The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-02-25
CROOKED DETECTIVES.
Extorting Confessions TO Convict limo
cent Persons.

Two men hamed Conway and Cohen have
recently been arrested in Boston for conspiracy
to throw a railroad train from the track, and
If the story told in the Boston Herald concern
ing their careers is true they are guilty not only
of this crime but of several others, as heinous
as this. The men ore detectives and were ap-
pointed on the Massachusetts state police by
Chief Detective Stephenson. Cohen is dense
ly ignorant, hardly being able to write his
name. Conway is more intelligent.
1t will be remembered probably that 10 No
vember 1874, Susan A. Hanson was shot dead
one evening while sitting In the kitchen of her
mothers house in Brookfeld. N. 81. She had
been engaged to b married to ons Joseph b.
Buzzell, stone mason, but he had deserted
her and married another woman. Consequent.
ly she had sued him for breach of promise and
the trial of the case was near at hand when
she was shot Suspicion naturally fell on Buzz
zell as Miss Hapson's murderer aud he was ar
rested and tried. He was defended by W. j.
Copeland of South Berwick In this state. The
evidence, though raising strong suspicion, was
insufficient for conviction and BazzsIl was &C.
quilted.
After the trial fires became frequent in the
Brookfield neighborhood, and among the suf-
fsrers was John Churchill, who hao bsep very
active 10 pressing the prosecution of Buzzsll.
1t was to ascertain the author Of these fires,
for there was no doubt but they were of incen-
diary origin, that the services of Detectives
Cohen and Conway were called In. In the
course of their Investigations they came across
boy named Charles W. Cook, who had form
erly worked for Buzzell. They arrested him
on'suspicion and finally obtained a confession
from him that he set Mr.. Churchill's barn on
fire, and the further confession that he shot
Miss Hanson at the instigation of Buzzell
On the strength of this confession Buzzell was
again arrested, this time as accessory to the
murder. He was tried and convicted, princi-
pally on Cooks testimony. Cook said that
Buzzel compelled him to fire at Miss Hanson,
threatening If he did not to blow his head
off. Exceptions were taken and the case is
still to be argued before the full bench of New
Hampshire.
The friends of Buzzell believed that the lat.
ter's conviction was the result of conspiracy
on the part of Cohen and Conway, and rival
detectives began to think it strange that Con-
Why tuQ OURoh ouUulu NO 81 euCCeSSIul III OUs
tanning confessions obey had obtained num-
Der before Cook's) and decided to watch them.
Accordingly too detectives named Wilson and
Davis cultivated the acquaintance of both of
them and while Conway was somewhat jolly
got an admission from him that Cooks confess
sion was a put up job, to which subsequently
he made affidavit. Cook was then hunted up
aud voluntarily confessed that the story told by
him at Buzzsll's trial was false. He said Con-
way and Cohen promised him immunity on
the barn burning charge If he would confess
the shooting of Miss Hanson, and swear that
he did it at the instigation of Buzzell. He at
first refused, but repetition of the threat to
send him up for 20 years if he did not, brought
the confession sought. Cdok now makes Aft
davit that as far as he knows Buzzril is entire
ly innocent of the crime for which he is under
sentence of death. His confession and Con-
ways have been placed in the hands of Buzz
zell's counsel, who will move for new trial on
the ground of new evidence.
Cohen and Conway are also charged with
falsely accusing two residents of bingham
with barn burning and the mutilation of the
the statue of Gov. Andrew, and with manu-
featuring evidence to sustain these charg es.
One of these crimes, the mutiation Of the
the atus, it is suspected that they are them
selves guilty of.
Their last exploit and the one for which they
are now uuder arrest, IS conspiracy to throw
train from the Boston & Providence railroad,
burn depot and then manufacture evidence
against some enc, with the hope of securing
his conviction of these crimes and themselves
reward which they supposed the railroad COM
pany would offer. Luckily their last plot was
discovered be fore il was successful