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SAVANNAH DAILY HERALD;
. a.x; '
VOLUME I.)
3No.
||;ibamt;ilj
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“STUMPY BROWN.”
About four years since there lived in
the town of Woodbridge, in Suffolk, a
short, sharp-featured, wiry little man,
who apparently had no occupation, but
professed to be a farm-laborer, and re
ally got his living principally by poach
ing. His proper name was Richard
Brown, * but the townsfolk of Wood--
bridge, from some fancy or other, prob
ably bn account of his short stature,* had
changed the Richard into Stumpy, < and
by that name he was always known.—
Every one was afraid of Stumpy Browh;
he lived in the outskirts of the town, on
the Martlesome road, and rarely troubled
himself to converse much with his neigh
bors. When he did it was generally to
dispose of a horse, or game of some de
scription, which he nearly always'had in
stock. His dress, in addition to the
knee breeches of the period, and the*
usually bright-colored vest, with a long
brown coat of very shabby appearance,
and a loose felt bat, which he wore over
his forehead, whilst his cold, grey eye's
glanced malignantly from under its
brim.' No oiie could say any harm ’Of
Brown, beyond that he was a surly, ill
conditioned sort of fellow, who shunned
his neighbors, and wasaknown poacher,
but yet there were suspicions and ru
mors abroad about him, which, if true 1 ,
would have brought him to the gallows.
Some few years before the time of which
I speak throe murders had occurred at
various intervals in the neighborhood of
Woodbridge, which considering the na
ture add size of the town, was a very
startling circumstance. Os none of these
was theperpetrator known. • .) .
Ad officer of a regiment quartered at
Woodbridge had been drinking in the
Red Liok public house on the Martle
some roal; he had been seen and recog
nized here ; on i the following mom in g
he was fdmd in a ditch near by, his
throat and his pockets empty. ) o
The Captain of a Norwegian trading
vessel, tten lying in the port, after he
had been missing for ten days, was
found in a putrescent condition at the
bottom otfthe river, tied up in a sack,
without tie least clue as to where or by
whom (he lad bfeen murdered.
Lastlyv?* farmer of the name of Aigh
ton, whoseproperty was in the neigh
borhood, vfcg known to have gone into
Woodbridg on the market day; he did *
not return iome in the evening, but on
the foliowbg morning his body was
found Uvahrn by the side of the road
behind the which it was necessary
for him to inverse on his way back.—
His head haqbeen battered in, apparent
ly by some >lunt instrument, and hia
pockets rifleq More attention appears
to haVe been excited by this murder than
in two fomer cases.
'Hie officer pd the captain were stran
gers in the-to fyi, and with regard to the
Norwegian sapper's case, it , was the
genejral some of the vessel’s
crew were confected with the matter. —
SAVANNAH, THURSDAY EVENING, FEB. 16, 1866.
i . • : 777 TANARUS). *»CD rj M if',;.
But in this instance, the victim .was no
stringer. Farmer * Aighton was f-weU,*
known and Hespeeted in 'Woodbridge,
anand had been:
mahy of: his friends on the very day. of
Uis The inquest was held
as fin the two otheiL.vasesj.'but no evi- 1
derjee wasadduced as to the author, of!
thd cripie. |
.Justice appears to .•have been tardy in i
thefee tiines, at rate in that quarrel
of tjhe World j npw-a-days it would in
deed Astonish us fehould three undiscov
ered murders spread their dark shadows
of suspicion and feqr over a .single small
tow(n within the coferse of ten years.—
Although no evidence had been brought
before the authorities, tending to incul
pate any indiVidual%ith the murder of
Aighton, yet the ringer of suspicion, as
directed by the good people of Wood-
Jtiriuge, pomted to Stumpy Brown. He
was known to have poached on the
fariher’s grounds, and had been prosecu
ted jby him, and threatened' with a Sec
ond summons. '
Stumpy a sour-mouthed fellow,,
and! had Seen heard to say that he would
“dej sor 1 * any person Who interfered with
what be considered his privileges, and in
conse q uence of t h is, m any. farmers and !
neighbors had from ' prosecu
ingT Brown, absolutely ''through fear.—
Hence it was thought not improbable
iha( Stumpy Brpwn.bad murdered Farm
er Aighton to prevent his executing UiS'
threat of a second summons Time pass
ed 6n and people forgot their suspicions
concerning Brown* .
When h was a boy in the town, about
fortjy years since. Stumpy was regarded
by the more sensible folks as-a character,
a qtieer sulky old fellow, but no credit
was given to the rumors of his being a
mutderer. I was apprenticed to q, dpc-,
tor fa the town, and being fond qf, fish
ing jor shooting whenever I .could steal
the time, managed to make the acquaint
ance of. oia Brown, who always ,knew
where a hare i was, or an old pike. He
seemed to take a fancy to me, and many
a evening haye with
hint fishing in the riyer.
