Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-05
FOR OTHERS CRIMES.
Man and wife Confined Thirteen
Yenrs on Faise Charges.

IOh
Man and wife Confined Thirteen
Years on Faise Charges.
A Nashua On. H. special says: The
commission appointed by Governor Saw
yer 10 investigate the mental condition
of Richard Woodham and Hannah E.
Woodham, his wife, who have been con-
fined in the asylum for the insane at Con-
cord thirteen years this month, have de-
cided that they should be released.
The citizens of Nashua, where they
lived. have long held the opinion that
they never were insane, and 1t IS dark
page in the history OF the State that
they should have been confined in an
insane asylum thirteen years for deeds
committed by others, one of whom Is
now serving long sentence IN the state
prison at Concord for those crimes, and
another Of whom committed suicide In
jail from remorse.
NAsHUAs REIGN OF TERROR.
The story of how they got there brings
back the old days of the "reign OF ter
ror" here. Mr.. Woodham and his wife
and daughter at that time resided on
TYLER street in little white cottage
which he had bought and partly paid
for Mr.. Woodham was an Engllshman.
He was quiet. law-sbiding citizen, and
if his wife was rather inclined TO dispute
with her neighbors no one imagined her
ont of her head.
The beginning Of the trouble came
about through the mortgage on the
TYLER street house. A payment which
was past due and which had not been in
dorsed on the mortgage Mrs. Woodham
declared she had paid. The holder de-
MED it. She stuck to her declaration
and would neither move nor pay. Then
CITY Marshal Murdougb, in his capacity
rs deputy sheriff, evicted them from the
house. They refused to remove their
furniture, which the officers piled
into the street. The police afterward
took the goods to the City Hall, where
they were stored on the bare ground IN
the basement until w. o. Clough was
CITY marshal. when, as they had grown
moldv and worthless, he had them in
yentoried and destroyed. The Wood
hams appeared before Police-J Justice
Colonel h. 2. Emerson, but would not
nav, persistipg that the money had been
paid and not put down on the mortgage,
and the matter was temporarily dropped.
CHARGED WITH INCENDIARIsM.
A little later the farm house Of Colonel
Emerson, on the Lowell road, was
burned to the ground. His beautiful
granite monument in the Hollls-Street
cemetery was badly broken and covered
with tar q short time afterward. TheI
the barn of Captain F.. p. Banks. at thai
time city marshal, was burned down,
and L. L. COUGHS residence would have
suffered the same fate had not the
fire been stopped 10y brick par
tition. 1t had evidently been set by
the same persons, and in a tumult o.
excitement the Woodlands were charged
with the crime aud arrested. They haC
often expressed spite against all these
people on account Of their eviction from
their own house. On the purely circum
stantial evidence OF knowing them to b
enemies to the ones whose property wa
DESTROYED they we're tried on the 10Th o
January, 1915, the last papers were made
out, and they were sent to the asylum
for the insane at Concord.
THE REAL CULPRITs CAUGHT.
The Incarceration OF the Woodham
did not stop the many incendiary fires
On the contrary, they seemed to In
crease. Finally one morning the citl
Zens were startled to hear that "Fatty
Parker and Miles Wilson had been ar
rested for stealing butter from Il. Z
COUGHS store, ON Franklin street
They had also been charged with SET
ting the many fires. The evidenc
poured in against them, and they wer
held for trial by the Supreme Court. Par
ker was one of the best known character
in town. He ran a job train and employees
a helper. Miles Wilson, who was Her
cules in strength and size. Parker wa
blind, had been regarded as exceptionall
honest, and was trusted everywhere
When his house and barn were searche
after his arrest they were found file
with many articles no had stolen.
In the Jail the men were placed nea
each other and got to talking, and it wa
found out that they were the persons VIII
defaced the Emerson monument and sc
the fires coarged to the Woodlands.
Parker committed suicide in his cell
Then Wilson was tried, found guilty @
all the crimes charged to the Woodlands
and sentenced to long term in the Stat
prison at Concord, where he now is.
That was years ago, but not until nov
have the Woodlands been released. Thei
daughter. grown from the little child @
those days, has married and settled in
little town just above here, but has beel
uutiring in her efforts to have them re
leased. The State gives them 500
year for support Woodham is sixt
wears old and his wife five years younger
The unhappy couple would have beer
prisoners for years TO come bad IT nc
been for the efforts in their behalf b
Captain II. Il. Atherton, OF this city
author Of the famed Atherton railroa
bill before the State Legislature lai
summer. He introduced bill 10 tn
Rouse Of Representatives TO have ther
set free at once. IL passed the House
but the Senate tackled on an amendmer
to investigate. A commission was az
pointed and the investigation has Jus
been completed.