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540    NEW-HAMPSHIRE STATE PRISON.

gianna with evil intent, and deeply laid his plans whereby he could

ruin her, and no one but himself and his God know it. Near the

abode of Georgianna was the edge of a deep forest, and the largest

tract of wood-land in Rockingham County, covering an area of    ^

nearly 2000 acres. In these woods Evans had placed some snares

with the pretension of catching partridges, but doubtless, for no

other purpose than to lure his victim into his lecherous grasp.

After these plans had been consummated, he commenced his
sophistry with Georgianna by telling her simple stories about snar-
ing these beautiful birds, which naturally attracted her childish
curiosity, and one morning she accompanied him to the traps, but
no birds hacf been secured. In this visit, Evans had finished his
second act in this great tragedy. He had shown the innocent
girl where these snares were concealed, so that she could go alone
into the forest and find them. A few mornings after this adven-
ture, October 25, 1872, he requested her to accommodate him by
visiting the snares, that morning, alone, as he was obliged to go
another way and be absent nearly the whole day. She hesitated
about going, but at length, reluctantly, consented to comply with    *-

his request, and he started, apparently, on his way to fulfil his
day’s engagement, but, doubtless, went directly and concealed him-
self near the woods to watch the movements of his intended victim.

She put on her shawl and hat, kissed her grandmother good bye,
and started out of doors to go to the forest as she had promised her
uncle, which was the last time that Georgianna Lovering was ever
seen alive by any human being, save Evans.

Her prolonged absence from the house caused her grandfather
to go to the forest and call for her; but no response came. He
returned to the house, and he and the mother of the child went
again to the woods for a more thorough search, and, in a short time,
found the girl’s apron, and, still farther in the deep forest, near a
brush fence, they found her comb; but all other traces relative to
the whereabouts of the child were lost. The neighborhood was
at once alarmed, and a general search was made that day and night
and through the next day, but all their efforts were of no avail.

Suspicion, at once, strongly pointed to Evans as knowing some-
thing about the loss of Georgianna, as it was ascertained that he
, had not been, that day, where he told the girl he was going, but
in an opposite direction, and, further, could give no account of
himself for several hours of that day. He was arrested and tried