One evening I remember w§ll walking
with him at the back of the town. I
nevjer gave the least credence to the re
ports about Stiimpjf' atari therefore had
no hesitation in referring to the murder.*
•• ‘‘Ah,” said I, pointihg to the foad,
“that’swhere they murdered Aighton,
isn't it r -
Brown started A little, and said, “ I
Wish, sir, yonld'nt talk on them sort of
things that ain’t pleasant I heerri
mucp about it, never he erd much’. 1 I
suppose that be the place; as thfeysay soi
but my Opinion is that that’s fercher
alofigi not that I should kndw abonf it; fr
IjOiten heard him muttennglh hi&ffef
anc once found him staffing into *Kyson
dock in and very intent manner. I started
him by my appearance, and he
That's deep down therO; Sir, Vary'
deejp. That would easily drOWn a * man'
specially if he were tied
And tpem he laughed.' * i
I recall these circumstances now, hut
at the time lUhought nothing Os thefn.—
Towards the end;of the tear iB6O, .the
small pox broke out in Woodbridge wftli
great violence, as it did in many tbWnS
in East Angjffia at period; All the
help and care that could be dbtainefl
were required for the hundreds of pa
tients who wCredafiy earned off by this
terrible disease. My master and I 1 had
the greater part of the Work to’do. 1 * 0 ;
, A pest house was established, and the
mdividualsx'appointedi'tb take charge of
it, to receive .the patients and superin
tend the nursing, were Stumpy - Brown
and his wife Lt>ld Mrs Brown, Whom I
•have not mentioned/ had been wedded to
btumpy lbr tony years, and T always
considered her an hohefct 014 Woman.
i When the pest broke out, BtuiUpy haid
vea« getting jnkUfolke, the marks
ot sixty winters being upon them. I
] wvr: v ic .'ui TiMnwjii
however, found Brown an excellent as
house, as he
te> bdrisess a very great amount of sang
&oid in dealing with dtMl bodies, 3 which
iaa valuable quality.
.•ii Jithough as we beforesaid, among
the educated of the .fb'yhs-ncbpj? no
mo: 'e »Wes TOorigbt of the rtimor ‘that *
Brc wn had murdered Aighton, yet the
Lower Classes still feared him.. Mrs.
Brc wn had all aiohg shared the same
dislike as ‘ her husband. It was said
that she had the “evil eye,*'that she was
a witch, ami various other disagreeable
things.
When, therefore, the doctor placed my
old acquaintance, Brown and his wife, in
charge of the pest house, it was not won
der ill-that many of the poor were afraid
ongoing there, and tried hard to be al
low edxto remain in their own homes.
. AjMrs.' Fiteh. Whose husband had been
smijtten with*‘the disease, and was to be
sept to the''pest house, begged hard that
lie should not go. '
1 ‘]He knbws, sir, that of Brown that
( Vpod hang r> im,” she said," 1 “and it’s
hell neVer Come out alive.”
Rut of cotirse no heed could be paid'
to this, and Fitch went. In two days
hfe lfecarrie much worse, and skid he
should Uke,tq,see the clergyman before
he died. The doctor passed with me on
our! reguW fbund, hnd I despatched
Brown sot” the curate of the parish.—
EitohWbrild last another day, we both
thought, arid leaving him' with Mrs.
; BroWn, Went inl.o. the next Ward. When
theiclergymah came Fitch w&s dead’.'
liwent up 1) study in. London after the
epi(|emid had passed away, and forgot
Btumpy Brown apd Woodbridge until
the; following facts were narrated to
me' about seven years afteirwards.
It appeared that a man of the name of
Green was charged at Woodbridge with
burglary. This map I knew was an old
companion of Brown's, t and seemed al
ways to have a sqft o| very, mysterious,
couuecilvii with him.
When awaiting his trial he wrote to
Brown that unless he came and swore
to-ga “Alibi” for him. he would ‘let him
(Brown) know.’ Brown did t pot oqme
forward emi aec-orclingly when in prison
(jreien, burned iiingis and im
f* Heated old Stumpy in the njynrder of
‘ai mer Aighton. It was, nearly thirty
years since the murder occurred, and
Brown ; >vas now a feeble old man.—
,Wfc ether it was on account of his old
age; end the, time whiph bad elapsed,
since the murder, or whether f pi default
of evident, I cannot say, Brown,
who was -tried pt Jdury assizes, was con -
victfe/Lpf aggravated .manslaughter only,
and sentenced to, penal servitude ;for the
rehiainder of Mb days. The ship in
Whicfehe to. have gone to Botany
Bay was one o 7 jthe last convict transports
which lptt; Rhglaqd.,. It was wrecked in
Rhei channel otTßoulogne,. And. ,ail.rm,
board Abembpe,' of tiho,
myrders yfere explained; iii
thejperson of my old acquaintance, and
expiated.,
• ’ blyrs, Brdwn did hot,long surviye her
husband. M she lay on : her dentil bed
SHe said “to’the doctor— ( ' J , !
