Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-02-27
The Maiden Murder. and Robbery.
4 Strange and Unac0untabIs Instance Of lspraVity
Arrest and Confesslsa Of shs Galny Party


about two months ago. Ayoung Bank officer
was murdered in cold blood while at work at
This desk. The bloody act was committed IN
broad day, in considerable country village,
while crowds of persons were passing to ana
fro Money to the value of some $1,000 was
stolen from the, room where the dead man
| Law, and the offender-at once robber and as
sassin--escaped unobseryed. Who was he
No one could tell. Even suspicion was at
/ fault. The bloodhounds of the law were set
on the track of the guilty man.. They hunted
diligently, but they hunted in, vain. Weeks
and months passed by but no clue to the
dark deed was discovered. sr
Finally,a ray of light broke upon the Wis
| ion of the pursuers. Rhe avenging Genius
that ever follows Crime, and dogs it at last to
/ its lair, pointed with unerring finger toward
the guilty man. Suspicion, feeble at first,
ripened into conviction. The offender was
watched, followed and waylaid by the invisi-
| BILE ministers of Justice. and when the evil
dences of his crime became too palpable to
be mistaken, arrested and lodged in a felon's
cell.
And here comes the strangest part of the
| story. He was no vulgar assassin-no pro-
fessional malefactor--robbing and numbering
in the discharge of his Irregular calling -
but de postmaster Of tie ginage-a man of
means, of high business and social position
and of hitherto respectable life He was,
moreover, the father of an interesting
family-the centre of prominent eircle-a
man who had every inducement to lead a
clean life and go down to an honored grave
He was pricked on to his evil work by none
of the ordinary incentives. that drive men to
criine. He had not even the excuse of pri-
tim simply and solely to possess himself of a
few thousand dollars. And in the manner
and circumstances under which he did it, he
exhibited all the fendish sensibility of Eu-
gene Aram with all the brutality of a Thug.
AS an exchange well remarks, conjecture
seeks in vain for an adequate motive for the
deed 1t is a deed that suggests depths ofin-
EQUITY yet ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for evil yet
untried--in the human heart. 1t makes us
tremble for our kind-for ourselves" The
story almost passes belief, and if told by a
novelist, would be characterized as utterly
unnatural and improbable. But it is horrid
fact. We copy the following account from
the Boston Journal
Our readers will doubtless have still fresh
on their memories the mysterious circum-
stances connected with the murder of the
young man, Frank Z. Converse, the Assistant
Cashier of the Maiden Bank, about noon on
: Tuesday, the 18th day of December last, and
the great excitement which followed that
event, as also the apprehension, examination,
and acquittal of an innocent party, charged
with that most atrocious crime. So secret
and cunning was the manner of the crime,
and so destitute were its circumstances
of ANYTHING whatever ON which to hinge
even faint suspicion, that many had made
up their minds that the murderer would new
er be discovered; but the old saying-that
murder will out"--has again been providen.
TALLY proved truth, and the perpetrator of
the horrid crime has not only been arrested,
e'red handed" as it were, but. has confessed his
/ guilt. A most lamentabe circumstance OF
: the crime is that the murderer was a man
whose character and position placed him far
beyond any public suspicion of his guilt
T Converse being made known, detectives
Heath and Jones, with others at the chiefs
office, as well as members of the general
force, determined to continue to work, and
bring the real perpetrator of the terrible
crime to Justice, if within the power of hui
man ingenuity to do so. Thanks to their per-
severance, we have this morning the satisfac-
ton of announcing that their efforts have at
length been successful and that the murder
er has been arrested. The criminal is Ed
ward w. Green, postmaster at Maiden.
1t seems that, after looking in almost every
quarter and fndingno tangible evidence ag'nst
any party, the fact that during the tremen-
dous excitement in Maiden and vicinity, Green
had manifested no feeling whatever in regard
to the matter-never engaging in any CONVEX
salion about the murder, or attending any
meeting of citizens or other gatherings where
the subject was discussed, or making any in
quiries relative thereto, caused suspicion to
be attached to him, not only by the detectives
Heath and Jones, but by some half dozen cit
liens of Maiden. es ff.. Ed
Not the least efficient person in fastening
guilt upon the right individual was detective
Calder, who was specially detailed, some
weeks since, to. observe that person every
time he came into the city, and notice every
movement made by him. So well did the de-
tective Calder follow his instructions in this
matter that for the the past three or four
weeks hardly day has passed, when Green
has visited this city, but that some new link
was added to the chain of circumstantial evil
dence that was rapidly weaving itself around
the criminal. ~ +. $50 $50. hte
On private investigation it was ascertained
that Green stood well with the good people OF
Maiden, excepting that like many other per-
SONS Of irreproachable character, he had the
misfortune of being involved in debt gr' ~
4 The investigation was followed up, and a
few days since it was aseertained that Green
paid debt of some $500, which had been due
| about two years, and that the money paid
by him was nearly all in bills on the NAL
den Bank. This was unquestionable proof
4 against him. But more was to come. hss
! 1t was also ascertained that since the MUIR
der Green has paid sundry debts of $50 and
under, principally in Maiden Bank bills.
Meantime, Mr.. Converse, the father of the
i murdered boy, had been informed of some of
the suspicious circumstances, and In consul
tation with Mr.. Lamson (who advised with
detectives Heath and jones' left the whole
matter with him to act as he deemed most
advisable. The result was that the arrest of
Green was, determined upon, and last evening
the above named detectives went to Maiden,
and met at the residence of Mr.. hanson.
4 where general consultationiwas had.E i
While at Mr.. Lamson's it was, ascertained
that Green was then at Jackson's livery sta