Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-02-24
The Maiden Murder and Robbery.
Strange and JHaetountable Instance Of pepraVty'
Arrest and Confession of the Guilty Party.

/ Cur readers MAY remember something OF
murder committed in Maiden, Massachusetts,,
about two months ago. A young Bank officer
! was murdered in cold blood while atwork at
| his desk. The bloody act was committed IN
/ broad dav, in considerable country village,
while crowds of persons were passing to and
| fro Money TO the value of some s., 900 was
| stolen from the room where the dead man
lay, and the offender-at once robber anG
sassin-escaped unobserved. Who was he p?
No one could tell. Even suspicion was at
fault The bIoodhounds 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 clue to the
dark deed was discovered.
Finally, ray of light broke upon the Wis
ion of the pursuers, The avenging Genius
that ever follows Crime, and dogs it at last to
its lair, pointed with unerring finger toward
the guilty Suspieion, feeble at first
| ripened into conviction. The offender was
watched, followed and wavlad by the invis-
BILE ministers of Justice and when the evil
denees of his crime became too palpable to
be mistaken, arrested and lodged in felon's
cell.
| And here comes the strangest part of the
story He was no vulgar assassin-no pro-
fessional alefaetor-robbing and numbering
in the discharge of his regular calling -
but tie postmaster of tie riUagc-a man of
means, of high business and social position
and of hitherto respectable life He was,
moreover, the father of interesting
family-the centre of prominent circle-a
man who had every inducement to lead
clean life and so down to an honored grave.
He was pricked on to his evil work by none
of the ordinary incentives that drive men to
crime. He had not even the excuse of pri-
vate resentment. He took the life of his vic
tim simply and solely to possess himself of
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 capacities for evil vet
untried--in the human heart 1t makes Us
trembIe 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 f. 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 atrociors crime. So secre.,
and cunning was the manner of the crime
and so destitute we're its circumstances
of anything whatever on which to hinge
even a faint suspicion, that marv 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-
italy proved a truth, and the perpetrator of
the horrid crime has not only been arrested,
cred handed" as it were ,but.h confessed his
guilt. A most lamentable circumstance of
E the crime is that the murderer was a man
: whose character and position placed him far
beyond any public suspicion of his guilt.
Immediately upon the murder of young
E Converse being made known, detectives
Heath and Jones, with others at the chiefs
office, as well 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 hu-
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-uever engaging in any CONVEX
sation about the murder, or attending any
meeting of citizens or other gatherings where
the subject was discussed, 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.
/ Not the least efficient person in fastening
guilt upon the right individual was detective
Calder, who 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
1.-THE criminal.
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.
The investigation was followed up, and
| few days since it was ascertained that Green
paid a debt of some 800, 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 unquestonable proof
| against him. But more was to come.
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
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 that the arrest of
Green determined upon, and last evening
the above named detectives went to Maiden,
and met at the residence of Mr.. Lamson,
| where a general consultation was had
While at Mr.. Lamson's it was ascertained