The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-14
BL00DSTAINED JOS. LAPAGE
JOSIE LINGMiID's MURDERER TO BE
HANGED TO-DAY 1T CONCORD.
The story OF Terrible Crimc-A Young
Giris Head Severed from her Body-Twice
Convicted ON Circumstnntlai Evidence.


CoScORp, March 13.-Joscph Lapage, the
French Canadian who murdered Josie Lang
maid more than three years ago. is to be
hanged here tomorrow The murder was the
most brutal ever committed in the State. ami
this. together with some remarkable features
that followed has earned it admission rs a ccle-
brated ease into the recent criminal law books.
Josie Langmaid was the pretty. seventeen
year-old daughter Of James F. Langmaid.
wel-to-do farmer living ut Suncook. little viii
lage seven miles from Concord Her dreadful
death and the excitement attending the arrest
of I.apagc and his trial have broken him down
and made an old man of him long before his
time.
On the morning OF Monday. Oct. 4. 1875 Josie
started for the academy. about mile and half
from her fathers house. Usually she walked
there and back with younger brother This
time however. her brother had started half an
hour before her. She is remembered by neigh
bors who live along the road as skipping hap
PLY along. with an algebra under one arm. and
tossing big red apple into the air. She was a
handsome girl and every one In the village was
fond of her With the last person. excepting
her murderer. who saw her alive she exchanged
Few merry wOrns.
The road to tho academy passes for short
| dis lnce through thick piece Ot woods. but no
| one ever thought of danger there. for the aca-
| are constantly passing through II. But Josie
! Langn'ad was murdered there.
Her 'bsence from school led 10 inquiries and
| then to "A search Her hendl, 50 and dreadfully
| mutllated body was found beneath some trees.
head wrapped in hershawi. The motive of the
| crime was evident. but the dreadful mutilation
/ Of the face. the seNcring OF the head iron the
| body, and the other mutilaiions too awful to
mention seemed either the work OF II maniac or
an iniuriaied drunkard. In the roadway we're
| that bore marks Of the use to which II had been
| put The murderer had evidently been in MD
ing in the woods and waiting Tor the girl. He
| probably spoke TO her and Us she started 10 run
away struck her with the club, Her broken
arm and fingers showed that she had tired TO
| blow that fractured her skull must have pro-
| du'ed unconsciousness when the monster
| dragged her into the woods. cut the face anu
| bolv and severed the head from the neck.
The excitement III the town spread through
the state. Rewards were ~ once offered Tor ih'
arrest OF the murderer. although there werr no
clues that he most experienced detectives could
ilni. The indignation was 80 great however.
that the people were swift 20 suspeI q man who
! proved To- uc innocent. BeHtus" Bl Or W. a
shiitless. drunken fellow IN Suncook. hat q bad
been the man. ana be- WIS arrested. An excited
mob followed the officers who had Drew IN
charge 10 the Jail, and were Tor lynchinE him.
They oven went 80 FAR n To- propose breaking
into the Jail and taklns him out, AMI We're
guieted only when the sheriff told them that Il
be ;he nrst 10 help them. Drew. however. was
able to show cone clusiNely that he was lar away
from tllH WOODS Miltn the UlIAcT NhS 'ou4lll-
ted, and he was discharged.
A lew DAYS after some Of the officers received
q letter from officials IN Canada saying that il
| looked like the work of a Fren Imam who had
been arrested on suspicion OF having murder II
Il hool teacher. Miss Bull. near -; Adams. ".
and who was known TO lave assaulted and lett
for dead two women IN Canada. Acting on the
hint. the detectives found that Lapage had been
At work in Suncook. and had been seen near
the woods. He told contradictory stories about
his whereabouts on the morning OF the murder.
and was arrested. While in prison he made
/ nearly susp.S.ful attnmrfs ID He
Was trird Ia January. 1875 and eonvil'ra en-
shown That he hAd been seen near the woods.
that h" had had a club ike that with which
Josie hai been struck. that he had previously
asked when she went through the woods. thnt
he could not account for himself On the morn
ing OF the murder. and 10y expert testimony
| that spots OF human blood wrrr on his cloth lng.
In court We're produ ed the TWO Canadian
womcn whom he had assaulted and let for
dead. II : only defence was an a!lhi. WIFI h
tro.e down. and the Jury that convicted him
were out only an hour.
The trial attracted the attention Of lawyers nll
! over the country. and one OF the rulings OF the
Judg" was critrisedas monsfrous. This ruling
admitted testimony showing that Lapage mad
assaulted women before. Lawyers said that
unless II was reversed, u man in New Hamp-
shire could he tried al one time not only Tor the
crime for which ne WIS ind icted, but t0f any
similar crime previously committed. Counsel
lQr Ira Shaier, IN letter 70 THE Sun at the
time. predicted a reversal of the ruling by the
court o. last resort. The case was taken there
ana new Ea promptly ordered IN TIL
ground Laparr was tried again. early IN 1877
hang / on March II. ISIS. the New Hampshire
law requiring an interval of az least one yeai
between sentence and execution.
He is an ignorant peddler. with a most repul
sive countcnunrc. tut has always insisted tina
he is innocent. II has never let dropa self
inculpatlng word Now that his death is Ger
ton, and resolved TO leave a confession Of tAi,
and of his other crimes