This case was heard in April 1778 in Worcester County. Pvt. William Brooks, Sgt. James Buchannon, and seventeen-year-old Ezra Ross were accused of murdering Bathsheba (Ruggles) Spooner’s husband, Joshua Spooner, at Mrs. Spooner’s instigation. Brooks and Buchannon, British soldiers, were temporarily lodging with the Spooners in Brookfield while passing through town. Ross had been residing with the Spooner family periodically for nearly a year and was allegedly having an affair with Mrs. Spooner. On March 1, 1778, Mr. Spooner was beaten to death and his body dropped down a well on the Spooner property. Brooks, Buchannon, Ross, and Mrs. Spooner were rapidly arrested and brought to trial. After a three-day trial, the jury brought in a guilty verdict, and the four perpetrators were sentenced to be hanged.