The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-07-15
The Case of Jesse Pomeroy

Gil decided almost, if not entirely, unani-
mously to reject the petitions for COM
mutation of the death penalty, and the
day OF execution will soon be announced
by the governor. Every well balanced
mind Will endorse this action and paw the
tribute of profound respect to the maies-
ty Of law, while vicious murderers will
feel the salutary influence 1t is not nee
essary to comment with severity upon the
terrific crimes of Pomeroy. His case has
been fairly investigated by the proper
tribunal and the award of justice has been
made. So there is no place for passion
and no cause for appeal to sympathy. Yet
it may not be out of place to give sue
| cinct statement of his career as published
in the Boston Post
About three years ago number of small chill
dren in Chelsea and Charlestown suffered terri
pie crneltles, consisting of wounds from knives
ana other weapons, but the perpetratOr was
| not then discovered. A short time after these
occurrences little boy residing in Chelsea,
| named Bach, was found in shed on Powder
| Horn Hill tied to beam, Invested of his cloth
ing, and bleeding from several wounds in his
| body. The little fellow stated that his wounds
were inflicted by large boy. A vigilance com
mlttee of citizens was formed for the purpose
| of investigating the matter. About one hundred
| lads were brought by the committee before the
| Balch child and others who had suffered SINH
| lar cruelties at the hands of the then unknown
torturer, but the little victims failed to identify
| any of those as being the ''big bow who beat
| and cut them. reward of $500 was offered
| by the city of Chelsea for the discovery of the
wretch, but without success. The matter soon
| passed from the mind Of the public, and in the
| meantime the Pomeroy family removed to South
| Boston. Soon after their advent in that part OF
| the city Il child named George Pratt suffered
| similar indignities as did the Bach boy, and
| circumstances pointing strongly TO young Pom
| eroy, he was arrested and locked up in the
| sixth Police Station, where the boys Pratt and
| Balch Identified him as being the boy who in
jured them. PomerOy was next taken before
| the Municipal Court, and after several hours
| examination, during which large number of
| the lads who suffered from Pomeroy's brutal
| ties We're present and recognized him as being
| the perpetrator thereof, Judge Forsaith SEN
| fenced him to confinement in the State Reform
| School during his minority. He remained at
| this institution little more than one year,
| when, through the efforts Of some persons, he
was pardoned and returned to his home in
| South Boston. Soon after his liberation several
| little children in South Boston made complaint
| to their parents that great large boy had
| beaten and otherwise maltreated them. Though
| IOiutIDS WIS strongly suspected Oh Dtnp the
| author of these crimes, yet he managed to es-
| cape detection until the murdered body of little
| Horace Mlllen was found on the COW pasture
marsh, near Dorchester, on Wednesday after
| noon, April -, 1874. Pomeroy was at once sus-
| pected of the crime and arrested. His trial
| soon followed, and he was convicted and sen
| fenced to be hanged. Some days previous to the
| finding of the Millen boys body ON the marsh
| 4 little girl named Katie Curran suddenly dsap-
| peared from her parents house i'll south Bos-
Il tha
| thought that the child had been abducted by
| some of her fathers friends This theory
| accepted by the public as satisfactorily account
| ing for the little girls disappearance Mrs.
| Pomeroy, mother of jesse III. Pomeroy, at that
| time carried on the business of dressmaking and
| millinery at No. 3l2 Broadway. South Boston,
| having her residence on the north side and
| nearly opposite to her store Her family con-
| sisted of herself and two sons. Jesse assisted
| his brother in carrying newspapers, and 1t was
| his custom to open the store for his mother in
| the morning and remain in charge until she
| came. During the latter part of the summer of
| 1874 Mrs. Pomeroy vacated the Broadway store,
| the building being sold. A short time subse-
| quent some workmen who We're engaged in al
| tering the lower part of the premises found the
| remains Of Katie Curran buried in an ash-heap
| between wooden partition and the cellar wall
| The evidence taken before the coroner's jury
| pointed to Jesse rs being the murderer of the
| Curran child. and he subsequently confessed to
| Chief of Police Savage that he was guilty of the
| crime. In his confession it will be remembered
that he said, after enicng the little girl into his
mothers shop, he took her down cellar and cut
| her throat with a small pocket-knite and then
hid the body i'll the place where it was found.
On trial his defence was conducted with
the greatest ability, and the science of
mind was ransacked tor all the evidence
to palliate the horrible deed The court
however, decided that the enormity of his
crimes was not IN excuse against the pen
atty of law, and held him q murderer
Here came in the remarkable passage in
the case. As soon rs the sentence was
pronounced all Massachusetts divided into
two parties One was in favor of respect
ING the constituted authorities, and mag
nifying the law even at the expense of q
| wild beast in human form. The other
party, and it was not weak, came in with
all the moral pressure which could be
made available, and laid Siege to the exc
cntiye for his interference with the course
Of law. He gave fail hearing to the pc
titioner5 and the process amounted almost
to q second trial OF the cause. Testimony
and counsel We're brought, and the means
of influence were exhausted in this wholly
unjustiliabe manner, to practically reop-
en- the case. The most valuable lesson OF
the whole case is the defeat OF this irregu-
lar attempt to avert the force Of law when
fairly administered No figures nor words
could measure the mischief which would
grow out Of a successful effort of this kind,
If the decision of law explicitly made be
not final, as against popular remonstrance,
then its force is all gone. Pomeroy's case,
important as it was, becomes of secondary
moment in this position of affairs. A great
clamor is not stronger than the govern
ment of Massachusetts, and society, from
the East to the West, may rejoice in the
reatiimatiOn of that fact.
We cannot add anything to this noble
sentiment from the Louisville Courier
journal "When the soldiers OF the two
armies can greet each other at the graves
of their comrades surely it is time for the
partisan to lay aside his animosities, and
to make politics as liberal as commerce
and science and all the various enterprise
that have refused to see any difference
among our people"
An itinerant musician with hand or
gan was recently observed in front of the
Prog. Age office, playing soft and pain
tive air while he sang
| ooh, the moon is like skim milk cheese,
| Ihut ROLLS ACROSS the Sky.