The Portland daily press., 1879-08-16
MURDER IN BOSTON.
A Merchant Found Shot Through
the Head in His Own House.
His Safe Found Open and Probably
Robbed.

Boston, Aug. 15.-About II o'clock this
morning the postman whose route lies through
Joy street, found the front door of the house
No. 10 Joy street wide open, and upon entering
saw light burning in the front room. Upon
the floor of the room, lying in front of an open
safe, was the body of a man with a bullet-hole
in his head. The police were Immediately no.
tilted, and Captain Ford of the Third Station,
Superintendent Adams, Inspector Drew and
several officers repaired at once to the house.
The man was Mr.. Joseph =. Frye, of MADAM &
FRYE, leather dealers, of 173 South street.
The body was lying on the floor, near the
open safe and search of the premises failed
to discover any pistol or other weapon with
which the murder could have been committed.
Mr.. Frye was in the house alone, his family
being away. His wife has been sent for and
his sister arrived a short time after the discov-
cry of his body.
On the first floor o. the house, in the rear
part, is a sitting room, in which there is safe
of a large size which contains the silver ware
belonging to the family, and the private papers
of Mr. Frye, consisting of deeds, insurance pol
icies, &c. The outer doors of this safe were
found open by the officers when they entered
the room, with set of solid silver, comprising
about thirty pieces, in full view in the interior
of the safe, and apparently undisturbed:
The Inspectors, who arrived soon after the
discovery of Mr.. Fryes body, on making an
examination of the safe, were at loss to ac-
count for the somewhat peculiar condition OF
things which they found. A large marble COW
ering, which was all that one man would want
to lift, had been removed from the top OF the
safe and placed on a centre table few feet
distant. This would seem to indicate that the
job was done by professional thieves, who had
come prepared with tools and intended TO bore
through the top of the safe, but the opening Oh
the safe seems to have been accomplished by
keys from the outside, followed by very
bungling piece of work inside, which was ap-
parently done to open small vault which IL
might have been supposed contained valuaDles,
such as the diamonds belonging to Mrs. Frye,
or perhaps U S. bonds which it might have
been thought Mr.. Frye kept in the house.
From appearances it would seem that it was
supposed that this small vault was OF wood,
and to get it open the party or parties engaged
in the work took a large carving knife, and
after splitting away some OF the Woodw 70 ns,
beside it which supports the shelves, they
abandoned the job on finding the vault was
iron.
The key to this vault was found in one of the
small drawers of the safe, and the ofhcerS on
opening the vault found only lot OF papers,
such as are indicated above, and number OF
valuable old coins. A sister Of Mr.. Frye who
arrived while the search was going on, was OF
the opinion that Mrs. Frye took her diamonds
with her, and she also was of the opinion that
Mr. Frye was not in the habit OF keeping
money in the safe.
The investigator by tne medlcal eNaiii-
liner deyeloped the fact that deceased was shot
six times in the back and stabbed in the throat,
which explodes the suicide theory. The muir
der is terrible mystery. The police seem en-
tirely baff1ed in their efforts to obtain reason
able clue. One arrest has been made, an
italian boy who can speak no English. The
fact that the solid silver and other valuables
were not taken leads to the impression that
the parties were frightened off, but it is impos-
sible to say why the body was found in the
cellar. His friends have theory that Frye
was one of many who went to the fire at Ire
mont Temple last night. There was much
commotion in Joy street, and Frye may have
stepped out, fastened the outer blind door, ne
glecting to shut the main door. While he was
absent someone probably entered. 1t was the
custom of Frye to go the rounds of the house
before retiring. When returning from the fire
it is thought he was making the rounds when
came upon by the robber or robbers who had
retreated from their operations upon the safe,
and this meeting resulted in murder.