Customer Reviews

The Counterfeit Man: The True Story of the Boorn-Colvin Murder Case

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In 1812, Russell Colvin, a dependent of his father-in-law, was engaged in a physical altercation with his brother-in-law, Stephen Boorn. When he was not seen again for several years, and mysterious dreams of Russell's ghost came to Stephen's uncle, Stephen and his brother Jesse were arrested for his murder. After the discovery of vague evidence, confessions and a trail, the brothers were sentenced to hang (Jesse' sentence was later commuted to life in prison). Just when all was thought lost, Russell Colvin wandered back into town to free his brothers-in-laws and convicted murderers. But was it really Colvin? Why did the brothers confess? McFarland's account of the events in not only fascinatingly told, but also wonderfully thorough. McFarland brilliantly relates the psychological, sociological, and historical context of the true rural Vermont mystery. He paints a detailed portrait of Vermont in the early days of emerging civilization on the frontier, of a mystery that encompasses an evolving justice system, and the very human, very flawed, and very odd characters that played a role in one of the strangest mysteries. Fascinating, engaging book. Grade: A

This was an interesting story of a crime that really happened in early America, and a mystery that has never been definitively solved. Besides being a page turner as to who really committed the murder, it provided a lot of insight into life in early America and the different levels of society. There were the early settlers of Vermont and New Hampshire who were fairly rough types, with lots of drinking, etc. There were the educated, more elite types like the lawyers. There were the frontier preachers who helped to civilize the frontier. This story showed how they interacted when confronted with a particular crime and how it affected the community.

I've been studying counterfeiting, and this story includes the counterfeiting of an identity, AND the counterfeiting of money.

This is a fascinating study.

I read this a long time ago as a high-school student and liked it very much. It must have been good since I remember it! I wish I still had a copy. Perhaps I will purchase this again one day, as I look forward to reading it again soon.