The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-04
THE LANGMAID TRAGEDY.
HOW the Press Became the
Successful Detective.
ARREST OF LA PAGE.

OF shocking crimes that surpass everything in the line
OF romance and fiction produced The sad fate OF
young Josie-outraged, murdered and mutated as she
passing through lonely piece OF woods on her ~av
TO schools st painfully fresh in the public mind and
the horrible details need hardly be referred 70 aga q
was one Of those terrible affairs which sent thrill Of
horror sadness throughout whole country and
involuntary and universal desire Tor speedy
vengeance to fall uron the nendish perpetrator
Through providcntia accidental circumstances and
in spite of the presence and obstruction Of socaIed
detectives the real murderer has probably, been
apprehended indicted by the Grand Jury. and now
awaiting the form OF a trial previous TO yielding up
his life q New Hampshire sca1od, Joseph La
Page, the Frenchman arrested nine or ten days az
the terrible crime, undoubtedly guilty of not
only the brutal murder OF Josie Langmad, but also
of the killing of Miss Ball. the St Adams Vt.) school
teacher vino outraged and Dutchered in a SINH
lar manner year more ago.
HOW LA SUSPECTED ARRESTED
To show how utterly useless the socalled detectives
have been in this most cases. it is only necessary
to tell the story of how the Frenchman La Page hap
pened to be suspected and arrested Shortly before the
murder Mr. Fowler Chairman OF the Pembroke Board
of Selectmen hired stranger TO help him thresh
ing machine One evening while this strange workman
was at supper, Mr. Fowler's daughter companion Of
Josie Langmaid entered the room. Subsequently,
after SUPPER the stranger asked Of Mr.. Fowler
who the young lady was, and told that 1t was his
sister, He then questioned HIM about the road she
took going and coming from school, and the boy freely
told him. day two afterward which boy IN the
neghborhood was going to school over this road he
what he supposed to be of his mates concealed
in the bushes nnocenty supposed he there for
the purpose of soaring him 1t turned out, however
to be this strange workman of Mr. Fowler and the
inference is that he lying in wait for Miss Fowler
MURDER
which almost Immediately after this Miss Fowler,
Just before entering the woods her way TO
school, waited for Josie Langmaid to along. After
waiting for time a neighbor came along with a
carriage, and concluding that Josie had gone ahead
she accepted invitation to ride and thus probably,
saved her life 1t not ten minutes after probably,
that Josie met her murderer, and when tho mutated
body discovered the conversation with the strange
workman was recalled by the Fowler boy. Suspicion
was Of course directed against him. but all efforts
discover his whereabouts were in vain The skilful
Boston detectives they called looked around
everywhereit is to be presumed-but they could find
nothing of this strange workman. At length in their
industry and wisdom they got after other parties and
secuted ridiculous the connection OF Mr.. Fowler's
man with the crime.
THE PRESS THE REAL DETECTIVE AFTER ALL.
While all this was going at Suncook and Pembroke
| Mr. w. n Abeli with whom Miss Ball-the lady muir
dered in ST. Abansboarded, read in the Boston Herald
an account of the murder OF Miss Langmad near Sun
cook. Knowing that Joseph La Page who lived in his
neighborhood at the time of the murder OF Miss Ball,
and who arrested and afterward acquitted of the
charge, had removed last spring TO Suncook, he
thought the fact OF sufficient importance to commune
cate 70 the authorities OF this town AT this time the
socalled detectives had exhausted themselves in look
ing after the strange Frenchman who employed by
Mr.. Fowler. The letter from St Abans however, not
only told them that his name Joseph La Page, but
also indicated that they would find HIM with his chill
dren who working in the Suncook factory. They
| went there with Mr.. Fowler, and the suspected man
was found at and fully identified by Mr. Fowler as
the Frenchman who bad worked for him. OF course
he taken into custody and the result has been,
already stated, his indictment by the Grand Jury and
| commitment for trial early in January.
