The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-02-12
His Life Yielded Up for the Muir
der of Francis Celvin.
A PROTEST AT THE GALLONS.
He Stoutly Asservates His limo
cence to the Last.
THE INFORMER AND ACCOMPLlCE.

1914, TWO men, while nshng in the Seneca River, a
short distance west of Baldwinsvie, discovered the
body of man standing upright in the water Fasten
ing line they tried draw it the shore, but could
not II would not move Rowing TO the bank they
called a farmers boy and sent him to the village for
assistance. He told the story he and the
river bank was crowded with excited men The
quiet life of the farmer and the yillager
had been rudely disturbed They hur
ried from farmhouse, from and from
shop. constable came with them He assumed
command Learning that the body was fastened down,
he placed strong rope beneath the arms and then
strong fellows dragged the of what was
human form to the shore. 1t was decayed
badly. heavy stone strapped about the legs,
just below the knees, the bound the BODY
and two coats were wrapped about the head and tied
beneath the neck with straps. There was another
strap about the neck, which indicated that a weight
had been placed there also The coats were removed
and the features disclosed by the 1ickering |
CLEAN of an old lantern, for 1T dark.
Recognition impossible. Decay had done
its work. Everything indicated, however, that
foul murder had been committed The right side
OF the skull was crushed and broken. named
Bullock had disappeared from that vicinity short
time before. farmer suggested that this was his
body They agreed that it and lett it lying there,
while each home to tell the story and speculate
upon the manner Of the death. Early next morning
officer went TO Bulock'S mouse 10 OBTAIN some IN
formation and surprised to find him at work in his
field no having just returned from the West
This renewed the speculation as to who the man
IDENTIFICATION
young man, looking upon the corpse, said, al
wonder if that amt Frank Colvn ?" "Well, if it is"
replied dentist, who had known Colvn, 81 can tell
him by his teeth" Another remarked that if it was
Colvin they would find rags about his toes. The
body examined The peculiar formation of the
which had attracted the dentists attention and
the rags which the known to be
In the habit of wrapping about his toes to
prevent them chatting served tell who he
was Other marks were also found which told beyond
doubt that the remains were those of Frances A.
Colvin He strange fellow, man Of thirty
three thercabouts without family and with but few
friends. Possessing peculiar disposition he lived in
little rudey constructed hut in the woods. He had
been born and bred near there, had bright
sociabe fellow until the death Of girl he had loved had
changed his When the opened he went
in Company A, OF the Eleventh New York voun-
teers three years with that regiment and then
reenlsted in tho First Veteran cavalry and remained
until peace came Then he returned and went to work,
living his hut working hard and saving every penny
with jealous He
A MIsER.
Very often he is said to have worked moonlight
nights in alone that he might add TO his store
He idle, always seeking means to increase
his hoard The breaking OF Peoples Bank SYRIA
cuse in 1872 robbed him of small sum and preudiced
him against banks Thereafter he his own banker.
carrying his wealth about him. He was known to have
large sum Of money. To obtain this, they argued he
nad been murdered His disappearance had excited no
comment There social circle TO miss HIM; no
friend TO ask what had become OF him. He never
fingered about tavern; he never had friend 10 whom
he told his secrets The detectives were
busy however, and before the sun went down
the day after they dragged the body from
the water 1t known that Bishop Vader
had sold a mortgage which Covin had owned; that
this vader had suddenly acquired considerable money
and spent lavishly He arrested ON the charge
Of murder. A silver watch belonging to Colyin,
several promssory notes and another mortgage were
traced to him. vader simple, half INVITED
fellow, and, though people believed that he
knew about the murder, they felt sure that
some one else had planned and carried
IL out Vaders character not such as to indicate
him 10 be the possessor OF nerve enough to murder
man and sink his body in the river The prisoner
confessed the crime and implicated Duanne Peck Peck
arrested, but discharged. He was examined again,
THE TRUE STORY
Of the crime pointing out owen Lnsday as mis- fellow
murderer When the officer land his hand Owen
Lnsday the people felt that the right man had been
secured HIS character was had Forty five years of
age, he had grown up among them and they knew
be the possessor Of the qualifications necessary
to plan and carry out any cruel and brutal act. In
miles from Baldwnsvile. pedler entered his house
nghtfaL No one saw him leave there. No one
ever heard of HIM afterward Then there Is another
story about OF his who had considerable money
and who disappeared, no one knew exactly how TO
wife objected he beat her numerically that she
confined her bed for a long time.
These, and other things of like character, were
known and 1t was believed that Owen Linsday was just
the man TO perpetrate cold booded murder. Colvn
and vader worked for Daniel Lnsday, father of Owen,
who is farmer Owen knew that Colvin had large
with him and he plotted with Vader to murder and
rob him. The time liked repeatedly but postponed
until the 18th OF December, 1873
BurcHKET WITH An AXE
Before 1--WE O'Clock on the morning u that day the
two hired men got up as usual 70 do the chores. No
one but Thorn was awake. They procured light and
went TO the barn. There ten to be MIXED.
Colvin began at end and vader at the other.
Lnsdsy sneaked from his hiding place,
in hand, and stole stealthiy where unsuspecting
vim fell to the floor dying TO make his work sure The
murderer dealt second blow Hastily pulling his coat
over The head Of the murdered man Linsdsy called
vader and they carried the body the hay Ion above
The clothes searched They found 81 COS in cash.
two silver watches TWO mortgages and three notes
five 500 bills, watch and the notes and mortgages
Linsday took the rest, at the same time telling vader
10 personate and have the mortgages assigned
himself and then sell them They covered the corpse
hay and left It there AT the breakfast table tho
old man linsday asked where Covin WASP vader said
he had gone get another job. The old man thought
a strange way Of leaving, but said no more and
thereafter took the trouble 10 inquire about the
murdered man until his body was found in the water,
months afterward
AT midnight the murderer harnesscd his team. at
tached them a rough sleigh used for drawing wood,
and drove down front OF his fathers house Nader
there Together they went to the barn, took the
body from beneath the hay, carried u out and aid u
upon the sleigh throwing an old blanket over Pass
ing the highway for a short distance they turned
into lonely lane leading 70 the river Al the rivers
bank they laid the remains the stern OF boat
which Vader had borrowed for tho OCCASION. with the
straps he had procured for the purpose Lindsay bound
two large and hoavy stones 70 his yictm-one
about the neck the other to the legs Slowly moving
out upon the until they reached the centre OF the
stream, they rested their oars. IL was dark and
the stiffness only broken by the ripple Of the
waters against the boat There was a splash, and the
river closed the form OF the murdered man, and
these two hurried to the shore vainy thinking
that they had buried all evidence OF their crime
human eyes Winter went and summer came. Tho
strap That bound the about the neck loosened
ana the body Of Francis Covin rose upright the
water 70 ask for vengeance against the Tiurderers
came.
TRIAL
commenced at Syracuse, January 90, 1875 and lasted
Ennrn II. -. ~.