The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-06-22
A Nah on His DeGth-Bed Colsfesses
to killing q Beautiful Girl.
New York Sunday Mercur


Maggie White, of Cohoes, July 5, 1874,
was found drowned in the Mohawk
River, caught in the cable that hangs
suspended from shore to shore on the
south side of the bridge that spans that
stream at echoes. Maggie was charm
ing girl-a reigning belle-and when it
wasdeveloped that she was enceinte, sus-
picion fastened upon Marshall Rich, who
had been very attentive to and intimate
with the girl, and the inference was that
he, knowing her condition, had muir
dered the victim to hide the evidence of
his guilt and shame. At the inquest the
evidence was very conflicting, and the
cornoner's jury returned their verdict:
''That Maggie White came to her death
on or about the 9th of June, 1874, by
violence at the hands of some person
other than herself, and in our opinion
Marshall Rich was implicated in the
causing of the death of said Maggie
White" After the finding of the verdict
by the jury, Coroner John Fleming gave
the case into the hands of the district
attorney, but as no more evidence could
be adduced than that furnished at the
inquest, there not being enough to war
rant Rich's arrest the case went by de-
fault. The sequel is as follows: Miss
O'Hare, of Cohoes, is in correspondence
with some friends in Illinois, and she re-
ceived paper published in that locality
containing an accsunt of the death Of
Marshall Rich, and the story of his con-
iession of the murder while on his death
bed. He recoupts his criminal intimacy
with Maggie, and says that the knowl-
edge troubled him, as he was not in fit
condition to marry her. On the evening
of the 9th of June, he met her shortly
after she returned from Troy, and, as
usual when the met, they walked and
conyersed together. After walking some
time some strange fatality led them in
the direction of the high railroad bridge,
and still they strolled along, she little
dreaming of danger. AS they neared
the middle of the bridge, she con6dingly
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 irresistible force that by throwing
her from the bridge he could in one briei
moment end at once his care and relieve
his mind of the anxiety as to the conse-
quences of their illicit love. The idea
once conceived was Immediately put into
execution, and, releasing her hold on his
arm, with sudden push he threw hei
from the parapet of the bridge, and with
smothered shrek her form sank into
the turbid waters of the Mohawk. He
watched few brief moments the spot
where she disappeared from view, to see
if she again would rise to the surface
but his watching was in vain; he never
saw her again until he gazed upon the
bloated and disfgured corpse of his vic
tim, and lost no time in again returning tC
Ovid. As no one had seen him in thu
city during the two days previous to tht
murder, he hoped to escape suspicion
At last, taken sick and stricken with
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 murder tina
forever sets at rest all speculation as t.
how the beautiful Maggie White cam
to her death in the waters of tn
Mohawk.