Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-07
Expiated His Crime.

The Boy Murderer Joseph Abbott-His
 Executfon-His Story of His Life.
 The execution of Joseph Abbott, convicted of killing George Reed, a fellow prisoner in the New York State reformatory, 6h the 10th of April 1880, occurred at Elmira, N. Y, at eleven o'clock yesterday. The remains will be brought to Waterbury, Ct., his former home. The father of the executed is at pres ent serving life term in the Connecticut State prison for murder. An older brother of the prisoner was in the city the past week and witnessed the execution. Young Ab- bott's story of his life from the Elmira 7eze- gran is as follows:
 ''I was born at Bridgeport, Conn.,, on the 17th of April, 1861. was the second son of respectable parents. My father was born in England, Lancashire county, in 1916. He came to this country about the year 1885 and settled at Chicopee Falls, Mass. He was married there to Miss Dudley. She died when her children, three daughters, were quite small. Afterwards my father married 8 Miss Alice Leonard. She resided at Bridgeport, Conn.,, to which city my father removed after his first wife died. The fruits of that marriage were three sons. Father was @ carpenter by trade and supported his family by working at that business. For about year he worked for boss carpenter named Apollus Bronson. In the year 1868 the latter and my father were at New Haven, to put up a building. In the fall of that year my father and his en- ployer went off on spree together. D
 (Here followed the story of his fathers killing of Bronson in West Haven) My father has been in the Connecticut State prison twelve years He is now engineer of the shoe shop have had kind letters from him, full of affection and good advice. He is now G4 years old. At the time of my fathers trouble I was years old. The family separated after my father was sent to prison. My sisters all went to live with my fathers sister. did not commit any crime, but my mother had me sent to the Reform school at Meriden, Conn. It is more like an orphans home than the house of refuge at Rochester. staid at the Reform school for three years. then went back to Waterbury and attended school A gentleman who has since been very kind to me, and who contrib uted money to aid in my defense, sent me to school at Waterbury. l remained at school for two years and half I was then about 13, and l went into the office of the Znadec newspaper, in Waterbury, to learn the print CTS trade. I was what you call a printer s devil. Mills & Frost were the proprietors of
 
 PRINTING TRADE
 for three years and learned to set type first rate. Afterwards I went into grocery store as clerk. The store was kept by B. Bronson. He was no relation to the man my father killed. I clerked one year for him, and then went back to the printing business, working for time in the press room of the Waterbury America7a. I after wards went to Hartford, Conn.,, and got a ''sit'' there in the office of the C0aaaecttcut CdtloHc. While I was working in that office gentleman came along from New York. He was proprietor of job printing office on Broome street. His name was Hatch. He engaged myself and another printer named Gallagher, who was working in the C0tb0lic office, to go to New York to work for him. I was then about IS years of age. Gallagher and I went to New York and worked for Hatch for about 8 year."
 They then left and went into the hop re- zion and drifted about together, drinking and carousing Abbott had Gallagher's money and watch, as he claims for safe keep ing, when the latter, in 8 drunken it, charged him with stealing it, and in spite of his protest he was arrested for the theft. He was held for trial, and when the officer was taking him to jail he made dash for liberty, and as ha dashed off the constable pulled revolver and fired. The ball passed through his hand, making Q bad wound. Some bystanders ran up and headed him off and he was recaptured. Abbott was convict ed of theft from the person and was sent to the Elmira reformatory. Here he was put to work with a man by the name of Reed, and had some trouble with him.
 THE STORY OF THE MURDER.
 sTnever knew Reed before I met him in the hollow-ware shop. I afterwards saw him as sault prisoner with deadly weapon and had heard that he had made repeated assaults on prisoners. Reed was from New York city. He was about twenty seven years of age. He was in the third grade. He was man about as tall as I am, but great deal broader, and powerfully built. That morning of the