The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-07-12 00:00:00

A NEW YORK MURDER.

The Times of Wednesday gives the following from their
Own Correspondent, under date Philadelphia, June 24:

The oil; of New York has for ten days past
been greatly excited about a mysterious murder
which thoroughly baffled all police investigation,
and which was not explained until Wednesday,
when a Boston newspaper reporter was the means
of capturing the murderer. Mrs. Jane L. Da
Forrest Hull, a well-known lady, residing at 14,
West Forty Second-street, and the wife of Dr. Alonzo
Hull, was found murdered in her bed on the morning
of June 11. She had been suffocated by a pillow or
clothing pressed upon her mouth and was bound hand
and foot by strips of sheeting to the bed, A trunk
alongside the bed had been rifled of its contents, and
valuable rings torn from her fingers. There was no
clue t) the murderer, but many were suspected, even
the lady's husband, who slept in another part of the
house.

The crime and the failure of the police to find the
murderer strongly agitated New York. The news-
papers every day published pages on the subject, giving
theory after theory which were worked out with no
result, and there was quite a hue and cry raised about
the inefficiency of the police, when chance led to the
detection of the murderer in a man not before sus-
pected. It appears that last week a negro in Boston dis-
posed of a set of cameo jewelry to a pawnbroker. This
was subsequently identified as part of Mrs. Hull's
jewelry, and the negro's description being posted
at police headquarters, Mr. W. B. Balch, a news-
paper reporter, while walking along Shawmut-avenue
last night, thought he saw the man walking in front of
him. He went up and, accosting the negro, asked a
direction. The negro repled that he could not give
it, as he was a stranger there from New York. This
confirmed the impression, and followinz the negro
until he entered a negro church, the reporter informed
the police who arrested him. He submittal without
resistance, and Mrs. Hull's watch being found in his
possession, he at once confessed the erisae.
Chastine Cox, the negro, said he had lived a long
time opposite Mrs. Hull's house in New York, and
conceived the idea of robbing her, but had no inten-
tion of killing her. He entered the house through a
window about ten p,no., taking a eandle with him.
Ascending the stairs he heard some one snoring in a
bod-room, and thought it was a man. He blew out
the candle, entered, and stepped to the bedside, Mrs.
Hull asked, "Who is it?" Io replied, "The
doctor." She put her hand up and touched
his face, whereupon he three her hand back
and laid his hand heavily upoa her mouth. She
struggled, when he got luld of a Cologne
bottle and dashed it over he face, after which
he got on the bed and made a gag of the bed
clothes. By this time she was axhausted, and he tied
her to the bed in the manner inwhich she was found.
Cox then relighted the candle, sad holding it close to
her face to ascertain her cfndition, the Cologne
ignited, singeing her eyebrows ond burning her face—
injuries which, at the time, ad-led te the mystery of
the murder. He then robbed le trunk and took her
rings; aed, leaving the house,soon afterwards went to
Boston.

The negro haa been broughtto New York for trial.
This arret enda one of the greatest of recent criminal
sensatione.