What follows is a reconstruction of the chronology of events in the Grosvenor-Sessions courtship between Pomfret residents Amasa Sessions and Sarah Grosvenor, the actions that led to young Sarah’s death, and the legal proceedings that commenced in 1745 after a mysterious 3-year gap. Note that the dates appearing in square brackets are conjectural or inferred—based on Cornelia Dayton’s careful reading of the surviving documents.
Jump to: 1742, 1745, 1746, 1747
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Month
|
Day
|
Event
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February to mid-March
|
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Conception of the illegitimate child of Sarah Grosvenor and Amasa
Sessions (the conflicting evidence suggests that conception could
have occurred anytime from early January to early May)
|
Mid to late May
|
|
Sarah Grosvenor concludes she is pregnant, tells Amasa Sessions,
and starts taking the trade [estimated timing]
|
July
|
[17]
|
Zerviah is suspicious that Sarah is pregnant, though Sarah denies
it; this was possibly about 8 weeks after Sarah had started taking
the trade. In early or mid July, Sarah Grosvenor admitted she
was pregnant to Hannah Grosvenor |
July
|
[19]
|
Sarah becomes sick; her stepmother and sister Zerviah recommend that Dr. Hallowell (who is in the
neighborhood) be called; Dr. Hallowell interviews Sarah in private, and then suggests she go to her cousin John Grosvenor's house for the rest of the day
The same day, Zerviah goes on horseback to inform Amasa Sessions of these events; he comes to John Grosvenor's and spends all night there with Dr. Hallowell and Sarah; Sarah is "very poor"
on about this day and for the next two weeks, Sarah feels life in the child.
|
July
|
[20]
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Sarah comes home in the morning, accompanied by Zerviah and their cousin Hannah
|
July
|
[24]
|
Sarah admits to Zerviah that she is pregnant and that she has been taking the trade
(same day?) Amasa visits and admits that the child is his; on Zerviah's urging, Amasa and Sarah agree to marry and have the banns published that Saturday at the Pomfret meetinghouse
|
July |
Sunday [30]
|
no banns are posted; in the evening Amasa visits the Leicester Grosvenor house and gives Sarah more trade to take, in the form of powder
|
August
|
[2]
|
Dr. Hallowell comes to John Grosvenor's
house and sends one of John's little children to fetch Sarah;
Hallowell attempts a manual abortion, asking Zerviah Grosvenor
and Hannah Grosvenor (both unawares) to be in the room to aid
him (e.g., bring water, hold drops, etc.); Hallowell does not
succeed in removing the fetus
same day before sunset, Sarah returns
to her father's house; Amasa visits and sends to Hallowell for advice
|
August
|
[4]
|
Sarah has an "ague fit" and miscarries in her father's
chamber; apparently, only Zerviah is present; she calls Hannah
Grosvenor after the miscarriage; Zerviah and Hannah wrap the
body and bury it in the woods; the evidence given in later varies
as to whether the child was half the size of a full-term baby
or a "perfect" child
|
August
|
Saturday [5]
|
Zerviah comes to the house of Alexander and Silence Sessions
in Pomfret, and in a hurry and frenzied manner tells Silence
that Sarah has had an untimely birth
|
August
|
Week of 7th
|
Sarah is comfortable for a few days; Hannah finds her working in the lower rooms of the Leicester Grosvenor house
|
August
|
[14]
|
Sarah suffers from violent pains and develops a malignant fever;
she is sick for the next month and she is visited by Dr. Parker
Morse of Woodstock and a Dr. Coker; Amasa brings John Hallowell
to attend her also
|
September
|
14
|
Sarah Grosvenor dies; her gravestone, erected later, and carved
by Gideon Allen of Rhode Island, reads: "Here Lies ye Body
of Mrs. Sarah Grosvenor Daughter of Licester Grosvenor Esq. &
Mrs. Mary his Wife Who Died September 14th 1742 in ye 20th Year
of her life"
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|
|
Month
|
Day
|
Event
|
November
|
1
|
Warrant for the arrest of Amasa Sessions, Zerviah Grosvenor,
Hannah Grosvenor, and John Hallowell on charges of the murder
of Sarah Grosvenor and her child in the summer of 1742; summons
of witnesses
|
November
|
5 & 6
|
Hearing before an Inferior Court at
the Pomfret meetinghouse; on the bench are Jonathan Trumbull,
Assistant, and Ebenezer West, Justice of the Peace
the judges examine 3 of the accused
(Hallowell is in jail for debt in Rhode Island) and the witnesses
and conclude: that Hallowell as a physician in the summer of
1742 did give Sarah Grosvenor "sundry medicines with design
to Cause an Abortion of" her child, and he did at the house
of John Grosvenor "in the Latter End of July or Beginning
of August...by force, Violence, and Manual Operation make an
Attempt on the Body of said Sarah to take the Child of which
she was Then pregnant away from her"; by means of which
she was later "delivered of a female child, still born,...hurt
and decaying; And then Sarah Languished six weeks and then Died,
so that Hallowell is Guilty of murdering Sarah." And the
Court is of the further Opinion that Amasa Sessions "did
advise, council and assist in the giving the Medicines and performing
the force of the Sd Doctr John Hallowell" and is Accessary
to the Murder of Sarah. And the Court further finds that Hannah
Grosvenor was "aiding and assisting to the sd Doctr Hallowell"
at the time of the manual operation "& tho called in
through Surprise, yet ded conceal & keep secret & undiscovered
The sd. Force, & violence Comitted on" Sarah, and so
is Accessary to said Murder. And finally the Court finds the same
facts against Zerviah Grosvenor as it found against Hannah.
