The Republican journal., 1873-07-17
The Mystery of the Goodrich Murder
Cleared Up.
New YORK, July 1,

me w dunam, allaS haCe StOuUdrQ, on the
night of the 21st of March, She was ar
rested on Tuesday. She yesterday made
a full and complete confession of her guilt
10 the police authorities How that con-
iession came about, and in what manner
the arrest was effected, appears from the
following statement, made by police Com
missioner Jourdan to representatives of
the press at headquarters this morning.
Gen. Jourdan said:
Gentlemen-Sincet the murder of Chas.
Goodrich i'll March last on Degraw street.
near Sd Avenue, the police of Brooklyn
have continued a steady and unremitting
search for the perpetrator of the crime.
but N. Y, Philadelphia, Boston, Balti-
more, Washington and countless numbers
OF smaller places. In every direction
men and women have been sent out, fol-
lowing clues that We're sometimes slight
and at others promising. The primary
OBJECT OF our search was this woman, Kate
Stoddard, but so little was known about
her personally, and so totally ignorant
We're we of her habits and surroundings,
that at the commencement there was
nothing TO work upon. The photograph
obtained was an exceedingly poor one,
plicates placed in the hands OF all the off
GERS engaged in the case. Here the
General exhibited the photograph, which
exhibited Kate as a pleasant looking
blonde OF 80, with moderately full face,
sparkling eyes, lightsome expression and
nuoyant manner That photograph in
dcates a woman in good condition, while
Kate Stoddard as arrested was about as
him and emaciated as anybody you eyer
saw We only succeeded after patient
search in finding one person who knew
her positively, but for more than six weeks
after the murder that person was laid up
On bed sick. That person was Miss Mary
Handley, and Immediately upon her re-
eovery we employed her on the search.
Kate Stoddard was met by Miss Handley
in the street Tuesday last. Miss Handley
was going to New York and Kate Stod-
dard was evidently coming from there,
when the meeting by accident took place.
As soon as she met her Handley recog-
nized and followed her, till she met a
police officer, whom she induced to make
the arrest. 1t became of the first impor-
lance to learn where she had come
from, which she declined to reveal. Her
person without concOmitant testimony
amounted to little. The entire city was
searched to find whence a woman had
heeH missing since Tuesday morning
This resulted in the discovery that in q
house on High street, between Jay and
Bridge street, such a woman had been
missing. We had the woman who kept
that house taken to the custom house, and
there she identified Kate as her boarder
From this woman we learned that Kate
had been since last April living in an I'M
furnished room at the place mentioned
After discovering the house, we obtained
locksmith and went to it, We opened
her trunks and in them discovered the
property of Goodrich, including watch
cham, finger ring, a seal and a pocket
book with $40 in bills This is believed
10 be the identical money taken from the
murdered man, In addition to these ar
ticies a revolver was found in the trunk
with the watch, three of the chambers of
which were loaded, and three empty,
(there were three bullets found in Good
richs head.) 1t need only be added that
Kate is prepared to go on the stand and
make before the coroner full and COM
plete confession of the whole matter
After leaving the commissioner the re-
porter learned that Kate, among other
confessions, stated that the revolver
found in her trunk was the weapon with
which she killed Goodrich Every article
ot property taken by her from the prem
lses She seems to have preserved. Since
the time of the tragedy she has had ter
rible struggle for lite, working at times
Us a sewing girl. She has had money
enough to buy bread. At other times she
was compelled to sell her clothes for sus-
tenance, but curiously enough, while thus
ii The verge of starvation, she kept the
lewelry and money of her victim lying
-4nfrenchpd in her Trunk She had two
trunks, both OF which were taken posses
son Of by the police. In one OF them was
An immense package of letters from her |
father and mother. These letters show
that her home is at marlborough, Mass, |
and that her real name is Minnie Waltham |
The letters are carefully and kindly writ |
ten, showing the old people to be full of
solicitude Tor the moral and material well |
fare of their daughter. There is nothing |
At all to justify the supposition that they
Knew anything about the crime. In adj |
'iition to these letters from her parents, |
TWO were from Goodrich, making arrange |
fnents to meet her. The letters will be |
read at the inquest, which takes place to-
morrow at 10 O'Clock.
The following is a statement OF the Wo-
man herself to the police, relative to the
murder and how it was committed:
She had been living with "Charlie," as
she called the deceased, and was greatly
attached to him He wanted to cast her
off, but she loved him so much that she
could not leave him. She entreated on
her knees that he would allow her to re-
main, but he was firm, and in fact was
brutal in his treatment of her, and the
Thursday before the Friday on which the
BODY was found was the lay fixed for her
20 leave him, he threatening her with all
sorts of things if she dared to trouble him
iurther She had remained in the house
III Degraw street all the previous evening"
and in the morning, when Goodrich got
up she again besought him not to cast
her off. He was very angry, and refused
her request OF to hear her al all. He then
went into the basement at the front of the
house, and proceeded to light the Balti-
more heater, which was located there
The murdefess says she loved the man so
much that she could not leave him, and
that when she saw him determined to
discard her, she worked herself up to
murder him.
She had one of his revolvers in her
pocket, not the one which the detectives
found lying in the house beside the
corpse, and while Goodrich was STOPPING
down on one hand and knee in the act of
lighting the heater, she drew the pistol.
and extending her hand toward him, she
aid, Charley" he looked up, and she
shot HIM three times. These were the
fatal wounds which the post mortem ex-
animation disclosed After she commit
Ted the murder on Thursday morning she
waited all day and night in the house
watching it.
On Friday morning she had occasion to
go to New York, and early that morning
he washed the blood from the face of the
murdered man with towel, which she
afterwards wrung out, and which was
found damp by the police. She it was
who fixed the corpse rs it was discovered,
and when she had done this she went
over to New York for something or other,
and was about 10 return to this house that
Friday evening. She came over on the