Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-12-15
Bundle Of Mysteries-yioIent Death-AI.
legged Suicide, Murder, &c.
From the Rochester Advertiser, Dec. :

From the Rochester Advertiser, Dec II
As We have before stated, Mr.. Holden was
found In August, 1851, nearly dead in a morass
near his residence ut Ann Arbor, Michigan
de was man In moderate circumstances, and
had procured an insurance of $50 900 on his
life. Before he died he said he was waylaid
and shot but his account of the affair led TO
the suspicion that he rad killed himself for tbe
benefit OF his family, and the insurance com.
Pany refused to pay the policy on this ground
Some time ago, however. the matter was COM
promised by paying the widow two-thirds of
the insurance. Notwithstanding the alleged
suicide, two young men, named Robert Fuller
and Frank Walker, were charged with his
murder and indicted. When the indictments
were first found, il was supposed by many that
it was more with the view of influencing the
suit brought by Mrs Holden against the com
Psnies in which her husbands life was insured
than for any other purpose, and after the set
tement between Mrs. HI. and the compspies
1t was expected that the charge of murder
would be dropped. The trial, however. came
on week before last, and was concluded on
Friday, the Sd instant, when the jury returned
a verdict ut guilty, and the accused were SEN
fenced to solitary confinement at hard labor
IN the State prison for life-the death penalty
having been abolished in Michigan. A, this
case has so many singular features about it !.
we quote from an Ann Arbor letter to the De.
tIOit Free Press:
1fE ACCUSED CONVICTED ON CIRCUNSrANrIAI
EVIDENCE.
The evidence on which the accused were CON-
Vlcted was purely circumstantial. Itconsisted
OF the agreement Of the accused with the GEN
eral description given by Holden of his Rur-
derers-One being rather tall, the other short
er person After their arrest for the larcepies
bullet was found in a vest belonging TO Walk
eT' corresponding with the one taken from
Holden's body, and of the same weight pre-
ciSely. These bullets were peculiar, being cor
rugated- Walker admitted that he had pre-
pared the one found upon him. and also that
ne had prepared one other like it, which he
said be had shot at a buck. these bullets fit
precisely the bore of the pistol alleged to have
been found near tie scene of the murder soma
time after, and the pistol is identified as one
which Fuller had new stocked at a gun-shop in
this city some time before. The readiness with
which the accused pretended to account for
their whereabouts on the night of the murder,
when questioned on the subject, after so long
tine elapsed, their attempt to prove an alibi
ana their failure to do so successfully with
discrepancies between their testimony on this
point, and their own prior statements went
strongly against them. Other minor circuu-
stances, and some declarations and doggerel
poetry which were traced to the prisoners
foolish and simple as they were-help to
strengthen the chain Of circumstances with
which they were surrounded
YOUTH OF TIE CRIMINALs-rHE REWARD
The prisoners are both young-mere boys
Fuller being probably about twenty one. and
Walker some years younger, and its seems i'm
probable that they should have planned aud
executed 50 successfully so bold a murder as
that Tor which they have been convicted, The
evidence, too, seems hardly sufficient. and
probably had their characters stood fair in
other respects, no jury would have conyicted
them on it. But they stood confessedIy guilty
OF crimes sutheient to debase the human mind
even 70 the level OF murder, and the conclusion
10 guilt from the circumstance was more easy
and natural. The jury remained together in
charge OF an officer during the whole trial
BY this conviction, Mr.. Martin, Marshal of
the city, and through whose instrumentality
ard that of his deputies the parties were ar
rested, will claim the reward Of 81 600 which
was offered for the arrest and conviction of
the murderers of HOlden-SjOO by the comfy
and $500 by the city.
INTEREST II THE rRIAL-RELArIyEs OF TUI
LER AND WALKER CONVICTED OF OTHER
CRIMES.
The tendency Of the trial has been the ab-
sorbing topic here since its commencement
The court room has been thronged by citizens,
and many from the country have taken adyan-
tage Of the leisure which the season afforded to
be present The thrOng this afternoon, awaiting
the incoming Of the court and the sentence OF
the prisoners, Is quite large, and the excite
ment borders on the intense. Mrs Fuller
nOtner OF hooer' ana James Fuller, younger
son and brother, are among those convicted at
the preoent term Of court on several irdict-
ments for burglary and larceny.
Those to be sentenced this afternoon are
therefore Mrs. Fuller and her two sons, and
the boy Walker. The father of Walker is
also in Jail, under indictment for the same
ourgiaries and larcenies, and Anna, q young
woman, daughter of Mrs. Fuller The scene
IN the Jail among these unfortunate wretches,
connected by the ties Of blood and by their
participation in the same crimes against so
ciety, can better be imagined than described.