The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-06-29
A HORRIBLE MYSTERY SOLVED.
The Story of the Stolen Carriage and Team
of 1854, and the Mutilated Body in the
Rivera Prince Street Murder Confessed.

The Story of the Stolen Carriage and Tenn
of 1854, and the Mutilated Body I'm the
Rivera Prince street Murder Confessed.
From the N. y. Ecentng Post
In October, 1864, five different pack
ages, containing the mutilated remains
of a human body, were found floating in
the East River and the bay at different
times and in different places, the first
having been found on the Sd of October
and the last on the 18th. All these
fragments were wrapped in heavy brown
Manila paper, enclosed in enamelled
cleth used in the construction of furni-
ture and carriages, the whole having
been tied together with strong cord
technically known as cod-line."
These discoveries created great deal
of excitement at the time, not only be-
cause of the horrible nature of the mur-
der, but also ON account of the story of
the carriage stolen on Mercer street on
the night of the murder, and of the GER
tainty in the public mind that the
thieves were the murderers, and the
mystery which subsequently surrounded
the case, defying the utmost exertions
of the police to unravel it.
The dismembered limbs were carefully
put together by surgeons, and were
found to correspond in every particular,
nothing being wanting save the arms,
which were never found. The murdered
man had evidently been healthy and
vigorous, and about thirty-fve years old,
but no clue whatever could be discovered
as to his identity. That horrible
murder had been committed was certain,
first because the body had been cut up
by inexperienced hands, thus proving
that the dismemberment was not freak
on the part of medical students, and
secondly because two bullet wounds were
found in the skull. The police, both of
this city and Brooklyn, left no plan un-
tried by which the perpetrator of this
terrible crime might be detected but
their labors were in vain. The head was
photographed, and copies were sent to
all police stations throughout the coun-
try. The head itself was long kept on
exhibition in glass case in the Morgue
in Brooklyn.
On the night preceding the finding of
the first package Patrick Flood, a Brook
| lyn hackman, drove three soldiers to 81
Mercer street, in this city, and entered
with item to drink. While he was in
the house two men came up, leaped Oh
the box of his carriage, and drove furi-
ously away. Several hours later, as
severe storm was abating, the carriage
was driven into livery stable on Fulton
avenue, near Navy street, in Brooklyn,
by man who was closely wrapped in Il
thick gray shawl, under which he wore
q velvet coat, broadcloth pantaloons,
patent leather boots, white linen, all new,
and large diamond pin. The horses
were reeking with perspiration, and had
evidently been driven turiously, one of
them having been famed. The stranger
left the carriage at the stable and went
away, saying he would return. From
that day he was not seen.
After seven years this horrible mystery
has been apparently solved thus: Ac-
cording to letter Iecently received by
a friend of the murdered man in March
last, three men quarrelled at Sidney,
Aus tralia. A fight ensued, in which one
man was fatally stabbed, the second shot
and dangerously wounded, and the
third terribly beaten. The ruffians were
arrested, and the third man in prison
made confession, duplicating himself
and his companions in many crimes, and
among others in the murder of one
Joseph Smith, a deserter from the
Twentieth Connecticut Regiment, in this
city in October, 1864.
From his story it appears that he,
with his two companions and Smith, on
the night of the I'd of October, were en-
gagged in debauch, they having made
large sum of money by "bounty Jump
ing" Smith had 5000 in his possession,
and his villainous comp lnions resolving
to get this at all hazards, induced him
to leave the saloon where they were
drinking, in Prince street, and enter
large carpenters shop, or carriage
factory, in Prince street, where Smith
lay down on bench, and soon fell
into drunken sleep. One of the men
then shot him through the head, after
which they cut up the body with the
tools in the place, and tied up the frag-
ments in the manner described above.
Two of the men then went out to look
for a wagon, leaving, it is supposed, the
third to clear away the traces of their
crime. Then followed the theft of
Floods carriage, in which the ghastly
parcels were driven to lonely wharf in
Williams ourg and then thrown into the
river. The murderers Immediately
shipped for Australia, and have since re-
manned in that country, leading riotous
aud vicious lives until their arrest in
March.
The photograph of the murdered man
has been shown to the widow of Joseph
Smith, who is still living at Danbury,
Conn, and has been partly identified by
her, although the features were terribly
distorted. Other persons, however, who
knew Smith intimately, are convinced
of his identity with the murdered man,
and that this dark riddle has at last been
solved.
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