z haps once or twice each year. and othe
y people had told her where he was, TN
last letter she received from him. sh
said was about a year and q half ago.
A number of Carlvle's associates in II,
army We're called on to testify concernin
the respondents mental condition Non
could State positively that Carlyle ha
ever appeared positively insane hut b
:, was regarded as a peculiar man. Officer
Il In command of Carlyle's troop testitic
. that the man had never been regarde
a as mentally unbalanced. but that he ha
, been called trouble maker and was III
. popular among his associates He wa
. an excellent marksman and n good horse
=, man. they said
4, The government : case VAS all IN earl
Yesterday morning I'D the defense con
pleted its evidence shortly aftorwar
The summing up occupied Il little les
than an hour and a half and the cas-
went to the jury about $50 O'Clock. 70