The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-11-19

the recent killing of County Judge Henry
Hayden, and the subsequent burning of the
Office of Jack Brundage's newspaper, the
Reporter. Beyond the bare announcement
that W. 81. Cochran, the bank cashier, had
shot Hayden for the alleged seduction of his
wife, nothing of a reliable character concern
ing the case has heretofore been published.
The numerous intricacies of the situation
and the terribly excited and prejudiced con-
ditlon of the community are not understood
outside of that neighborhood.
Cochran's trial is set down for the second
DAY of December, he being now under bonds
to the amount of Sic, 900 and attending to
his business as usual. A more interesting
case, considering all of the details, has
never been recorded in Wisconsin,. In fact,
there are circumstances which render it of
national or worldwide interest.
THEIR ANTECEDENrs.
Mr.. Cochran was born in Western New
York and is thirty-seven years of age. From
1861 to 1864 he served in the Federal army
and afterwards for two years held clerk,
ship in the war department at Washington
In 1867 he located at Grand Rapids. He has
a fine new residence in Centralia, just across
the river, owns an interest in the First Ma
tional bank of Grand Rapids, of which he
is cashier; owns and operates shingle mill,
and possesses other good property. Besides,
he is we'll built, handsome man, with dark
hair and moustache, and the best of Saxon
features: young man who is extremely
popular everywhere for pleasant
manly independence. While stopping with
an uncle in Buffalo, prior to the war, he be-
came acquainted with the Darling family,
of Glenn Falls, that State, and in Is 6S, or
about the time that he decided to permanent
!ysettle in Wisconsin,
he MARRIED MISS DARLING,
petite young lady, then 10 years of age.
Until year ago the couple lived happily to-
gether. A bright little girl blessed their
union, after two years, she being now 9
years old. The prosperous young banker
gave his wife good home and allowed her
to live at ease. The fattery to which she
was subject and her pretty face proved her
ruin in the end.
Judge Hayden, who was shot by Cochran,
was an Irish Protestant, 81 years old at the
time of his death. He was brought to
America when a mere child and resided With
his parents in this State until the time of
the war. Like Cochran, he became SOL
der, serving with the Thirty fifth
law, and at the close of the rebellion.
during which he was promoted to captain,
cy, he located in Caldwell county, Mo-, for the
practice of his profession. He became Judge
of the court of common pleas in that county,
and when the Office was abolished moved
back to Wisconsin. In 1869 he was married
to an estimable young lady of Sun Prairie.
Wisconsin, which place had been for some
time and still is the home of the HAYDEN
family. It was in 1874 that he
LOCATED AT GRAND RAPIDS,
Soon after this he left the Republican
party and joined the Democrats. he was
tall, spare man, with raven black hair, q
somewhat sharp, but pleasing face and q
ready tongue. He was a good orator, a
fairly successful lawyer and seemed to enjoy
society. In 1877 he was nominated for the
attorney generalship in the Greenback state
convention, which ticket was headed by E.
P. Alis, the Milwaukee manufacturer. He
made many enemies, in law, in politics and
in society. Yet his abilities and perseverance
were such that he could be counted as a
successful young man. Cochran and Hsv.
den became friends and the former for a
long time took pains to defend the
latter in conversation when he found him as
sailed. Cochran has always been Repub-
ican, bat the difference in their political
opinions did not interfere with their person
al friendship, and year ago Cochran voted
for him for county judge, to which position
he was elected on the Greenback ticket.
Prior to October, 1878, Judge Hayden
HAD NEVER MET MRS. COCHRAN,
but they knew each other by sight. At the
county fair in that month Hayden intro
duced himsel; to her, and soon after pre-
sented his wife. It was natural that the
families should become acquainted with each
other, and there was nothing particularly
bold in the manner in which Judge HAYDEN
formed his acquaintanceship with Mrs.
Cochran. It was simply evident that he de-
sired to know her, and he risked the effect of
violating social custom in speaking to her
without an introduction. Subsequently he
met Mrs. Cochran frequently on the streets
and took pains to say to her that he enjoy
ed being acquainted with her, and hoped
that they would become good friends, It
appears that she was inclined to fiirt. and
che confessed to your correspondent yes
terday that the manner in which
she and the judge became acquainted
gratifed her love for that class of adyen-
ture. His smooth words always found at
tentive ears, and it was not q great
while before they began meeting
olandestinely and exchanging notes
to facilitate their plans. Her letters
to the Judge on these occasions were signed
"Nellie Howard while his responses were
always written in professional vein but con-
tanned great deal of hidden meaning.
so much,for the antecedents of the parties
and the beginning of their troubles. From
Mr.. Cochran your correspondent learned
that he was in total ignorance of the existence
OF anything like intimacy between his wife
and Judge Hayden until the fifth day of last
June, when an intimate friend informed
him that -1f ~ =
A LIVELY CORRESPONDENCE
was going on between the tive, Mrs.
Cochran at that time being on visit to,friends
in Minnesots. Cochran set about it to see
some of that correspondence. Three DAYS
later he succeeded in intercepting q letter
from his wife to Hayden, which fell like
thunderbolt upon him, revealing her sin
and the family disgrace in the plainest man.