Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-05-18
DELus1oNs OF C1RcUMsrANTIAL EVIDENCE.

sccond-class matter!
DELUsIoNs OF CIRCUMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
That circumst antial evidence is generally
corroborated by facts and serves materially
in bringing murderers to justice. 10 ono
should undertake to deny, but that such is
not ALWAYS conclusive can be seen from tho
following:
Charles H. Rugg, the negro who was
hanged in Queens county IN. ~ Jail, last
Friday, was one of the most remarkable
nearly in two entirely innocent men going
to the scatfold.
On the afternoon of November II, 1885,
Mrs. Maybee and her daughter were muir
dered in q barn at Brookville, Long Island.
Edward Tappan, who lived across from the
barn in which the double crime was com
mitted, was suspected Immediately on &C.
count of his strange conduct and some SIN
gular remarks he let fall, but most.o all on
account of the contradictory statements that
he made in interviews i'll relation TO the
crime. 4 score Of professional and an army
Of volunteer detectives worked assiduously
for days and nights trying to trace the MUIR
derer, hut without success.
The officers bad not obtained The rcmot.
est clue to the perpetrator OF the crime
when murderous assault upon hr. and
Mrs. Townsend and the robbery of their
house at Oyster Bay filed the community
with alarm.
Mrs. Townsend, who, like her husband,
was very old, died recently Of her injuries.
The weapon that she and her husband were
assaulted with was a stout mason's hammer.
In this case as in the Maybee case, circum-
stances strongly indicating guilt surrounded
two innocent men, while the real culprit
was still at large planning murders and rob-
berries at his pleasure.
Just about the time of the Townsend crime
the detectives, Pinkerton among them,
Joined in the belief that Edward Tappan
murdered Mrs, D1aybee and her daughter,
and kept him constantly under surveillance.
Tappan was kept more or less under the in
fuence of liquor for several days, the de-
tectives spending hours with him at time,
and resortiug to every expedient that cum
ming and artifce could suggest TO extort
confession of guilt from him.
On the day OF the discovery of the Town
send crime, Tsppan was st home in Brook
vile. A colored man named Simon Ra-
peyle, whose wife did washing for Mira.
q
Mrs. Townsend, when she recovered con-
scousness, exclaimed frequently, Simon
did it,"
The assaiant of the old woman and her
husband left the hammer he used in the
house, and pair Of overalls were found
under tree in an adjacent 10. having blood
stains on them made b. h" fingers of
mans left hand. Rapeyle was !eft.handed
and the Vid0tqs at once almost concluded
that Rapeyle was the villain. lie had
worked for u boss moSor from Wn1la the
stone hammer and overalis had been stolen,
and although there wasno positive evidence
of his connection with the crim" public
opinion regarded him ss the criminal
principally, no doub5, on account CT the
identification of the articles belonging 10
the stone mason. This assumption was jus
tilted to some extent by the statements OF
colored men who were in the habit of visit.
ing Rapeyle, to the effect that they had of.
ten seen the hammer iu his kitchen.
Iu addition to these apparently strong
circumstances indicating Rapelye's guilt,
tracks in the snow. into which Rapelye's
rubber boots fitted exactly led from the
Townsend house to his own. Then again
the statements of himself and his wife were
contradictory. Rapeye denied the owner
ship of the overalls, while his wife made the
admission that she had sewed patches on
them. She said this before she was shown
the garment. The latter, strange to say,
was patched just in the way that Mrs. kap-
elye said she patched Simon's overalls.
The belief was becoming general that
Simon Rapelye was the assaiant and robber
of the Townsend family, and likely also the
slayer of the Maybees. A very strong net
of circumstantial evidence was being grad
ually woven around Rapelye, when sus-
picion began to be diverted to john Tap
pan, stone mason, who lived near the
Townsends, and brother of the Edward
Tappan, above referred to. A man who
had worked with Edward Tappan's brother
told an officer that the hammer and over
alls belonged to John Tappan. The latter
was approached, and it was found that he
was left. handed. The peculiar wear of the
hammer showed that it had been used by q
left.handed man. From the place where
the overalls were found tracks led to the
road in front of Tappan's house and hls
shoes fitted them exactly. Butth strangest
circumstance was the fact that stains of to-
bacco Juice were traced into Tappan's yard
and up the back stoop of his house.
Tappan was arrested. He denied the
ownership of the hammer and overalls, but
Mrs. Tappan identified them as belonging to
her husband, as positively as did Mrs. Rap,
elye when she said they were the property
of her husband Simon. Notwithstanding
Tappan's arrest Rapelye was still believed to
be the assailant of the Townsends.
While Oyster Bay was in state of great
excitement, the detectives went to Brook
Vile, and, telling Edward Tappan that bis
brother had been arrested for the Townsend
crime, got him to make startling confes-
sion of guilt of the double murder of Mrs
Maybee and her daughter. Edward Tap.
pan declared that his brother John had
straneled the Mayb while he Edward
held a lamp He described how the bodies
were hidden under leaves; how John stole
;nto tha Mauhee residence and after cruelty