The Portland daily press., 1893-05-16
HE WILL DIE TODAY.
Frank G. Alny To Be Executed at
the Concord Prison.
HIS MANY CRIMES, ENDING WITH
CHRISTIE WARDEN's DEATH.

| A Story Which Reads Like One of the
Dime Novels the Criminal Read in His
Youth-Almy Is George III. ssAbbott, a
New England Desperate, Who Has
Spent Ten Years in Prison for Grave
Offences.
CONCORD, N. H., May 15.-Before noon
tomorrow, George Fl. Abbott, alias
Frank G. Almy, will expiate on the gal
lows, in the New Hampshire state prison
the murder of Christie Warden at Hano-
yer, on the night of July II, 1891. Few
events in the criminal annals of New
England have created the intensity of in
terest which has been manifested in this
horrible crime and it's sequences. The
identification of Almy as Abbott makes
the criminal one Of the most remarkable
murderers ever known. New England
was the scene of all his crimes. Within
the past Is years, a youth, reared in a
law-abiding community, has gone out
from its schools and churches to enter
upon life that began with stealing,
passed on to burglary, and ended with
murder Ten of the last Is years have
been spent in state prisons, and yet the
prisoner was not 35 years old until Jsnu-
airy, 1892. The murderer's father, Harris
Abbott. went to Salem, Mass, from
| Thetford, Vt. He was one of the Alb
bolts of Abbott's Mills, the son OF Eli
phalet Abbott, wealthy, proud and
| pompous manufacturer, better known as
Duke" Abbott than by his real name
| There were five sons and daughter in
his family-Harris, Israel, Sylvester,
| Walker, David and Julia. The convicted
murderer is equally well connected on
his mothers side. His mother was Mar
cia w. Wilmot, one of a family of IL
children, who lived next to the Abbott
homestead. Harris Abbott and Marcia
| Wilmot were conceded to be the bright
| est and most promising members of their
respective families.
At the age of 10 years, young Abbott
went to live at North Thetford with his
uncle. At 12,
He Was Stealing Jewelry,
and at IA had fitted up cave by the riv-
er. where he concealed articles of plum
der. He was arrested for stealing a
stove from neighbor, and was brought
before the local justice at North Thet-
ford. His father came from Salem, and
adding his influence to that of the uncle,
finally succeeded in settling the case.
Young Abbott never forgave the owner
of the stove, who caused his arrest One
night, year afterward, he met this
| neighbor crossing the Abbott farm, ac-
companied by favorite dog. Abbott
drew a revolver and shot the dog dead at
its masters feet; and when the man
turned upon him in anger, he pointed
the weapon directly at his breast and ex-
claimed:
''Stop where you are, or I'll treat YOU
just as I did the dog?''
The indignant farmer was resolute
| man, but the determined look of that
sixteen-year-old boy, with his deadly
weapon, appalled, him, and he went home
without a word. About this time Alb
bott's uncle had in his employ French
man named Duplissy, who was one of
family of brothers who have figured in
the criminal annals of Vermont. In the
fall of 1874, when Abbott was seventeen
years old, he and Duplissy were arrested
for entering the dwelling house of
Samuel W. Hale, in Oxford, and stealing
forty silver watches valued at $400, and
twenty gold pins valued at $25. George
II. Abbott was arraigned for burglary in
the court at Plymouth, November 5,
1874, and pleaded guilty to the charge.
He was sentenced to four years in the
state prison at Concord, and was COM
mitted November IA, 1874. The father,
overcome by shame and dependency,
committed suicide by hanging himself in
his barn at Salem. He left his sons
share Of his estate with Samuel Colley,
then mayor of Salem, as trustee, until
the boy should become of ago and be re-
leased from confinement.
After his discharge from prison, Alb
bott soon returned to his old companions
and while apparently living in quiet, if
not in industry, at his uncle's home.
directed the depredations of large
Gang of Burglars and Highwaymen
During the year 1880 he created reign
of terror in North Thetford and the
neighboring towns, houses and stores
being entered. Suspicion pointed so
strongly to Abbott that he suddenly dis
appeared. 1t was afterwards proved
that he had retired to Thetford noun
tain, where he had fortified and furnish
ed cave at an almost inaccessible point
which. however, commanded a wide
view Of the Connecticut valley from
every direction. Mark Ware, who saw
him picking apples on the mountain, re-
ported the fact to the people in the vii
lage. On election day, in 1880, the young
men organized, and the next day set out,
fully armed, to discover Almyos hiding
place and arrest him. He resisted cap
ture until badly wounded, and was
brought to the village on stretcher, the
physicians pronouncing him almost
paralyzed. Abbott cleverly encouraged
this belief, and one night, when his
keeper, Solomon Perry Of North Thet-
ford, left the room, he jumped out of
bed. and with only bed-quiit wrapped
about him fled in the woods. A search
ing party was organized, and some hours
later he was found in railroad culyert
speechless with cold. He was carried
back, and placed in the Chelsea, vt. iail
where he remained until the following
spring. He was tried for burglary. and
on June %, 1881, sentenced to fifteen
years in the state prison at Windsor. vt.
Abbott remained in the prison until
hor On 1907 1rha,, l, ..