The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-04-29

The preliminary inquest, common
ly known as the view" was held at
undertaken Waterman's, at O'Clock
last evening. The investigation re-
vealed only what has been stated,
and it seemed to be the impression of
the Jury that the wounds about the
heart were the first inflicted, as a
sort Of torture The little boys
hands were badly cut, from which it
was inferred that he had put
them up to ward off the strokes Of
the knife or other instrument, and
that his tormentor had re5uked him
by an occasional slashing cut
/ Death was produced by stab in
the neck, which cut the jugular vein
and that stab was, probably, not Civ.
en- till the murderer's cruel propensi-
ties had been completely cloyed.
Since the above was written, 1t is
learned that the boy, Willie Pomeroy
was arrested at a little before mid
night, at his home in South Boston.
The knife which, is referred to preyi-
ously, has been proved his property
1t is an ordinary thin-bladed knife
with white handle, on which the.
blood is p ainly discernable. The blade
apparently most used is about three
inches long and quarter of an inch
in width.
A telegraph despatch from Boston
gives the following account of the
confession of the boy murderer:
The story of the child murder is
one Of the most extraordinary of the
period. The boy, Jesse Pomeroy,
suspected first as the murderer, to-
day confessed, and is now awaiting
examination. Before his confession
chain of convincing circumstantial
evidence had been formed against
him. When the boy was taken at
the house of his mother, Il respectable
dressmaker, in South Boston, IL knife
was found on his person spotted with
blood. A spot of blood marked the
breast of his undershirt, and his boots
were covered with mud Of that pecu-
liar hue and cOnsistence that belong
alone to the soil of marsh lands.
Early this morning officers visited
the scene of the murder From the
wharf to the spot where the body was
found were two sets Of footprints in
the marsh mud OF both these plaster
casts were made, and they displayed
peculiarities which afterward proved
almost conclusIvely that the right
person had been arrested for the crime.
The record of this extraordinary
boy is 4 terrible one. Early in 1872
there was great excitement in Chel-
sea, caused by the horrible torture oil
a number Of little fellows by this boy,
who was not discovered until hun
dred or more boys had been arrested,
and he was, after trial, sent TO the
Reform School, at WestbOrough, for
the remainder Of his minority. His
victims were many. One was a son
OF Mr. Paine, of Chelsea, who was,
about Christmas, 1871, taken by
PomerOy to Powder Horn Hill, strip
ed naked, tied to beam, beaten
with a rope, and left helpless Tracey
Hayden, another boy, who was, on
February u, 1872, stripped, tled up
and beaten with board and ropes,
by which some of his teeth were
knocked out, the bridge of his nose
broken, and other more serious III
Jurles inflicted. Johnny Balch was
en- tlced to Powder Horn Hill soon
after July 4, 1872, stripped, gagged,
tied to a beam, beaten, and then
taken to salt water creek and wash
ed. Robert Gould, in September
ofthe same year, was taken from
South Boston TO the vicinity Of the
Hartford and Erie Railroad, stripped,
tied to a telegraph pole, whipped and
cut with a knife in the head. Harry
Austin, IN August of the same year,
was, at South Boston, stripped,
beaten and cut in the back and groin
with knife. Gerge Pratt, about
the same time, was enticed into the
cabin OF yacht at South Boston,
stripped and punctured with pins
and needles in different parts of his
body, and left insensible and bleed
ing. Joseph Kennedy was about
the same time taken to place on
the Old Colony road in South Bos-
ton and maltreated in about the same
manner that the Gould boy had
been. These boys were all of tender
age, from seven % eleven years old.
When arraigned Pomeroy confessed
that he was guilty, and assigned as
the only reason that be could not
help it,