THE CASE AGAINST THE PRISONER.
Now that La Page is safely in custody and where he
be identified at pleasure the direct and circumstan
tal evidence begins to accumulate 1t does not
through any efforts of the socalled detectives but is
the result of united determination the part OF the
community to have the case thoroughly investigated
1t turns out the give no account OF
himself at the time the murder; his coat and vest
stained with blood and the shirt which he
/ not be found knife and two razors-one bloody
were found in the house. and the says they belong
TO his father The stick with which the girl killed
in La Pages possession few days before the
murder, and on that very day, and few moments be-
fore the crime discovered, he in the i'm
mediate vicinity with an axe on his shoulder.
| ATTEMPTED oUTRAGEs OTHER GIRLS
The brutal Aend has been identified by several girls
In the vicinity the who has chased them the
wooded roads and very much frightened them, and by
one or two sportsmen who saw him chasing Miss
Watson who was much flushed and excited at the
time; also by lady and her daughter as having way
LAID them in the woods with heavy club in his hands
the timely meeting Of another man. they believe hav-
ing saved them from assault, and perhaps murder
| MS WIFE
La Pages wife, since bis arrest, has stated that
he outraged and nearly murdered her sister while
they were living in Canada and he was obliged to come
to the States to escape arrest She also that
has attempted to ravh his own daughter since he
| 10 Suncook
| HIS PROBABLE CONNECTION WITH THE ALBANs
La Page was arrested for the murder OF Henrietta
Ball. the St. Adams school teacher but discharged
for want of eviderce Subsequently others were ac-
cused and arrested, and only few months ago there
much gossip concerning the probable connection
OF OF Governor Smith with the that he de-
manded full legal investigation, the result of course
being an honorable acquittaL The evidence that La
Page was really Lhe murderer seems now TO BIO very
positive At the time IL must have been committed he
said he working with his boys, but his sons
deny that story. He talked OF leaving town
at the time, but his wife said that it
would strengthen suspicion against him II he left and
he followed her advice and remained at home Near
the body Of the Ball girl found face mask,
strings being tied in what is known French knot
Over the body Of Josie Langmaid couple Of twgs
his wifes sister he aiace mask like tho found
the remains OF Miss Ball
AN INTERESTING TERRIBLE COINCIDENCE.
most startling and tragic reminiscence is called up
by this brutal murder OF Josie Langmad 1t Is told by
the editor Of paper published In Bennington VT who
at the time spoken of was resident Of Pembroke.
Speaking Of the ato horror he says 1t is but repoti-
ton of quite as horrible, which perpetrated
almost the same spot about forty-threo years ago,
the victim then being young married lady by the
name OF Cochrane, and the perpetrator Of the
crime young who employed in Cochrane's
family by the name Of Prescott The affair at thetme
created If anything, more excitement than the Lang
maid horror. The parties lived IN farm house some
way from the little village OF Suncook 1t in the
summer OF the year. and the young man Prescott
about nineteen years of age, who out IN the field
moving came back TO the house-the husband being
away IN town-and told the woman, q blooming young
female OF about twenty-five that no had come across
some very fine berries, and IL she would bring out
pail they could ''pick q mess" She went out with
him, and while engaged in picking tho berries nend
ish desire seized him. and he approached her with i'm
proper proposals. she struck at him with her pail,
and told him that she should tell her husband of his
designs on his return and he would have him
rested. The young man, not over bright sat
upon stone and, as he afterward confessed, cried,
saying ''Wel, / suppose i will be put in jail
for H. and l don't know but what ia as soon
be hung as go jail He then got up and selling
huge club. he beat the woman upon the head, and
then after rayishng her person, he dragged her life
less form into the bushes and cd The corpse of the
woman was found after long Search and In due
course of time the young man arrested and con-
fessed tho crimo Mr.. Armstrong; uncle then the