River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-10-19
THE MURDERED COBBLFR.
A Strange and Peculiar Family Ex.
traordinary Plot.

When the present century was in lis
teens there lived about six miles from
Wexford, Ireland, woll-to-do cobbler
or "brogue- maker" named Crosbie,
His wife was pretty well along in life,
| the mother of eight children, all idiots
and the most of them deformed.
Crosbie employed two men, one
named John Brown and the other John
Hauton. Brown was small and hid
eously ugly man; yet, such as he was
he contrived to win from his EMPLOYER
the affections of his wife. The entire
neighborhood was aware of the rela-
tions of the guilty pair before the hus-
band began to suspect their intimacy.
When he did he became violently
jealous and abusive. Browns situation
began to be uncomfortable end the
wife's almost unbearable; and they
plotted to remove the interfering hus-
band out of their way.
One day the workmen were given a
holiday, and they amused themselves
by walking to Wexford. Brown asked
Hauton to stop at druggists with
him, and there he
PURCHASED A QUANTITY OF ARSENIC
and red precipitate; on the way back,
Brown, of his own accord told Hauton
that he and Mrs. Crosbie had determin-
ed on the death of Crosbie, and that
the poison was for that purpose.
| Strange enough Hauton took the in
formation coolly, and said nothing
| against the contemplated murder. He
even consented 10 become the instru-
ment of an expedient which Brown, in
bis amazing ignorance, supposed would
make him entirely guiltless of crime.
Mrs. Crosbie had commissioned and
given him money to buy the poison,
| and he believed if he did actually de-
| liver the poison to her he would not be
| guilty in any way. In order, therefore,
| to keep within-as he supposed--the
strict limits of the law, he placed Haul
ton between himself and Mrs. Crosbie.
whose hand he took and also that of
Hauton. In Hauton's hand he placed
the packages of poison, and in his turn
Hauton passed them to Mrs. Crosbie.
By this legerdemain OF assassination
Brown kept his conscience clear and
sweet, and his neck from danger.
Hauton's part was equally strange
for he cared nothing for the individuals
concerned in the tragedy; had no love
for the woman, no particular friendship
| for the man, and no hatefor the mas
ter, whose death, indeed would be
misfortune for him, for when the en-
ployer lost his life, the journey
| would lose his place.
| In Hauton's presence Brown and
Mrs. Crosbie planned tina. she should
administer the arsenic to her husband
on bread and butter, and keep the red
precipitate to be used if tie arsenic did
not carry him of.
AS agreed upon, so done
After par.aking of the bread and
| butter, Crosbie was taken i'll, and his
wife nursed him with great tenderness
and solicitude. Although he suffered
much, Crosbie's strong constitution
seemed to be bearing him safely
through the shock, and Blown suggest
ed that his wife should give him the red
precipitate, which the loving and ami
able wife did, in a cup of tea, assuring
the sick man that it would relieve him.
1t did, for he Immediately expired in
the utmost agony.
No inquest was held, and the muir
| dered man was hurried to his grave
with indecent haste. Brown succeeded
| to the business, dismissng Hauton,
who at once left the village, and went
to live at distance.
Brown did not prosper, however.
The business Immediately fell off to
nothing, and Mrs. Crosbie died sud-
denly. To avoid the care of her large
idiotic offspring, Brown fled, and some
years passed without an Indication that
the murder of the Irish cobbler would
ever be brought to light. But the old
proverb held good in this case, for
Hanton got religion, and, with this
change of heart, was irresistibly COM
| PEELED to ease his bosom of its guilty
secret, there so long imprisoned.
Brown was found lii a state of almost
incredible poverty and degradation, ar
rested and brought to trial, but upon
the uncorroborated testimony of a
single witness could not be found
guilty. Browns
PLEA OF "NoT GUILTY."
seemed to be sustained by all the &C
1
ar responsiveness could supply. His
cadaverous look, lips blanched with
starvation, eyes in which fear and fam
inc glared together, wild and matted
hair, his stopping and contracted form,
on which there were hardly enough
rags to hide his emaciation, and the
union of physical meanness with cow
ering debasement, constituted such q
nasuating combination as rendered II
almost incredible that such repulsive
squalid wretch could have been the
hero of sanguinary amour.
Brown was about to be discharged
when most extraordinary witness
was introduced--the eldest daughter Of
the long since murdered man. This
dwarf was only three feet in height
though eighteen years of age, deformec
in every limb, with head almost al
large as the rest of her squat and dis
torted body.
Her face was stamped with such AZ
uumistakable expression of idiocy tina
when she was lifted to table an etfor
was made to exclude her testimony or
the allegation that she could form NJ
idea OF future state, but she uttered
the word s'helP' with such horror tina
it was concluded to swear her.
Her appearance was hideous, bu
when it became apparent that thu
idiot daughter had come to brand he
dead mother as murderess, the mos
painful feeling prevailed the Court am
all spectators.
The girl swore that on the night o
. Crosbie's death the eight children slep
in their mothers room, and that Will
her father lay cold in death under
meath, the murde-ous pair had aban
doned themselves to guilty joy owe
his sudden taking off. After this.
TERRIBLE TESTIMONY
lit was remarked by Browns counse
that the testimony of one child, to hav
weight. should be confirmed by tn
, others whom she swore were present
1t then transpired that only one, say
( the female dwarf, was able to articr
late.
Il A boy, her brother, was now pre-
dueed. He was almost as terrible
deformity as his sister, but not quit
so idiotic. He corroborated his sister
, statement in every particular, an
t further deposed that after the death
Crosbie no one would patronize til
!. shop. Then Brown and his mother wei
: off together, leaving the children de
titute, and that their neighbors, troi
: | compassion, had taken them into the
| bo,,cor aud nod aynr Sinon n1aIntalnp