Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-11-20
BROCKTON'S MYSTERY
Believed 10 Have Been
Solved by The Police.
A MAN MURDERED IN 1892.
Three Men Suspected Of the Crime
Have Just Been Arrested.

BRocKToS, Mass. Nov ~. The polio,
Of this city think they have at last struck
the clue 70 the mystery which has been
| puzzling citizens here for more than I,
months. John + Ma ar, Edward f
| Luddy and Michael f. Smith are Ia th,
| police station ch htrgtd with the murder o
I Collins A. Lainan on the night Of April
20 ls92 The police also held. as a wi ness
lie Forest w O'Conror.
Luddy Is 3. years oil and laster by
trade. Manrr is shoe 3 ock sorter, "a
years old. and ; Nth j. a shoemaker. All
are amiliar characters IN the police court,
hut have never Uefore ben charged with q
B ime Of such magnitude as that which
COW confronts them.
IL will lie remembered that this murder
was the sensalion II this vicinity for
months Detectives were employed. re-
words were offered, the whole police force
worked hard aud long on the case, but
nothing resembling clue resulted.
Collins Leaman v as n barber who ha 4
rooms in Satucket block on Main street In
this city. IA. WAS an honest and indus
trious man, aud had a wife and two chill
dren. and resided on West Elm street.
On the night OF April %, 1892 Leaman
lrft his rooms about 10 O'Clock He was
club-footed, and his walk bomeward was
nee sstrily slow. West Elm street IL a
fine residential lection. but st that time
the street, after pa,s ny the causewsy
which runs across the Howard pond, was
only dimly lighted by 1 candescrnt lamps.
On he right. just beyond the pond, a
new street, now known ~ Lexington
street, Id to the right from West Elm
street, aud before reachit x IL Leaman ha1
to pass under the shadow OF tres. Here
be WIS assaulted and prob bly, rendered
la, ensib lie was robbed Of two wal ches
and "a small amount Of money-all posses
sions of any value about bis p-rson-and
then dragged Il ound the corner into Lex
inRion street and thrown down an en-
bankment SON eight feet hil h, where he
apparently bad for some time uncOns cious.
Later two men passing mp West Elm
rect heard "A call Tor help. aud looking
over a picket fence into the fie d where
Lerman had been thrown. they saw aim
In diz d condition attempting to find a
place where he could get through the
fence around the end Of which he had been
dragged.
Death soon Followed.
He was helped TO reach the street and
taken To his home, but could give no state
ment OF the facts OF the assault, except To
vaguely repeat that some one struck him.
HIS injuries were found TO be of "A crit cal
nature, his skull being fractured by one
or more terrible blows. and he soon sank
iuto wholly unconscious state, from
which be never rallied, and death ensued
during the next forenoon.
Witnesses were found whn heard some
thing OF the noise of the assault. but who
did not at hat time realize what il was.
The city auth rites offered LARGE reward
for inf rmation which would lead to the
car ture ani conviction OF the murderer or
murderers Detectives were employed and
many suspected persons were shadowed,
and every effort was made to detect the
au hors Of the atrocious crime, but with
out success.
Nearly 10 months have passed since the
murder, and meanwhile City Marshal
Chase and the officers OF his force have
been quietly and persistently at work to
detect the criminals Tue belief has pre-
vailed that the deed was committed by q
man or men who knew Leaman and were
familiar with the route over which he must
pass TO reach uls home, and who knew
that he would probably carry with hin
whatever money aud valuables he pos
sessed.
O'Connor, who Is held as witness, has
been here before and Is working for a New
York concern, and IL he will testify to the
court as he did to the police about what
these three men told him when they had
been mixing, it looks more than probable
that justice viii after lS months overtake
the guilty TIC police are very confident
that they have the right men.