Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-03-01
-ATMORE,
-.er and Proprietor.
BOGUS DETECTIVES.
An Innocent Man Sentenced to Death
Through their GOnnivahce---Thirty
Men Sent to the Penitentiary
Through their P~erluries.


Boston Dispatch to Cincinnati Enquirer
BosToN, MASS, February 23.-Rey-
elations of the most startling charsc-
ter have just come to light, showing,
how an innocent and upright young
man has been brought to the verge of
the gallows on evidence trumpcd up
by a notorious self-styled detective
named Solomon Cohen.
On the I'd of November, 1874. Miss
Susan H. Hanson, a handsome and
well-to-do lady, was murdered while
sitting in the kitchen Of her mothers
house at Brookfeld, N. H., BY being
shot through the head by some person
who had stationed himself close to
the closed window on the outside of
the house. The victim had a portion
of her head blown 0ff, 50 neal was she
to the muzzle Of the gun VIII en- it was
discharged.
In the midst of the widest excite
ment Joseph b Buzzell, a stone ma
son, who had been paying the unfortu-
nate woman some attention as a lover,
was soon after arrested. He stoutly
maintained his innocence, and, after
lying many months in Jail was tried
and acquitted.
In May last Charles w. Cook, a boy
who was formerly in the employ Of
Buzzell, was arrested for setting fire
to the house of John Churchill, in
BrOokteld, and subsequently son
fessed that he murdered the Hanson
woman, but that he was compelled to
do so by Buzzell, who, he said, threat
ened to blow his head off if he did not
do as told.
Buzzell was rear rested, and all
though his counsel argued that he
could not be again tried for a crime Of
which he had been once acquitted, the
Supreme Court decided otherwise. He
was again tried as an accessory to the
murder, and upon Cooks confession
mainly was convicted and sentenced
to be. hung July 10th, next. Cook
was allowed to 60 free, and since then
has been working on a farm in the
town.
Buzzells approaching execution oil
late has eausedC Cook bitter mental an
guish, and on Wednesday last. to the
surprise Of friends, and without any
inducement or influence whatever. Of
his own accord, he confessed that he
had giveh periuredevidencei the case
of Buzzell. He went so fnr as to make
affidavit to this effect, and asserted that
so far IS he knew Buzzell was an inno-
cent man. Cook claimed further. that
he was induced Il swear flsely by
Solomon Cohen and John Conway.two
private detectives from Boston. Cook
met these two scoundrels on the Ro-
chester road, and they forced an ac-
%quaintance on him. Cohen told him
that he O0henl was a refugee from
Justice, having run away from Hayer-
hill, Massachusetts,, where he had set
lire to a house or two. Cook thought
they were boasting, and, in fun. told
how he Cook had a few nights before.
set fire to the house Of a Mr.. Church
hill in Brook6eld to accommodate a
neighbor. In a few days after Cohen
told Cook he was a detective and that
he Cook must confess to the murder
Of the Hanson woman. or else he
(Cohen) and Conway would arrest him
Tor incendiarism, for which he would
at least get a life sentence. 1t was
proposed that Cook should claim that
he was Obliged to kill the woman bvl
Buz2ell or have his own head blown
of by the latter, who was 10 be repre.
sented as standing with a rifle pointed
at his head when the deed was done.
Cook was kept primed with liquor. and
finally signed what purported to be
his confession Of the murder of Miss
Hanson, as drawn up by Conway.
Cook played his part we'll at the
trial, 'and upon Buzzell's conviction
the rascally detectives received from
the government $500, which proved
the prize they were after. Conway
bad also confessed to Cohen. having
put up the job as claimed BY Cook
iorroborating fully the %latter's state
nent, although when doing so he did
rot know Cook had confessed. Yes.
erday Cohen and Conway were ar
ested DIV state detectives Hollis T..
pinkham and James p. Wade in this
ity, for conspiracy to throw a train
n the track on the Providence rail
pad at the town Of Canton, this State
he plans were all prepared for this
b. A switch was to have been mis-.
aeed. and the depot, after being
|bbed, was to be burned by them,
fterward they proposed to place the
operty thus secured in the hands of
rites who were to be turned up To !
Btice when the railroad should offer
efficient reward for the men doing
E job. Thus they were to enrich
emselves as we'll as to send innocent
sons to prison, II not TO the gal.
Is. Happily their scheme was
ped when they were about to carry
put.
The officers have evidence To show I
ere Cohen and Conway have boen N
aged in other jobs as yillainous as j
pc above described-among them
delacing Of the monument 10 John