Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-01-24

A REMARKABLE CRIMINAL.

The annals of crime present no more
remarkable case than that Of Edward
Rulof, recently convicted of murder or
purely circumstantial evidence at Bing
hamton, n Y, Ruloff,s career. as de.
veloped at the trial, reads like a romance
During the fifty years ofhis life he had beer
druggist, a teacher and lawyer, and
maintained certain appearance of re.
spectability in each occupation. In each
however, he perpetrated crimes. and on
discovery would adopt new alias and a
new occupation. So adroit was he that
the police were unable to penetrate his
DISCUSSES, and he remained in conse-
quence free from their surveillance. A
scholar, he employed his time when moi
engaged in planning crime in the prepa.
ration ola work on language, and the
manuscript was one of the proofs that es-
tablished his identity and secured his
conviction. He had in youth, and still re-
tains, pleasing exterior, perfect knowl-
edge Of the art of pleasing, something
which commanded respect, and at the
same time attracted and engaged SYM
patty and confidence.
Twenty-six years ago he married an
estimable lady. In the year 1S45 his
wife and child disappeared and have
never since been heard from. He was
arrested for abduction, convicted and SEN
fenced to Auburn State Prison for the
term of ten years. 1t is understood that
he then confessed to his counsel that ne
murdered both wife and child. Immedl-
ately on his discharge from prison, Ruloff
was arrested on charge OF numbering
his child At his trial he pleaded-as in
his recent trial at Binghamton-his own
case. He was found guilty and sentenced
to DEATH But the verdict was set aside
by the Court Of Appeals on the ground
that no murder had been proved, as
there had been no body produced. He
was discharged, but narrowly escaped
lynching.
Until his apprehension in Binghamton
in August last Ruloff has not been heard
from for number of years. 1t has since
transpired that once in the interim he had
defended comrade in Delaware county
court, under an assumed name, and once
in Cortland county, N. Y. The crime for
which he has been convicted is fresh in the
public mind and needs no repetition.
With two confederates he attempted to
rob store in Binghamton, and being de-
tected shot the clerk dead. His confeder-
ates were drowned in the Chenango river
while attempting to escape. He was
caught the next day, yet at first little evil
dence was forth coming; but from day to
day new circumstances appeared to fix
the crime more surely upon him. First,
a peculiar deformity Of one of his feet was
observed TO resemble closely misshapen
she left behind by the robbers, and this on
trial was found to fit perfectly. Among
other evidence tending to prove his guilt
was the production of copy of a New
York paper, found in the store where the
robbers had dropped it, and from which
an article had been clipped. In RuloffTs
desk the missing slip was found.
Another link in the fatal chain was the
Identification of one OF the dead robbers
as the son of the jailor in whose charge
Ruloff was during his imprisonment
twenty-seyen years ago and who had been
led astray by Ruloff, becoming his insep-
able companion in crime. Those and
other circumstances have led to Ruloff's
conviction, and thus long career of
crime by one capable of better things is
likely to be fttingly closed on the gal
lows.