The evening times., 1899-06-03
SHOOTS 4 PEDDLBR
AND Hides His body
Murder Committed by a Fif.
teen-Year.0ld Boy.
After the Crime the Lad Returns to
Farm Work.
lie Began "a Criminal Career by m
Attempt nt Trnin-WrcclS-
ing.


ham, fifteen years old, is charged with
murder by the police. When he was but
eleven years old he began his criminal ca
reer by attempting to wreck a passenger
train on the Housatonic Road.
His extreme youth, which influenced the
court in its decision not to commit him TO
the reform school during his minority.
saved him, perhaps for the gallows. for
his crime now is declared by the police to
be murder in the first degree.
The startling tragedy in Trumbull. just
beyond the Bridgeport line. was first re-
ported by the prisoner. a farmers boy.
Louis Stahlman, peddler. was found lying
in his old wagon in lonely lane dying
from three bullet wounds, one of which,
above the right eye, had penetrated his
brain.
The discovery of the murder was made
by young Graham. as he alleged. while he
was driving his fathers cows to pasture
and the police responded at once. The
first theory was that Stahlman had been
killed for his money by tramps. and all the
tramps in this section of the country were
hunted down and brought to headquarters
for examination. Then it was learned that
Stahlman had no money with him.
Peter Graham's story was investigated
by Superintendent Birmingham and the de-
tectives. 1t appeared to be 4 straightfor-
ward story at first. Peter was called to
repeat it, and he succeeded in reteiling il
almost without flaw. But the police had
fastened their suspicious upon him and
their work strengthened the belief that
he knew the murder was committed.
goad which he carried TO drive the
COWS to pasture was found near the scene
OF the murder. A singular fact was that
the boy first told of the man murdered in
the lane to Mrs. John Falkner. who lives
near by. but before he said word he asked
her the time of day. He was unusually
careful to learn this accurately. After
Mrs. Falkner had told him it was five min
utes to II O'Clock he began by relating
what he had seen in the lane while he was
driving cows.
Peters home is less than quarter of a
mile from where the body of Stahlman
was found. II was near the railroad c.oss-
ing on the Trumbul Road and is sur
rounded by woods. His father is an in
dustrious workman at local slaughter
house. and his mother raises garden truck
on the small farm, with the aid of her son,
and sells it ir the city.
After becoming fully satisfied Thursday
afternoon that the boy knew too much
about Stahiman the detectives went TO the
They heard his little brother. scarcely sew
en- years old, give peculiar signal is they
approached the clearing, and Peter, they
believed. vanished at the time. They wait
ed nearly all night. but the lad did not ap-
pear. This morning their vigilance was
rewarded by seeing him walk out of the
house, accompanied By his mother. He
had entered unseen under the shadow of
the trees late at night.
At the police station yesterday the boy
confessed that he shot the pedder. The
police have in their possession the revolv-
er. with three chambers empty. 1t was
found concealed in young Graham's nome.
Superintendent Birmingham, acting Un-
der instruction of States Attorney fessen-
den. declined to tell the boys story. Peter
Graham killed Stanlman. and there was no
one else concerned in the shooting. We
have the revolver" he said. He would not
go beyond this. but the story was learned at
:he Graham home. Young Graham's ar
cnts were away. his father at work and his
mother in the city on the morning of the
murder. Peter went into the house and
found the peddler there. AS he entered
Stahlman started TO go out. but the boy.
securing a revolver fired as the peddler got
into his wagon. His aim was true. Stahl-
man fell back on the load. The boy fired
two more shots. one entering the head and
proving fatal.
He then carefully covered up the dying
man and coolly drove down the road. turn
ing out into an old COW path for a hundred
yards. The boy went back home. hoed and
weeded several rows of peas. did some
chores, and then started to take the cows
to pasture, entering the lane where he
had left the body of the dying peddler.
Then he made the discovery of the muir
der. The adroitness of the boy in telling
the story. his manner and all the circum-
stances at first threw the police off the
scent. This is, in substance, what Peter
has confessed to the police. Peter is now
held at the police station without bail on
the charge of murder
Young Graham was arrested on Decem-
ber 30. 1895, for placing ties on the rail-
road track near his home to wreck pas
senger train. A lad named Holsbach was |
his companion, and was also held by the |
police Both boys were very young at the |
time and they told the police that they |
did it to see the people in the wreck |
squirm. They were committed to the re-
form school by the city court. but on an |
appeal to the superior court were allowed |
to go free because of their extreme youth |
and the promises of their parents that they |
would see that the boys behaved in the |
future. Young Graham is tall and freck- |
led. and is bright in appearance.