The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-03-09
aMisfflaneous.
MURDER CASES.
SOME CASES RESEMBLING THE
GREENPOINT TRAGEDY.
Proofs Against Murderers Furnished
by the Very Means They EN-
ployed for Concealment
From the New York SUM-

The discovery of the mutilated remains
at Greenpoint calls to mind some notable
cases that seem to confirm the popular
belief that whatever disposition may be
made by murderer of the corpse of his
victim. sooner or later it "will cry out
from the ground" against him. In Eng
land what was known as "The Waterloo
Bridge Mystery" about fifteen years ago.
created great excitement there. remains
of a human body being found craMmed
into carpet-bag, as did recently the dis.
covery of the murderer of Harriet Lane
ly her paramour, Wainwright, by the
finding in cab of a package containing
mart Of her remains. In America, the
killing of poor Alice Bowlsby, of Patter
son, N. j., by Rosenweig, discovered by
the finding of the'body crushed into a
trunk for transmission to Chicago, is still
fresh in the recollection of the public.
From a number of cases showing the
difficulty of keeping murder out of sight,
the following three cases, which have
become historical, are interesting exam.
pies:
The case of Prof. Webster, who was
hanged for the murder of Dr. Parkman,
was one in which guilt was brought home
TO the perpetrator through the identified
tion of the body after it had been sep
arated limb from limb, submitted to
chemical processes, and to the inordinate
heat of furnace of anatomical subjects.
II was shown that Prof. Webster had
urgent pecuniary motives for getting DR..
Parkman out of the way The prisoner
lived at the Medical College, Boston. He
made an appointment to meet DR.. Park
man at 2 O'clock on Friday, November
%, 1S49, to discuss money matters. DIR.
Parkman was seen entering the college
at a quarter to 2 o'clock, and was never
again seen alive. The prisoner said the
doctor did not keep his appointment, and
was not in the college all that day.
For a whole week no traces of the
missing man were found. On Friday
week and the day following were found
in furnace connected with Wehster's
labratory in the college, fused together
indiscriminately with the Stag, the Gin
ders. and the refuse of the fuel, large
number of bones and certain blocks OF
mineral teeth. Some gold that had been
melted was also found. Other bones
were discovered in the vault under the
college, and in tea-chest, embedded in
a quantity of tan, The entire trunk of
human body and more ZONES were found.
The parts thus collected from different
places made the entire body of person.
Or. Parkman's age, about sixty years,
and the form of the body, when recon
structed, had just the peculiarities of DR..
Parkman. u.nl ...t. .tusJ!3
1t was further shown that the remains
had been separated by a person possessed
of anatomical skill, though not for ana
tomical purposes. Finally three witnesses,
dentists, testified that the mineral teeth
were those made for DR.. Parkman three
years before. A mould of the DOCTORS
law was made at the time, and it was
produced, and shown to be so peculiar
that no accidental conformity of the teeth
to the jaw could possibly account for the
adantation. This cllnChed the evidence
against the prisoner.
The murder of Samuel Adams, a printer
in New York, by John G. Colt, teacher
of book keeping, and brother of the
late Colonel Samuel Colt, of revolver
fame, is another example. As in the
case of Prof. Webster, the motive was to
get rid of an importunate creditor. The
scene of the murder was the building on
Broadway and Chambers street, now oc-
cupied by Delmonico, the restaurauteur
John C. Colt occupied room in this
building for his business. One Septem-
ber morning in 1841, Adams, who was
printing for him work on book keep
ing, called for $50 or $50 due him, and
was not seen again alive. Inquiries were
made by his family, and it was ascer-
tained tnat he was last seen going into
Colts apartments, in Chambers street.
On the day of Adams disappearance sus-
picieus noises were heard in Colts room.
The body finally came boxed. directed to
gentleman in st. Louis, by way of New
Orleans, and was traced back to New
York to Colt, and he was arrested.
Colts story was that Adams and he
had dispute as to the correctness of the
bill presented, and that the latter called
him liar. which he resented by slapping
him in the face A scnffle ensued-
Adams seized him by the throat, and
Colt, in self-defense, caught up Ratchet
living near by and struck him on the
forehead, killing him. He went out of
his room and locked the door, hurrying
to the City Hotel, where his brother,
Samuel Colt, was staying, intending to