The Portland daily press., 1880-09-20
A COWARDLY DEED.
John George Farr Kills Eliza
Farr.
HE ADMITS THE CRIME AND SAYS
HER LYING CAUSED HER DEATH.
He Hopes to be Buried Beside Her"
But Hasn't the Pluck to Kill Himself.

Saturday night a tragedy occurred in this
city only surpassed in shocking details by the
murder of Williams by Prescott two years
ago. The murderer was John George Farr,
sailor. The deed was committed at the board
ing house of Mrs. Roberts, corner of Free and
Centre streets, between and 9 O'Clock, and
the criminal was in the hands of the police a
few moments after. The murder had hardly
been perpetrated before great crowd gather
ed. A reporter for the PRESS was present at
once at the scene of the tragedy, and cleaned
the particulars of the sad affair. They are as
follows:
THE HOUSE,
Mrs. Roberts, boarding house is situated at
the northeast corner of Free and Centre
streets. There is store on the ground floor,
and the two upper stories are occupied by the
boarders. long fight of stairs reaches from
the street to the second story, terminating in a
corridor running at right angles, with large
room, used as dining room, on the left of this
entry, and fight of stairs at the extreme
right that extends into the third story. At the
foot of this second flight of stairs is large
room used by Mrs. Roberts as her sleeping
room. The second flight of stairs takes an alb
rupt turn to the left after the first six or eight
steps, causing the last half of thesfight to tend
insa direction exactly opposite to the first half
Opposite the head of these stairs, in the fur
Their lefthand corner, is good-sized room with
a window looking out on Centre street. This
room was Eliza Fairs The window of the
room faces the door. Between it and the door,
at the left side of the room, stands common
bureau, with a passage-way between it and the
foot of the bed, whose headboard is placed
against the opposite wall. At the foot of the
bed was pair of women's slippers. On the
right of the door stands the wash-stand; at the
window two common chairs. The room is
about as high studded as third'story flat-roof
rooms usually are. The bed in the room was
slightly tumbled The door of the dining room
faces the corridor on the second story. Off of
the dining room are two other rooms; on the
right parlor, and on the left what appeared to
be kitchen.
THE MURDER.
Mrs. Roberts stated to the reporter that soon
after o'clock Saturday night she was in the
dining room, with lady boarder, when man
presented himself at the door of the dining
room and asked "Does Lizzie Farr board
here?" AS the man must have pushed open
the outside door, and walked up stairs without
ringing the bell she thought he was pretty
"cheeky," but she replied eyes" The man
said he wished to see her, and that privately.
Mrs. Roberts replied that he could do so, pro-
vided Lizzie was in, and she would 90 and
see. At the same time she asked him to take
a seat in the parlor, ard supposed he had done
so. She then passed through the corridor and
up the second flight. AS she reached the tnrn
in the stairs she called out "Lizzie!" then, pro-
ceeding on, gained the top and, pushing the
door open a little said "There's gentleman
down stairs wishes to see you," and was about
to add, HE wants to see you privately he
says" when the man who had fastened after
her, without her knowledge, pushed the door
partly open, and seeing Lizzie and a gentle
man caller sitting together, cried out "Now,
d-n you, I've got you where 1 want YOU" As
he said this Lizzie jumped up and tried to push
the door to. At the same time the stranger
drew revolver. Lizzie sprang under his
arm out of the door, the stranger turning alb
ruptly and running after her. AS Lizzie
reached the stairs the man fired, and she cried
out "Oh!" He then chased her down the
stairs, firing three more shots in quick success
sion, two of them close to her face at the turn
of the stairs. As she reached the foot of the
flight Lizzie ran into Mrs. Roberts's room
where she fell on the floor, between the door
and the bed, while the murderer followed.
The firing Of course called the inmates of the
house to the scene. The gentleman who had
been calling on Lizzie, Mr.. Henry H. Hurd,
was too much confused by the suddenness of
the affair to do anything, and Mrs. Roberts
says she was almost paralyzed with fright.
The tragedy was of course the work of but a
few moments. Mr.. Roberts went into the
room where the murderer and his victim were,
and the man asked him why he didn't send
for an officer. This Mr. Roberts at once did,
and Officers Pickett and Massure responded
On their appearance they found the corpse
lying, as above described, with the feet to-
wards the door, and the head few feet from
the side of the bed. Close by the woman's
head small bore, four-barrelled revolver was
lying, all the chambers empty. The murderer
was sitting on the side of the bed and said, at
once, 81 did it. That's what 1 did it with
Pick 1t up. If she had done as she agreed to
last night, 1 never should have done 10. He
gave his name as John Farr and said he was
the woman's husband. The woman had no
shoes on, was attired in dress neither of a
pronounced dark or light color, and was lying
on her left side, her head in pool of blood,
with her long curls spread out over the
carpet. She was brunette of petite figure,
pleasing face, and well formed. On the right
side of the face was an ugly wound where the
bullet had entered. Before the officers came
Farr kept talking to his dead wife in an un.
dertone. The officers sent at once for Dr.
Bray and Coroner Gould, They handcuffed
their man and as they were about to lead him
away he stopped and kissed the features of his
victim, now placed in the fxedness of death,
saying as he did SO, 81 loved you Lizzie but
you lied to me, aud that's what brought you
where you are" Deputies Black and Crowell
arrived before he left, took charge of the case
and made thorough investigation.
DR.. BRAY's STATEMENT.
DR.. Bray, who resides very near ON Free
street, was promptly on hand. He said two
bullets struck the woman either of which was
sufficient to cause death. The first entered
the head at the inner angle of the left eye,
crushing the eye and lodging in the brain.
The second struck the right cheek and prob
ably penetrated the base of the brain. She
probably lived, after the shots, only long
enough to reach the spot where she fell. 1t
is thought a third shot just touched the left
nostril.
MIR. HURD's STATEMENT.
Mr.. Hurd said to PRESS reporter he called
on Lizzie Farr that evening and they were
sitting at the window, eating peanuts, and
looking out at the people in the street Will e
they were chatting, when Mrs. Roberts called
and Immediately after the scene occurred that
has been already described. He said Farr
tried to push into the room and his wife tried
to keep him out.
ANOTHER STATEMENT.
One of the lady boarders in the house cor
roborated to PRESS reporter, Mrs. Roberts
statement. She said she had known Lizzie
Farr some months, but it was only little
while ago she had known Lizzie ever wasmar-
ried. Lizzie showed her the pictures of her two