St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-29
A MYSTERIOUS MURDER.
One Massachusetts Man Serving q
Life Sentence for Crime
Another Committed.
John Edward Finn. Of Pittsburg, Cruelty
Deserts His Wife and Seven Little
Films
Ex-Gov. Moses Gets $34 of Col. T. W
Higginson by False Pretenses-Other
Crimes

GA-UOv. moses UetS po4 OF Col. l.
Higginson by False Pretenses-Other
Crimes.
WHO KILLED MRS. cRUE?
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
BosToN, Mass, Jan. 2S.-No tragedy of
recent years in Massachusetts, with the ex-
ception of the Lynn trunk mystery and
Watertown murder, has excited such wide
spread interest or combined such sinister
and puzzling circumstances as the so-caled
Crue murder at Groton. Mrs. Crue was
murdered in her house, farm house, about
mile from Groton, Mass. Her husband
claimed to have found her dead when he
reach ed home about 6 o'clockin the evening.
There was no clue to the murderer for some
days, although several arrests on suspicion
were made. Stearns Kendall Abbott was
finally arrested at Wcare, n. H. 1t was
proved that Abbott was in Groton on the day
of the murder, and be admitted it. One or
two witnesses testified that they saw him at
the Crue house that afternoon. After con-
sultation with counsel Abbott denied
this. 1t is thought by some that this denial
caused his conviction, and that if he had adj
mitted that he called at the house, as he did
at other houses in the vicinity, the prosecu-
ton could hardly have proved its case. He
was convicted and sentenced to death, but
few days previous to the time appointed for
his execution, and while the scaffold was al
ready in process of erection, Abbott was
granted reprieve through the Intervention
of Wendell Phillips, and mis- sentence COM
muted to imprison ment for life, and be is
now incarcerated at Charlestown. Jos.
Crue, the husband of the murdered woman,
has just died, and, on excellent authority, it
is reported before his demise he made a full
confession of the crime. The selectmen OF
Groton, at the time of the murder, offered
reward of $500 for the arrest and conviction
of the murderer, and this sum has been
paid out to different parties who worked on
the case. 1t has just come to light that after
Abbott was arrested q written confession of
the murder was sent by mail to Abbott's
counsel and the fact has thus far been with
held. 1t was never known where the letter
was sent from, but it was supposed to be the
work of crank. There was very general
feeling in the community at the time of the
trial that Abbott was guilty, his antecedents
and appearance adding to the belief, but
Chief Wade and others of the state police
force were not convinced, and worked
strenuously to clear up what to them was
still a mystery. 1t was charged that young
woman named Jennie Carr, Deighbor of
the Crues who was the principal witness for
the prosecution, had been intimate
with the husband of the murdered
woman, and that he was the
father of the child, which was born a few
months after the tragedy. This, If true,
showed motive for the husband to commit
the crime, and throw doubt upon the truth
of the testimony of the girl, Carr, she was
summoned before the governor and council
during their investigation of the case, and
finally confessed that she had sworn to what
was false. These and other facts led Gov.
Long to take different view of the case
from that taken by the jury, and Ab5ott's
| life was spared. Abbott has been an ex-
emplary prisoner. There is great excitement
| in Boston over the case and much eagerness
to ascertain the real facts.
CRUELTY DESERTED.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
PITTsBURG, Pa, Jan. 2S.-Mrs. Martha
Finn, of 100 Fulton street, tells touching
story of marital misery. Nineteen years ago
she says she married John Edward Finn.
They had seven children, the oldest being a
girl of seventeen. Her husband, she alleges,
was dissipated and failed to support his fam
lily. In August, 1881, he suddenly disap-
peared, and was not heard Of again until
last week, when Mrs. Finn found him in
Chicago, living at 4S5 Twenty fifth street,
under the name of John Edward. When
Finn departed he left his wife with a three
months old girl. The wife was working as
copyist in the recorders Office at the time,
and being unable to give the little
one her personal attention, she placed
IL out to board with Mr
Mack on Thirty-frst street. Subsequently
she placed the child with her husbands
father, and about two months ago it disap-
peared as mystrriously as had the father. No
trace of it could be found. About this time
she says she was informed by her sister-in-
law of the whereabouts of her husband and
concluded that he probably could give clue
to the abduction of their child: II started
for Chicago" she said, ''and found him. but
ne insisted that he was ignorant Of any
share in the abduction and disclaimed all
knowledge. | went there also to get his con-
suspect that certain relations know more
about the missing child than they want to
tell, and | will prosecute the search until L
solve this mystery
EY-Gov. MOSES AGAIN IN TROUBLE.
BosToN, Jan. 2S.-Thc detectives returned
from Detroit to-day, having in custody ex-
Governor Moses, of South Carolina, wanted
in Cambridge for obtaining money by false
pretences from Col. 7. w. Higginson. Moses
obtained $34 from Col. Higginson by repre-
senting himself as q lawyer by the name Of
Byram, who had been robbed while returning
from Canada. The prisoner was committed
TO jail.
OVER THE OPIUM ROUTE.
DEs MONIES, Ia, Jan 2s.-Mrs Mary S.
DOoley and her son aged five years, were
found dead in bed near Wintersel yesterday
From letters left by her It is learned she had
given the boy opium and taken some herself
She also gave a dose to her daughter, aged
twelve, but IT did not prove fatal I'm her case
though she is still 50 dazed and stupid from
its effect, she cannot relate the facts. Mrs.
Dooley was recently deserted by her husband
and was respondent.
POUR PERSONS IMPLICATED.
UTICA, y. Y. Jan. 2S.-The coronor's Jury
n the Druse murder case in Warren, HcrM-
mer county, finds that VIM. Druse was shot
and killed by RoXanna. bis wife, aged forty,
and that Mary j., the daughter. aged twenty.
Geo. w. Druse, the son, aged ten, and Frank
Gates, her nephew, aged fourteen, were
felonousIy present and gave aid and comfort
TO the woman.