The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-09-15
From the Netc York Courier.
JOHN FRANCIS KNAPP

AAN HhAINOlS KNAPP.
'ohn Francis Knapp, recently convicted az CUR.
cting principal IN the murder of Cant White "A
saiem, is old in guilt and criminalifv tbourb 49,
~ years, being at the present moment scarceIv
! twenty. He is native of Salem, received his I'd.
9cation at good school in that town. but did NOT
reached his sixteenth year At school he evh;h;ted
( rather superior faculties 10 the ordinary run Of
SCHOOL ooys-Was not particularly remarkable for
any TRAITS OF character but rather quiet and unpre
lenulng' About the age of sixteen he left scho oil
characteristic adventure
Durlng the latter part of his term at school, he
oecame acquainted with Richard and GEORGE
CIoWhihshleld, who then occasionally made lively
Excursions into Salem and the neighborhood from
a aIen r es IN Danvers. Richard was then
apout " years Of age, of lively daring. dasbino
CHARACTER They did not, however treatment thsf
CLASS OF society in Salem which NAV be reckonod
the hrst, although they were connected by blood
WIN the most respectable and fashionable people
! IN thelr own neighborhood Frank KnauD for he
Is generally called by that name in Salem. and is
jest known by 1t, was on the verge that SEPARATES
ooyhood from maniness full of latent spirit and dar
ing though cold and distant to all but his associates
m HoI easily INUNDATED or excited unless by an
! Glor'' Dut when excited violent to an extreme.
beiore this period the Crownnshields had seen the
"oIiu, tastec OF Its sweets, and found that there
e47 Inducements tor them to transgress the laws
oil society IN attaining their own ENJOYMENT.
70 was IN the year 1927 that they projected trip
10 New Hork, sometime we believe in the month
OF May. There was some difficulty in nrocnr;nr,
luhos 10 make the journey. This it is believed
was obyated by holding forth inducements to Frank
hnapp to accompany them-to taste the pleasures
vi soclety' and to seek adventures suited to their
peculiar tastes and wishes. Frank could not or
would not resist the desire he had to see the world
ana ENJOY a little of the high seasoned pleasures
Inc Crownlnshields presented to his :maginatiop
ne was however, destitute of funds nor could his
] n fhlff
needful. ' ''i'
Al this period the father of Frank was doing
prosperous commercial business, in which we be-
! neVe the elder brother was concerned. From an
tieht IN winch some money was put for safe
! keeping Frank very unceremoniopslv ahstractaS
about $500 more put it into his nncLet ~
ms rather, believe l shall spend election weet
| IN boston" The young man then started with tho
two CTowninshields, came to Boston. but soon
Luaue thelr way to New York. In this CITY thew
put up at one OF our then fashionable Hotels IL
broadway-sported themselves as we'll as nossbIn
7dttenoed the Theatre, sought such pleasures ae
| they had taste for-and initiated Frank into tbo
inystsfes OF their vagabondng kind of life. Il
woula De recollected, however, that the taste of
tnese checGtaerS was somewhat low and coorse
hlchard being, though strong minded. acute cum
ming man, not particularly refined either nv educo
tlon or society. They might be reckoneS in tbis
CITY sort'o third or fourth rate Young men of
Piedsure, VINO 10 supply an empty purse would pre-
a
OF senteel swlndling. Frank admired the Measures
iurnished by New York, gave lose to the imnet
uoSlty oil his character-shewed his firmness his
imPerturbable command of countenance and feel
ihSs III variety OF little anecdotes which were
related and circulated among his associates at Sa
lem. a. "a
AT last the funds which were principally furnish
CAME o1 h aSd ftI 6 7s.aP IF i FL lie father, be-
reduced to the extremity of procuring sup6ffeso9p
stretching forth their hands little contrary to law
They did so. and were not discovered for some
time, but principally under the guidance of Rich
ard. They committed their vilanies with great
address. They lived in separate hotels One of
the gang would look out for plumber at the house
in which he resided. but he touched nothing His
associate from another hotel, was invited to see
characterization communicated how to find the
property and the nonresident stole from the hotel
of the resident BY this means detection was diff
cult This was their system, and they had prac-
ii sed upon it very successfully before they were
discovered BY our Police.
From this city, they went to the Springs and re-
NAMED short time. We believe they hed to de-
camp rather hastily. In August of that same year
(lo2 they returned to the city and put I'D as for
mery, at different hotels in Broadway. and COM
menced their system anew. 1t was during this
period OF the excursion, that they committed sew
eral thefts--were apprehended--and had their
names enrolled on the books of the New York
Police Office. This enrolment is dated Aug.
! 1927, and contains the names of Richard Crownin-
shield his brother George, and Knapp who passed
J by the aliases of George j. Brown and joSeph
Fisher. One of the party had stolen gold watch,
at the Franklin House, another gold chain of Mr.
Rockwell, in Broadway, while looking at his wares
| The chain was found in one of the apartments in
the American Hotel Both the Crowninshields
were then put in Bridewell and Fisher alias Knapp
| in private conversation with one of the Police
| officers, gave such accounts that this memorandum
was written after their names in the Police books
=" noted thieves from Salem, Mass; Fisher tells
all about them"
1t required the greatest ingenuity of Richard to
extricate himself and his acquaintance Yet il
was accomplished When Frank returned to Sa-
I lem which was Immediately OH the heels of the
adventure here, he was severely taken to task by
his father and friends. His Gecepton-his trick
and his theft OF the money were, however, CON
Il cealed from the world and attempts were made to
reclaim him from his course by sending him to sea
Frank went to sea several voyages and gave sucf
evidence of his sobrety, attention duty and per
severance of character, that his friends believed
complete reformation had been effected. He con
tinued so for year, giving promises of becoming
a useful man and virtuous member of society
notwithstanding his first lapses. About year age
he left the sea, probably from the depressed state
| Of commerce, and the decay of trade experienced
in Salem. This reduced him to comparative idle
ness. and threw him a second time into tho societ
OF the Crowninshields, who then lived in Danvers
and carried on sort of machine and Whtesmth'
shop, for making and constructing the iron worl
business of the Crowninshields was principally
made fent for the prosecution of dangerous plan
5 for the procurement of funds whenever they wer
in want of them. Secret predatory expedition
were frequently made into the surrounding town
and villages, in which Frank became a partner an
associate Yet in all his yillany, the leader of tn
gang, Richard, took particular pains to enforce til
! stric;est rules, and severest dlcpne, which h
deemed necessary to success. II is SAID in salem
that Richard was in the habit of saying" No on
shall belong to set who does not adhere to col
: water-spirits must be abstained from altogether
h 1t was only during the moments of relaxatio
when all danger distant, that the pleasures
the bottle were INDUCED in; and even then the
Q saw :" no one ever Richard Crowninshield tn
a worse for liquor" lie was believed to be extreme
, ly temperate and abstemous, and insisted that h
> adherents should be equally so. Some young fe
= lows in Danyers, used to call the set, Die
= Crowninshield's Temperance Society"
The connection which Frank Knapp had wit
c the murder of Capt. White, has been told in III
recent reports of his trials. He was the only ind
-. nd 81