The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-06-08
MURDER WILL OUT.
A Man on his Deathbed: Confesses to Killing
Beautiful Girl.


Maggie White, of Cohoes, July s,
1874, was found drowned in the Mo-
hawk river, caught in the cable that
hangs suspended from shore to shore, on
the south side of the lower bridge that
spans that stream at Cohoes. Maggie
was charming girl-a reigning belle
and when it was developed that she was
cnceinte suspicion fastened upon Mar
shall Rich, who had been very attentive
to and intimate with the girl, and the
inference was that he, knowing her con-
dition, had murdered the victim to hide
the evidence of his guilt and shame. At
the inquest the evidence was very con-
hicting, and the coroner's jury returned
their verdict: "That Maggie White
came to her death on or about the
twenty-seventh of June, 1874, by vio-
lence at the hands of some person other
than herself, and in our opinion one
Marshall Rich was implicated in causing
the death of the said Maggie White"
After the finding of the verdict by the
jury Coroner John Fleming gave the
case into the hands of the district attor-
ney, but as no more evidence could be
adduced than that furnished at the in
quest, there not being enough to war
rant Richs arrest, the case went by de-
fault. The sequel is as follows Miss
O'Hare, of Oohoes, is in correspondence
with some friends in Illinois, and she
received paper published in that To-
cality containing an accounto of the death
of Marshall Rich, and the story of his
confession of the murder while on his
deathbed. He recounts his criminal in
timacy with Maggie, and says that the
knowledge troubled him, as he was not
i'll a fit condition to marry her. On the
evening of the twenty of June
he met her shortly after she returned
from Troy, and, as usual when they
met, they walked and conversed to-
gether. After walking some time some
strange fatality led them in the direction
of the high or railroad bridge, and still
they strolled along, she little dreaming
of danger. AS they neared the middle
of the bridge, she confdingly leaning on
his arm, she on the south side of the
walk and nearest to the edge, at once the
damnable notion seized him with ire
sistible force that by throwing her from
the bridge lie could in one brief moment
end at once his care and relieve his mind
VI tue auAlety as w blle COuSeg uolCeS Ol
their illicit love. The idea once con
ceived was Immediately put into execu-
tion, and, releasing her hold on his arm
with sudden push he threw her from
the parapet of the bridge, and with 6
smothered shrek her form sunk into the
turbid waters of the Mohawk. HI
watched for few brief moments tn,
spot where she disappeared from view
to see if she again would rise to the sur
face, but his watching was in vain; ht
never saw her again until he gazed upol
the bloated and disfgured corpse of hi
victim. Rich, after the murder of hi
victim, lost no time in again returning
to Ovid. AS no one had seen him in th,
city during the two days previous to th'
murder, he hoped to escape suspicion
At last taken sick and stricken will
death, he felt that he must relieve hi
conscience Of the weight imposed upol
it since the commission OF the crime
Hence the confession of the murde
that forever sets at rest all speculation
as to how the beautiful Maggie Whit
came to her death in the waters of tn
Mohawk.