Setting the Record Straight: William Stafford's Spiteful Sale of the Proctor Homestead

Abstract

The trial of George Wilson, accused of murdering his wife Alice in 1887, remains one of the most infamous stories in Orleans County. His trial and execution is a tale filled with speculation and accusation, while the later story of District Attorney William P.L. Stafford is shrouded in spite and hatred following his upsetting defeat in the 1895 election for County Judge.