Hi Margaret, Thank you so much for that information! I really appreciate it. I still cannot believe the atrocity of the crime and the fact that three other people stood by and allowed it to happen. Donna > > From: "M. E. Potter" <potter@inch.com> > Date: 2006/03/14 Tue PM 05:07:55 EST > To: RIGENWEB-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [RIGENWEB] Murder in South County in early 1800s committed > by Wm C Brown > > Hi Donna, > > From the database of "Early American Newspapers, Series I, 1690-1876, > available to members on the NEHGS website, I found the following: > > From the Portland Gazette, and Maine Advertiser, Vol. XVII, Iss. 5, pg. > 2, 1814-05-09: "In Rhode Island, last week, William C. Brown, was tried > for the murder of Mary Hallowell [or Halloway--see below] aged 5. An > account of the manner of committing the crime was published in Feb. last. > She was punished with such horrid barbarities for not telling the letter P. > as to cause her death. Brown was found guilty of murder in the second > degree and sentenced to six years imprisonment and a fine of 2000 dollars." > > From the Constitutionalist and Weekly Magazine, Vol. III, Iss. 47, pg. 3, > 1814-05-10: "PROVIDENCE, MAY 3. / At the late term of the Supreme > Judicial Court, in Washington County, William C. Brown, a schoolmaster, was > tried for the murder of Mary Halloway, an infant of five years old, whom he > punished for not pronouncing a letter as he ordered, in such a brutal > manner as to occasion her death. Forty-nine witnesses were examined, and > the Jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder of the second degree. He > has been sentenced to six years imprisonment and a fine of 2000 dollars." > > From the Connecticut Gazette, Vol. LI, Iss. 2636, pg. 4, > 1814-05-18: "PROVIDENCE, May 3. / INTERESTING TRIAL. / At the April term > of the Supreme Judicial Court, holden the last week, in the county of > Washington, William C. Brown, of South-Kingston, was indicted for a murder > committed the 27th day of December, 1813, on the body of Mary Halloway, an > infant of five years of age. The trial commenced on Friday morning at 9 > o'clock. Forty-nine witnesses were sworn and examined, and the arguments > of counsel were not finished until between 5 and 6 o'clock on Saturday > morning. The Jury retired, and about 8 o'clock the same morning, returned > a verdict of guilty of murder of the second degree. On the same day, the > sentence of the Court was pronounced upon the prisoner, which was > imprisonment for six years and a fine of two thousand dollars. / Samuel W. > Bridgham, Esq. Attorney General was counsel in behalf of the State, and > John Whipple and Levi Trotten [unclear, perhaps Trotter], Esqrs. for the > prisoner." > > Regards, > Margaret > > > > > > At 12:31 PM 3/9/2006, you wrote: > >In doing some research on the Peleg Brown family, I ran across an item in > >an old newspaper, the Rhode Island American of January 28, 1814. They had > >published a letter written by someone to a family member stationed at Fort > >Trumbull. The letter went into detail about how on the 27th of "December > >last" William C. Brown, son of Peleg Brown, had murdered a 4-5 year old > >child who lived with him. He killed the child because she was having > >trouble learning her alphabet. There was a description of a horrific > >crime, and then the writer added that the whole scene was witnessed by > >Brown's wife and "Baker and his wife" - none of whom did anything to stop > >the crime. > > > >I have been trying to find out the name of the little girl as well as any > >info on a trial, jail sentence, etc. There's a big gap in the births of > >children to William and his wife, Sally Kenyon, which may be accounted for > >by the fact that he could have been incarcerated, but I can find nothing > >else on the crime to support that. > > > >Have any of you South County history experts heard of this crime? Any info > >is appreciated. > >Donna in RI > > > > > > > >==== RIGENWEB Mailing List ==== > >Visit RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative: http://www.rootsweb.com/ > >WorldConnect Project -- Connecting the World One GEDCOM at a Time > >http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/ > > > ==== RIGENWEB Mailing List ==== > Newport County RIGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~rinewpor/ > To unsubscribe: http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/mailist.html#unsubscribe > >