Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-06-14
The Murder of Miss Hanson.

fruitful in terrible crimes, but no tragedy
has equaled in deliberate savagery the
killing OF Miss Susan J Hanson, of Brook
field, N. H., in November, 1874, as its re-
voting details are now developed by the
confession of Charles w. Cook, of Farm
ington. He did the killing on the prom
Use of $500 reward from Joseph B. Buzzell,
a farmer of means and rcputed respecta-
bility, former suitor Of Miss Hanson's,
and defendant at the time in breach of
promise suit brought by her.
Susan J. Hanson was q native and life
long resident of Brooktield, thirty-four
years old, attractive, amiable and cul-
tured above most country girls. She had
known Farmer Buzzell intimately always;
they had grown up near neighbors, were
engaged before the girl reached her
twentieth year, and several times he had
appointed and postponed the wedding
day. A few months before the tragedy
the lover, to everybody's surprise. mar
ried another woman. The friends of
Miss Hanson, were naturally indignant
and outraged, and at their earnest solici-
tations the deserted girl consented to
bring breach of promise suit against
Buzzell.
The legal papers had been served, but
the night before the first hearing of the
case the plaintiff was killed. She was
sitting in the early evening with her
mother, brother and a little nephew in
their cosy New England kitchen, when a
binding explosion occurred, the lamp
went out and Miss Hanson fell dead. A
hole in the window and seventeen shot
and slugs in the woman's body disclosed
the horrible work of an assassin.
Buzzell was naturally arrested and tried.
The imprint of a agunstock near the window
through which the shot had been fired
corresponded to gun he had formerly
owned but which could not be found; a
wagon track from which man was fol-
lowed through a piece of plowed land
near the Hansons, corresponded to his,
the wadding Of the gun had been from a
newspaper he was known to take-but
after weeks trial the evidence against
Farmer Buzzell was held to be not con-
victing. The Hanson house was soon af-
ter deserted by its occupants because of
its terrible associations, and the local pub
lie gave over expecting that the murderer
of Susan Hanson would be brought to
justice in this world.
Public excitement because of the mur-
der was somewhat revived, however, in
the spring of 1875 by the burning Of the
fine farm buildings of one Of the wit
nesses against Buzzell in the murder trial,
and again in the fall and last winter by
the incendiary firing of buildings belong
ing to two more men who had given evi-
dence unfavorable to the defendant.
Reward of 81 900 was offered for the ar
rest Of the incendiary, and Boston detec-
tives began to "shadow" Chas. W. Cook,
who had been Buzzell's hired man for
years.
The officers became workmen in the
shoe factory at Pennington, whittier
Cook had removed, and few days ago
arrested him as Buzzell's accomplice in
the murder and incendiarisms. Over
come at finding agents Of the law in his
new friends, the young man has made a
voluntary confession of the means en-
pleyed by Buzzell to revenge himself
on Miss Hanson and his neighbors. He
says:
We went up across the hills and pas
lures leading to the Hanson house to
little knoll where the barn used to stand,
about three rods from the house. think
Buzzell then asked me if I would kill her,
and I told him no, that had rather be