Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-06-27
The New York Mystery Cleared Up.

I
The New York Mystery Cleared Up.
ARREST OF THE MURDERRR-HIs coN-
FKss1oN-A VIRGINIA NEGRO THE AS
sAssIN.
&C., &C., sc.
Two weeks ago wealthy and fasnlona-
BILE neighborhood in New FORK was star
tied by finding Mrs. DIR. Hull murdered IN
her bed, choked to death, her hands tleo
and her eyebrows badly singed. Suspicion
fell on her husband who slept in another
department in the house, but there was
nothing to connect him with the deed ana
it was shown that he could have no mo-
tive for it. The jewelry of the murdered
woman was missing. The New York po-
lice were wholly at sea about the murderer.
A telegram from Boston Monday an
nounces that he has been captured and
proves to be- Virginia negro, Chastain
Cox. of Powhatan county, who had been
employed for year and = half as waiter 81
. house near DR.. Hull's residence. The
wife Of Cox is now employed as cook IL
the family of Gen. P. T. Moore of Rich
mond and his mother is servant in the
family of Capt. John S. Wise Of the same
city. Cox was formerly waiter at the
Spotswood Hotel there. The telegram
adds:
The negro made his ap pearance in Bos-
ton week ago to-day, and, as is now
known. went into pawnbroker shop,
where he disposed of cameo set OF jewel
nv. About the same time the superinten-
dent of pawnbrokers received from New
York description of the property, and
this set was found by the officer IN apawn-
brokers' shop In this city; The pawnbro-
ker then furnished the officers with de-
scription of the party who pawned it. The
search which was then commenced re-
vealed the fact that the negro Cox, after
getting rid of the jewelry, went to New
York and remained there two or three
days. In the meantime he made some al
terationS in the character and color Of his
clothing. Mr.. w. r. Balch, newspaper
reporter in this city, had obtained de-
scriptlon Of this man, and this evening
while walking along Shawmut avenue he
with another man, and the appearance OF
the negro impressed Mr.. Balch as very
much in accord with the description that
had been given by the pawnbroker of the
man who pledged the cameo. After care
full observance of the party Mr.. Balch ap
preached him and inquired if he could di
rect him to Bunker Hill street, and to thil
inquiry the negro responded that he coul6
not, as he was a stranger here from New
York. This tended to confirm the i'm
preston that he was the person wanted.
WATCHING THE MAN.
Mr.. Balch watched until he saw him en-
, ter colored church, and then fastened tt
inform the police authorities, who sent ;
detail of officers and made the imp0rtan
/. arrest. Cox made no resistance, but wen
quietly to the police station, where he wa
searched and Mrs. Hull's watch was foun,
on him and thoroughly identified. He wa
not reticent, and said in answer to ques
tions that he had lived for long time or
, poSite Mrs. Hull'S house. and at the tim
of the robbery he entered through tn
lower window and went upstairs to he
room. He further said that his purpOs
was robbery alone, and he did not inten
to kill her. Private Detective Otto an
Police Officer Schmittberger, of Ne'
! York, have arrived here and visited Co
: at the station tonight. He was fully IT
, cognized, and also gave evidence that b
knew the police officer. Mr.. Caryal Colt
man. who lived in the house with DR.. an
! Mrs, Hull, who is also in Boston, visite
the police station tonight and recognize
the prisoner as a man that he had seen fri
quently on the opposite side of the stree
from the Hull residence.
The negro has appeared very calm an
, Indifferent since his arrest, and has talke
without much hesitation in giving detail
OF his crime. He went home on the ever
ing of the night on which Mrs. Hull wa
murdered at o'clock, and remained i
, the house where he was employed until L
o'clock, when he went out again. He ha
a key for the door at the Hull house, bu
he was unable to make it fit, and conse
! quently he raised the window in the lowe
story and fastened it up SO as to provid
for himself easy means of making his Ell
cape from the house. He had candl
with him. On ascending the stairs b
6, heard some one snore, and thought it wa
, man. He blew the candle out, wake
into the room and stepped up to the sid
of the bed.
, THE STRUGGLE THAT FOLLOWED.
Mrs. Hull awakening asked, ssWho
it 2" "The DOCTOR" replied the negro
) She put her hand up and touched his fact
, as he was standing close to the bed. Th
| robber threw her hand back so that sh
! could not touch him. Mrs. Hull recogniz
} ing the peril she was IN exclaimed, "Wha,
] ever you do, don't kill me!'' He the
3 placed his left hand over her mouth, sh
struggling all the time to release herself
Finally she became quiet. he holding he
firmly all the time, and, taking the shee
l in his right hand, he tore it with his teet
into strips. He placed one end Of tn
sheet over her mouth and then proceede
to bind her as her body was afterwar'
found. His object in tying her to the be-
was because he feared that she might mar
age to roll off on the floor and thereb
make noise which would arouse some O
, the inmates of the house. He says he ha,
no idea that he was exercising violenc
sufficient to cause death or even that seri
GUS results would follow the affair. A
this juncture he did not have the leas
} idea that the woman was going TO die
After tying her feet he says he lighted
: piece OF candle he happened to have in hi
pocket. He returned to the kitchen, wher
he got possession of the watch and sub
sequently found the rest of the jewelry il
the bureau drawers and in the bed cham
Der. On his return to the chamber, find
ing Mrs. Hull breathing hard, he becam
l Ct :us~