St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-21
History Of the Crime, Which
IA at the Time Shocked all
New England.
A Family Feud at Chicago
Results in the Death
Of Two Men.
Several Philadelphia Parties
Victimized by a Bold
Adventures.

was hanged at Cambridge Jail at 9:23
this morning for the murder of George
A. Goldman, his employer, Jan. 4, 1887.
The details of the murder for which
young NOwlin was executed mark it as
one OF the most horrible in the history
of New England crime. Early ON the
morning of Wednesday, Jan. 5, 1887, a
farmer of Lincoln, who was riding to
Lexington, saw what looked like big
snow ball lying two rods beyond the
wall by the roadside. Upon investigat-
ing what was his horror to find that the
object was a mans head, completely
severed from the body, the trunk being
missing. The features were contracted,
showing that the victim had suffered
untold agony. Just over the left ear
and back of it were two or three deep
gashes that had beed made with knife.
Turning away he found, four or five
feet to the right a bare arm lying in the
snow. Jumping into his pung he drove
rapidly to Lexington, where he notified
the selectmen. A searching party was
quickly made up and the trunk of the
body was found hidden in a gully be-
side the road nearly mile from the
spot where the head was found. A
rubber blanket lay on some bushes close
by. The medical examiner took charge
of the body and the state police at once
began the
Z SEARCH FOR THE MURDERER.
They soon ascertained that George A.
Goldman, SOmerville milkman, about
thirty years of age and unmarried, had
been missing since Tuesday morning,
and on Wednesday night the victim was
fully identified as Goldman. James
Ward NOwlin, a lad of seventeen
years, who was employed by Goldman,
upon being questioned by the officers,
told so many conflicting stories regard
ing COdman's disappearance that he was
arrested upon suspicion of having COM
nHtted the crime, and upon his state
mentS two other young men were also
taken into custody. Being suspicious
that the murder had been committed in
hne, S0merville, the officers made a
thorough search of the premises. which
revealed horrible evidence of the bloody
crime. The floor was besmeared with
blood, a blOOd-Stained AK was found,
and traces of blood were discovered on
COdman's milk pung. 1t was also as
certained by the officers that on Tues
day afternoon NOWlin had called at
COdman's boarding house, and upon
stating that he had been sent by Cod
man, obtained the latter's desk and
money. NOWlin was confronted with
the evidence accumulated against him,
and the boy began to weaken and
finally
MADE A FULL CONFESSION,
admitting that he committed the crime,
and that robbery was the motive. Ac-
cOrding to NOWlin'S confession he went
to the stable at o'clock Tuesday morn
ing. armed with carving knife, and
laid in wait for Goldman. Aided by the
dim light of lantern which Goldman
carried, the murderer struck his victim
heavy blow in the neck, killing him
almost instantly. Nowlin then went on
his regular rounds delivering milk, and
upon his return at II o'clock he cut the
body up so as to be able to lift it. and
then putting the parts into an old milk
wagon, he drove about fifteen miles and
threw the pieces out where they were
found. The death sentence was exc
euted by Sheriff Cushing and his depu-
ties without an occurrence to mar the
proceedings and NOwlin's death, at
least as far as his consciousness was
concerned, was instantaneous. The
drop fell at 9:23, and half an hour after
ward the body was lowered and deliv-
cred to the relatives of the deceased.
NOwlin's mother stayed with him i'm his
cell until about O'clock last evening, :.
and then
BADE HIM GOODBYE,
! for the last time. The final meeting
was not painful one to witness, as de-
scribed by an officer on watch, for al
though both mother and son were deeply
moved, they bore up wonderfully, and
the boy prayed earnestly with his
mother, and urged her to be reconciled.
The boy was perfectly calm until the
last and spent most of the night in chat
ting with his keepers. AT o'clock this
cell and read the death warrant. NOWlin
looked calm during the reading and
seemed less moved than the sheriff him
self. Handouts were then placed on
the prisoners wrists and the party
stepped from the cell door to the plat
form of the scaffold. Nowlin walked
with a firm step to his position on the
center of the drop. He was not pale or
nervous. Straps were then adjusted
around his legs and arms. chaplin
Bartlett then offered prayer. AS Mr..
Bartlett finished Sheriff Cushing stepped
forward and asked NOwlin If he had
anything to say before he died. NOwlin
replied: Nothing, only that / am about
square and ready to die. l feel that God
has forgiven me, and / feel thankful to
you for what you have DONE" The
moose was then slipped over his head,
the black cap adjusted, the trap sprung,
and he met the death, that followed al
most instantly, with the same frmness
that had upheld him through the trying
ceremony. The fall of six feet had dis
located his neck and caused loss of con-
q Al