Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-09-19
The Rhode Island 1Eurder.

The Rhode Island Murder.
The murder at Providence of George
Favor, which was brought to light on
Wednesday, was one Of the most terrible
tragedies that has been recorded in
Rhode Island for many day. Mr.. Fa-
vOr, who was sash and blind manutac-
turer and dealer. has had in his employ
since February an Irishman named Den
nehV, who acted as tcamster and man-Of-
all-WOrk. Mr.. Favor was last seen alive
on Thursday morning OF last week,
| and his disappearance did not at first
cause any anxiety, as Dennehy plausibly
accounted for it by telling the clerk in
the Office that during the latter's tempo
rary absence semplOyer had been called
away, and had gone to his summer resi-
dence at Sabin's Point. DennehY was
about the shop as usual on Thursday
and Friday, but did not make his ap-
pearance on Saturday morning. and in
vcstigatlOn showed that he had left his
boarding house the previous night. Up
on going to the safe the clerk found that
he could not unlock it. and on breaking
it open, it was discovered that all the
money and even the postage stamps
in all. only one hundred dOllars-Was
gone Even then, however, it was only
| suspected that Dennehy was a rObber,
! and Mr.. FavOr's nOn-appeaTance was
still accounted on the suppOsitiOn that
he was still at the place where Dennehy
| had told the clerk he had gone on Thurs
day. But as time passed on and nothing
was heard of Mr.. Favor. fears began to
be entertained of foul play, although in
! the hope that he had been called away
! %97o mt 10
riOus places where it was thought he
might be found, but in all cases without
| success. As the circumstances of the
case were more thoroughly examined, it
| became known that on the dav of his
disappearance he called from the first
/ floor for Dennehv. and was told that he
! was down cellar, and from that time he
| had neither been seen or heard Of. 1t
| also appeared that during Wednesday.
! Thursday, and Friday Dennehy had
/ been at work in the cellar. splitting
| wood and cleaning up the cellar gener-
| ally. In one portion Of the cellar was
/ d large pile of straw, piled on some rub
| bush, and on Tuesday Mr.. FayOrs broth
! cr and the clerk noticed a stencil in the
| cellar, and made search in this straw,
| thorough, as they.thOught, but without
! finding any traces of the missing man,
/ and they gave up the search, suppOsing
/ the stencil arose from dead rats as the
! cellar abOundcd in rats. Parties were
/ in the cellar again on Wednesday. but
noticed nothing strange till just before
/ six o'clock. when a man went down af-
| ter some of the straw, and noticed that
| the stencil was very strong. His suSpi-
| ciOns were again aroused. and upon a
! thorough examination of the pile of rub
bish, the body of the missing man was
found, with hay cutter on his head and
a sleigh on his body. His hands were
badly eaten by rats, and his face by
worms and rats. Examination revealed
quite large hole in the top Of the left
side Of the skull, from which the brain
had prOtruded, and which probably
caused his death, rs no other injuries
were discovered and shortly after was
found, ten feet away, stick Of wood
with one end bloody, which the doctor
thought might have produced the wound
in the head. A spot on the cementcd
floor was also discovered which had the
appearance of having been 4 pool Of
blood which had soaked into the floor.
The whole thing was now plain. At the
time Mr.. Favor inquired for Dennehy on
that fatal Thursday morning, and was
told he was down cellar, he probably
went down to see him, and while there,
either in the heat of passion, or in pur-
suance of a well defined plan, (prObably
the latter, as there had been no trouble
between the two men that is known,
and Dennehy had always spoken highly
of Mr.. Favor the murder was commit
ted with the club that was found. For
Dennehy to conceal the body was COM
paratively easy, as he was in the cellar
for the purpose of clearing it up, and of
course had everything his own way, pill
ing up the rubbish and straw as best
suited his purpose, without the fear of
any new appearance in the pile causing
suspicion. He was then ready with his
report that Mr.. Favor told him to tell
the clerk that he (Fayor) was going
away, and threw off suspicion till night.
when he could rob the safe under cover
Of the darkness, as he doubtless intend
ed to do that night, but was prevented
byafellow workman, who staid with him
until nearly ten o'clock, and they went
out of the Office together The next day
he worked as usual, not having much
fear OF discovery, as he was in situa-
ton to know that it was supposed Mr..
Favor had gone to his summer residence.
frlday night he entered the Office with
the key that had for some time been in
his possession, robbed the fate, tamper-
ed with the lock in orderto give him per-
haps few moments more in his flight.
left letter in his trunk acknowledging
the robbery, to throw off suspicion of
the murder as long as possible, fearing
that the search for him would be more
thorough for murder than for robbery
merely, and left.
The murdered man was an American.
90 years old, and leaves a widow and
three sons. He formerly lived in Law
renee and Lowell, Mass. Dennehy was
IRISH, "A years old, but looks older-is
ABOUT i've feet seven inches in hight He
has been married only since the latter
vile.