Saturday, December 29, 2012

August Detlaf.

Little Murders:
From Defenders and Offenders:


August Detlaf.


"John Phillips and Skip Larking of Chicago, Ills., were shot and instantly killed on the evening of July 29, 1888, by August Detlaf, who is a Pole. The two men were on their way home from a ball game. The murder was a most unprovoked one and occurred in a general row among a number of Poles, precipitated by some jesting remarks made by Phillips and Larkin. During the affray, Detlaf appeared on the scene suddenly, with a 44 caliber revolver and deliberately shot the two men alluded to."

 


Defenders and offenders. New York: D. Buchner & Co., 1888.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Alabama Lynching.

Little Murders
(From The Davenport Daily Leader, Davenport, Iowa, January 1, 1893)

Alabama Lynching.
 
Two Murders Strung Up by a Mob.

Not given a chance for prayer.
 
Unlike Most Southern Lynchings the Victims This Time Were White Men and Had Murdered a Tax Collector and Robbed Him of $2,000 in Cash—Both Men Confessed Their Crime—How the Mob Entered the Jail.
 
Greenville, Ala., Dec. 31. – About midnight Thursday night two strangers went to the residence of Jailer Hill Bargainer and, arousing him, told him they had a prisoner to put in jail. Bargainer went with them to the jail and upon reaching that place was met by 100 armed and masked men, who, with pistols pointed at his head, demanded the keys of the jail. He gave the up and the cells of the John Hipp and Charles Kelley, murderers of Tax Collector C. J. Armstrong of Butler county were opened. Both men were taken out in their nightclothing. Ropes were place about their necks and they were hurried to the court house near by and hanged, not even being given time to pray. The mob then quietly dispersed. The verdict of the coroner’s jury was that the men were hanged by unknown Persons.

The Murder of Armstrong.

On Dec. 17 last, Tax Collector Armstrong while collecting taxes in Butler county was waylaid, murdered and robbed at Panther Creek bridge, the murderers getting $2,000. Rewards amounting to $1.500 were offered for the arrest of the murderers and great indignation existed among citizens. A week ago John Hipp, a noted desperado, was arrested for the murder after a desperate fight with the sheriff’s posse, in which Hipp was seriously wounded. Last Monday Charles Kelly was arrested in Monroe county, Ky, as Hipp’s accomplice. The confession of the gang made the evidence convincing. Both were white men.
 


The Davenport Daily Leader, Davenport, Iowa, January 1, 1893

Saturday, December 15, 2012

A House Divided.


Tensions in the Ware household outside of Berlin, New Jersey, were near the breaking point. On August 16, 1870 they snapped, when a dispute over a milk pan turned mother against daughter, brother against sister, and drove John C. Ware to turn a shotgun on his father.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Nels Olsen Holong

Little Murders:
From Defenders and Offenders:

Nels Olsen Holong.

"Nels Olsen Hulong is another one filling the long list of murderers.  The crime was committed at Fergus Falls, Minn., and the victim was a woman named Lillie Field. The case was at the time the sensation of that part of the country, and the evidence was so plain that it only took the jury twenty minutes to find the fatal verdict."
 


Defenders and offenders. New York: D. Buchner & Co., 1888.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

The Murder of Patrick H. Dwyer

Little Murders
 
(From The New York Times, New York, NY, January 26, 1883.)

The Murder of Patrick H. Dwyer

Recorder Smyth’s Charge—The Jury Locked up for the Night.

The trial of Charles H. Warren, a contortionist, for the murder of Patrick H. Dwyer, proprietor of a pool room at No. 108 Bowery, in a dispute arising out of the refusal of the former to engage in a game of pool on the night of Sept. 21 last, was resumed in the Court of General Sessions yesterday. The deceased saloon keeper received a shot in the back, which proved fatal. Warren, who is an extraordinary freak of nature, amused the court officers during the long hours in which the jurors were deliberating on his case by his wonderful actions, dislocating the various joins of his body at will and resetting them with a sharp click, disagreeably suggestive of the operating room. The defense was that Warren fired in self-defense, Dwyer having attempted to shoot him. The case on both sides having closed on Wednesday evening, Recorder Smyth, on the opening of court yesterday, commenced his charge to the jury, and occupied an hour and a quarter in his delivery. His Honor charged that if the jury believed that before firing of the fatal shot Warren had time for premeditation and formation of a design to kill, his offense, if any was murder in the first degree. If he showed no premeditation, his offense would be murder in the second degree. He withdrew the offense of manslaughter in the first and second degrees form their consideration as inapplicable to the case at issue, and defined the law in relation to manslaughter in the third and fourth degrees. If, he said, Warren believed that Dwyer intended to kill him or to do him serious bodily harm, he had the right to take the life of the latter. It was no longer the law of the State, the court explained, that a man should retire before an armed assailant, when to do so would expose his life or person to danger. He had a perfect right, in the defense of his person or life, if unable to escape in safety from his antagonist, to stand his ground, and, if necessary, take the life of his assailant. He would be justified, too, in governing himself according to appearances. If he was menaced with a pistol—even though it should afterwards transpire that the weapon was not loaded—he had the right to act upon appearances, and take the life of his assailant. His Honor charged the jury to take into consideration the evidence of the defendant’s previous good character, and if they had any reasonable doubt of the guilt of the defendant it was their duty to give him the benefit of that doubt and acquit.

 
The jury retired at 12:50 P. M. and at 10 last night, not having agreed upon a verdict, was locked up for the night.


 
(From The New York Times, New York, NY, January 27, 1883.)

 
The Warren Jury Disagrees
 
The jury in the case of Charles H. Warren, the contortionist, on trial for the murder of Patrick H. Dwyer, proprietor of a saloon at No. 108 Bowery, whom he shot in a dispute arising from a refusal of the defendant to play a game of pool, entered the Court of General Sessions yesterday morning, after having been locked up all night, and had the evidence of one of the witnesses of the prosecution read to them. They returned to their room and on coming into court again at 2 P. M., informed Recorder Smyth that they found it impossible to agree upon a verdict. As they had been together 25 hours and could arrive at no conclusion, the Recorder said he did not feel justified in detaining them any longer, and discharged them from the further consideration of the case. The jury stood nine for acquittal, and three for conviction of some grade of murder. Warren was then taken back to the Tombs. His counsel will endeavor to procure his release on bail.