River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-02-14
A MYSTERY SOLVED.
How Boston Detectives WOrlS-A Case
oflriminal nIlsmnna Sement.

How Boston Detectives Wori-A Case
ofCriminal 1IismnnaSement.
Quite little sensation was caused in
Boston, on Sunday morning, by the
publication of an article in the Courier,
purporting to true narrative of the
way in which the murderer of Kate
Leehan escaped detection and arrest.
1t will be remembered that about one
year ago Catherine Leehan, an Irish
girl employed as a servant in a family
in Brookline, was found one morning.
about a year ago, in field on Western
avenue, near the Brookline boundary,
her head brutally smashed by a stone
which had caused her death, and her
person outraged The affair caused
intense excitement at the time, but
only one person was arrested, and he
was finally discharged. 1t seems that
on the morning of the mur8er, when
the news reached the City Hall, all the
detectives were called upon to go to
work upon the "job," and several
patrolmen were also detailed and
ordered to work independently. One
of these patrolmen so detailed went ut
once to the scene of the outrage.
There he found an old-fashioned wool
EN- hat, with a peculiar rim, covered
with blood and hair. This he took to
chemist. The blood was found to be
human, and when compared
with the blood of Kate Lee
han, was fonnd to be exactly the
same. The hat was Il new one. and
the officer started on tour among the
stores, among whom was Workman &
Co. This was on Tie third day after
the murder was discovered. Mr.. Wort.
man, upon being shown the hat. at
once identified it as having been pur-
chased at his place on the Saturday
night previous, by a man apparently
twenty-seyen years old, who looked
like a mechanic The description of
the man was most minute. From
further information it was learned that
the purchaser of the hat had on the
same evening bought suit of clothes
at Oak Hall.
After another two days search the
officer learned that the owner of the
hat and clothes was a carpenter, and
that he had, on the night of the MUIR
der, returned home quite late. The
following morning he got up at five
O'Clock and stated his intention of 90
ing to visit his sister in Pawtucket.
The landlady noticed that her boarder
had the bosom of his white shirt COW
cred with blood and part of his cloth
ing torn. The man left the house soon
after six O'clock, TO take the train for
Pawtucket.
Communication was had privately
with Pawtucket, and it was learned
that the man was there under an as
sumed name. Then the officer report
ed progress to the chief, who then
made the great mistake of the case,
and assigned him to work with two
detectives, instructing him not to do
anything withou asking their advice
The result was what might be expected.
the other detectives got wind of the
case, too many men became interested,
the murderer became suspicious and
uneasy, and, on the eighth |
day of his sojourn with his
sister, quietly fitted from the
house on High street, which, 1t was
said, was under surveillance, and went |
to Providence. The officers who were
best acquainted with the circumstances
arrived in Pawtucket the next morning
too late to accomplish anything. The
officers who had already interfered
soon found that he was in Providence,
but the others were not whit behind
them, and before a descent could be
made he had flown again, this time to
New York, where all search was in
vain. The officers remained in New
York for nearly a month, and finally
home chagrined with the re-
suit of their labors. The murderer has
never been heard of since.