The Republican journal., 1873-07-10
A Child Murdered by Boy

George Edward Curtain has been ar
| rested in East Cambridge, Mass, and is
| now in Jail, for the murder of a child
three years old mSouth Acton The alleged
| murderer came from New York about a
year ago TO live with his uncle, Maurice
| Lane, in West Acton. He has no father
| living, and it is intimated that he was
| sent from New York by his mother in or
| der that he might be kept away from evil
associates. 1t is represented that he has
a disposition that delights in browbeatine
| and domineering over his younger com
paniOns and that he has been known fre-
quentIy to whip and torment them. No
particular ill-treatment of his cousins in
his new home has been noticed. however,
and the whole family had become very
| fond Of the boy. Mr.. Lane is a laborer
on the Fitchburg Railroad, and lives near
the railroad in West Acton. Between
| three and four O'Clock last Tuesday after
| noon young Curtain took ''the baby" as
| little Maurice A. Lane was called and
started out for walk. The track hands
| at work on the railroad noticed them 90
| ing towards the woods. About an hour
| afterward they observed Eddie" the
Curtain boy, coming back alone, and some
of them asked him who he had with him
when he went by before, to which he re-
piled that it was a little girl Soon after
there were inquiries concerning the miss
ing child, and then Eddie could not be
found Becoming anxious, the mother
started out after the baby, and others as
sisted in the search but although the
woods were visited, the search was in
vain. young man named Kingsley
,,Nt'
ing the search, finally came across Cur
tain, and asked him to 90 with him and
try to find "baby." Curtain suggested
that he might be asleep in an old barn
| near by and with him made search there
Kingsley then wanted to go into the
| woods. Curtain tried to dissuade him
from doing so, but finally followed him
there. Curtain was asked TO shout for the
baby, and he did so, and in response a
feeble cry was heard This was repeated
and guided by the sound the two boys en-
tered the road. and found The missing
child sitting on the ground with his head
and tace covered with blood and dirt.
WHO'S been abusing you ?" asked Chr
tain "You," replied the child. At this
accusation the boy fell down in a half
faint, but soon rallied. The two took the
poor infant to a house near b7, from which
It's mother took it home, She asked him
who hurt him, and he said ." Eddie ~
Across the nose of the child was a deep
cut, and another two inches long immedi-
ately over the right eye. The most serious
cut was one three inches long on the back
OF the head near its top. All the cuts
looked as though they We're caused by
blows from a ragged stick Of wood The
arms and throat were black and blue, as
though they had been severely pjnchel
The child was found at six O'Clock on
Tuesday evening. and died at three O'Clock
on the following afternoon. In the mean
time young Curtain had disappeared A
corner at South Acton was notified on
Thursday of the affair, and ne summoned
a jury OF inquest and sent word to the
chief constable's office in Boston. De
tective Pinkham undertook the case, and
succeeded in securing the arrest of Cur
tain on Friday night, at No. 1913 Hamp-
shire street, East Cambridge The boy
had in some way obtained a new suit OF
clothes, and was evidently about to leave
the place.