r ‘T should'like to fsti&lk to some 6ne
befor^lgb/
inlergyman was sent for, but when,
he came the old woman raised herself in
lteifbed add said— ' ,
l - 1 ‘JTbCre’s no tisC yohr ebridihg herie
ho good y’dri can do me. It'S
trie mhgisffAth i Want.”''' f- ';; J '
r, ‘ ! 4fter this ,ehe! ’ Elapsed for some tithe,
and with her last energy she said:—
i! ‘!l mw gfal summit to yer afor I
dfei Sthmpy’s' shall. Ibe soon,
I sd that dom-matteiS You know the of
ficer as was murdered and < robbed close
iff itbM 'Manlesome andf Stumpy
ba’idonfe that. (A paiHe.) Yer know
the Captain what Wks found In a sack f
I’hhd Stumpy put ’im fn. r ' Wo drugged
’im first and then took his money and
11 ) .. 1 ■ *
seWed im up. Fiteh saw Stumpy phf -
imi in the river, but he dursn’t tell,
’catse Stumpy said he'd do the same fer
hint if he did. When he sent for the
cfeßgyman when Fitch was a dying
Btitmpy says to me, Says he, gemi '
teblab; you best f*trm im.” I knowed
%hat be meant and so I stuck the pilloir
onjhis face after you were gone, Ik
weht off quite easy and uaferal like, and
he hadnH long to live anyways. That's
all about Fitch. (Another pause )
Stumpy killed owld Aighton 'cause he
prosecuted ’im and it Warn’t like Im?
Would stand that.. Stumpy's drowned, *
ter can't git him, and I ain't,fur ©ft*
dyibg. I can die more quiet like'now I
have loosed my mind. That’s getting:
cold now, I feel as if that were a kibes'
o’Bipotberme. Oh, Lord!”
And thus the old woman died. No»
great publicity was given to. „ Musk
Brown s confession, and to many the:
W-cfodbridge murders are still a mystery.
of the Savannah Herald. £
‘Milton S. Cl, Feb. 11, IB6S_
Tjlie Arago, for New York, from th im
port, left the wharf last night, and an
chored in the river until 1 o'clock, P.
M.,i to-day when Gen. Foster went on
boa^df J The General has been granted »,
leave of absence on accbunt of disabili
ty s|rom wounds. " He transferred the*
command of this department, fin ac
cordance With orders from the War De
partment,) duffing his absence, to MaJ.
Geq. Q. A. Gillmore, U. S. Volunteers.
Tho best wisbefe of the officers and en
listed men will accompany the General
has ICft us.
Among the passengers, per Arago, wo*
wiiL mention Wit. F. Buchanan, Assis
tant Surgeon, U. S. A., lady and child.—
Dr.IB. has for some trme been the Ex
' eciilive officer of the Medical uF
This Department. His uniform urbanity
cheerful and obliging disposit ion.have
wok for him q host of wbfLWjri'n
hini much pleasure, on his trip home.
Qn assuming command, Gey, Gill
mofe issued the following General Order a t
' HFXDQOABTERB PEPABTiUC,T OK ’ME SotTU,
HiltOn Hiau, S. C., Feb. 0.1605,
General Oui>erß* ) . < »
No. 10. ;
Id compliance'with orders from' the Secretary
of War, dated D: C., Jan. SO, 1805. tho under
signtd hereby assumes command of the Depart
meniof the South.
j Afl e±ist|tig order's and kcguLatione will ro~
muLt iq. force until otherwise Ordered.
r, y. A, GILLMORE.
‘ iV 1 : Major General Volunteers
' W. L. iMi BciuJJfcß, Ahb't Adj’tGtnwaL
; , JO^ciaM
ffihree recruiting agents arrived, per
Illihonv from New York. Tbuy offer
1 ■ It ~:<!■ *
streng to colored men to.
enlist/ One will go to your^fty; another
to Beaufort, mid the third will remain ak /
/piilton Head.’ More anon.
j • • I-.,' ( .!*, CaSSANI)*.!..
I’uN—HoML .AUpfc), AND BoRR»W»1>
FRojM our Neighbors.—NamCi *m<#> amk
ybil destroy me ?—Silence. ;
Why is it absurd to expect a pretty
girl to be candid ?—Because she cannofc
be plain.
What is that from which, if you take*
the whole, some will yet remain ?—The
word “wholesome.”
‘ What is the difference between a pi cnife
and the national debt ?-^Oneis fun alive,
and tho other is fan-dead (funded).
f Why cannot th© Emperor Napok< m
msnre fais life ?-r-Because no man can
make out his policy.!!
What >is the # difference betwefen an
honest>and a dishonest laundress ?—Th©
forjner irons your- linen ; and the latter
stei/ff HVL —Jnutf WfiO \nt m-i': ,vj ?; i;
' What kind offnut did they have in the*
ark ?—Preserved pairs (pears).
1 PRICE ‘-I %
iFlve Cents.
