A Murder on Ice.

A group of young boys from Lambertville, New Jersey, went skating on Island Creek on December 15, 1880. They brought their lunches and, when they sat down to eat, they built a fire on the ice to keep warm. John Pierman, an older boy (age reported variously as 15, 16, or 18) with another group, came upon them and started kicking the burning wood around the ice. Theodore Parker, aged 13 or 14, told Pierman to stop. An argument ensued and words led to blows. When Parker struck Pierman in the face, breaking his pipe, Pierman pulled out a knife and plunged it into Parker’s left breast, piercing his heart.

As Parker fell, Pierman immediately ran over the ice toward Pennsylvania. Parker died two or three minutes later. The rest of the boys ran after Pierman, hoping to catch him and bring him back. They followed him for several miles until they lost sight of him in Deer Park, Pennsylvania. All but four of the boys turned back.

Someone in Centerville saw Pierman go into a barn, and the boys found him there, hiding in a hay mow. He surrendered peacefully, handing over the knife, a shoemaker’s knife with a two and a half inch blade. They did not tell him that Parker was dead.

Pierman was taken to the Fleminton Jail. The following morning, he learned that he had killed Parker, and he broke down in tears. He confessed to the murder and added that his father had advised him to use a knife or a brickbat whenever he got into a quarrel.

Theodore Parker’s funeral drew a large crowd. The Boozer Cadets, a boys’ drill team (founded by J. Fennemore Boozer) of which Parker was a member, turned out in full force.

John Pierman was held until the following April, when the Hunterdon County Court of Oyer and Terminer convened. He entered a plea of non vult to manslaughter—a “no contest” plea, accepting the court’s judgment without admitting guilt, thus avoiding a jury trial. Pierman had a reputation for being reckless and good-for-nothing; he never attended school and was allowed to roam at large. Dr. John W. Ward testified that Pierman’s mental development was of a very low order as a result of improper training by his parents. His counsel made a plea for judicial clemency, and the court sentenced Pierman to the State Prison for a term of five years.

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Sources: 

“A Boy Murdered,” Lambertville record. [volume], December 15, 1880.

“A Boy of Thirteen Murdered by A Youth of Eighteen,” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 16, 1880.
“The Boy Murderer,” The New York Herald, December 17, 1880.
History of West Amwell 

“Killed on the Ice,” New York Herald, December 16, 1880.
“Local Affairs,” Lambertville record, December 22, 1880.
“News Article,” Lambertville record, February 9, 1881.
“Terrible Tragedy at Lambertville,” Daily State Gazette, December 16, 1880.
“A Yount Murderer Sentenced,” Evening Post., April 21, 1881.