the judges orders the three defendants
present to be bound over in bonds of L-500 each to appear at
the March 1746 Windham Superior Court [the Connecticut court
with jurisdiction over felonies]; witnesses are bound over also
|
|
|
Month |
Day |
Event |
March
|
26
|
John Hallowell was brought before Ebenezer West, jp, who orders
Hallowell be held in custody in the Windham County jail until
witnesses could be gathered; the examination of Hallowell is
adjourned twice--until April 17 |
April
|
17
|
At an Inferior Court held before Trumbull and West, the judges
find Hallowell suspiciously guilty of the murder of Sarah Grosvenor
and her child, and they commit him to the jail "without
Bail or Mainprize" to await trial before the September Superior
court |
September
|
4
|
[evidently no joint indictment was drawn
up against the original 4 defendants, although some of the witnesses
summoned to the Sept. court were notified to testify in the case
against those 4]
an Indictment against Hallowell for
the murder of Sarah Grosvenor (see Document #11) is considered
by the county Grand Jury and endorsed "Ignoramus" |
September
|
20
|
an Indictment against Hallowell and
Amasa Sessions for conspiring to destroy Sarah Grosvenor's health
and her unborn child is returned a true bill by the Grand Jury
Hallowell is granted bail of L-500
to appear at the trial on this charge at a special November Windham
Superior Court; witnesses are also bound over |
November
|
18
|
At the special Superior Court session, two attorneys (Aplin and
Stedman) for the defendants enter pleas arguing on 5 points that
the Indictment should be quashed (their reasons include the indictment's
lack of specificity as to place, and the fact that the crime
alledgedly committed was said to have occurred "more than
one year...before the Indictment was found") |
November
|
18
|
the Superior Court hears the defendants'
pleas and rules that the pleas are sufficient, and the indictment
is quashed
the King's Attorney for the county,
Joseph Fowler, advises the Court that "on further and more
careful Examination ...of certain papers [in the case]"
there appear reasons vehemently to suspect Hallowell and Sessions
to have been guilty of Sundry Heinous Offenses and Misdemeanors
at Pomfret about 4 years ago relating to Sarah Grosvenor, and
Fowler moves that Hallowell and Sessions be held or bound over
to appear to answer charges at the March 1747 Windham Superior
Court; the Court ordered the |
|
|
Month |
Day |
Event |
March |
|
the Grand Jury considers a bill of
indictment against Amasa Sessions, and endorses it "Ignoramus" |
March
|
20
|
the Grand Jury returns a true bill
of indictment against John Hallowell only, declaring that he
"did wilfully, wickedly and Malliciously Counsel, advise,
and contrive and by actual force and violence attempt and endeavour
ye health & Soundness of ye sd Sarah to destroy and ye fruit
of her womb to destroy & cause to perish...all of which is
an hainious & highhanded Misdemeanour & offence against
ye peace..."
at the trial, Hallowell pleads Not
Guilty; the case goes to the jury, who return a verdict of Guilty;
the Court sentences Hallowell to remain in jail until 1 April
and on that day be set in the gallows in a public place for 2
hours with a rope visibly hanging about his neck, and then be
whipt "on the naked back" 29 lashes, and be remanded
back into prison to be held until the September session of the
Court for further orders
soon after, before the sentence is
executed, Hallowell escapes from jail and flees to Providence,
Rhode Island |
October
|
|
the General Assembly of Connecticut
receives a petition from Hallowell claiming that he was induced
to escape by "the Law of Self Preservation" and he
has lived "in Exile, Destitute of Every thing but Want and
Misery" since the previous March. He concedes the Superior
Court which sat over his trial was impartial, but argues that
some of the witnesses against him were "by their Own Confession
Guilty of the Same Offense in a greater Degree," and that
others offered only hearsay evidence. Further, he argues that
the laws of Connecticut warrant no corporal punishment for a
misdemeanor conviction. He asks the legislature to reduce his
sentence to a fine, in a sum Hallowell is able to pay, so that
he can "return to an Unhappy wife and Seven Unfortunate
Children who tho thay did not participate of the Guild have too
Deeply tasted of the punishment."
14 male inhabitants of Providence send
a joint petition on Hallowell's behalf to the same General Assembly,
seconding all of his points and emphasizing the "Numbers"
of Connecticut and Rhode Island residents who have "happily
experienced" Hallowell's care as a physician and their current
"Want [of] his Assistance."
the General Assembly does not grant
Hallowell's petition, and Connecticut town and church records
contain no further trace of him |
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Page Created: May 18, 2007
Last Modified: December 30, 2008
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