The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-08
MURDER SPECTRE TRAPPED
STEPS ny WHTCH THE BURI-BRIGGs
<RIME vas USRaVELLkD

SIkPS by WHICH TIE 0sb
CRIME Was USRIvELLkD.
The Figure Of n Masked Mar In n Murder
Scar Portsdam. N. ", aud the Patient.
Clever Work of "a District Attorney In
Revealing The Full Identity of the Figure
Sherlock Holmes Methods In n Long,
backward Tracing They Revealed the
Man who Tried to- XIII n M,ddlr-Aged
Woman and Actually Killed Her Father.
PorspAM, y. y, April g. Under tho dry
and unpronising title of Respondents Points
there has Just been laid before the Third Depart
ment Of the Appellate Division Of the Supreme
Cour, a story Of intrigue and crime which reads
NOR. like a chapter out OF Gaborinu than the
calm, cold dispassionate statement OF facts that
II il. And n the deep laid, carefully carried out
plot Of murder that II reveals In up TO the highest
mark Of invention II the weavors Of French crim-
inal romanccs, then the patient unrayelling OF the
mystery and the slow evolution. link by Ink,
Of the cham Of Clrcumstantal evidence which
at last brought from a Jury d verdict OF guilty
Of murder against a man who heretofore hol stood
high In the esteem of the little community where
he had lived all his life, are as marvellous and as
fascinating in their way as any narrative oil the
detective exploits Of Sherlock Holmes
This remarkable story Is told step by step In
the printed pamphlet Of 100 pages which the DIS
,rict Attorney Of ST Law renee county has lust
laid before the court II should be said, however,
that although the document ls signed. as an
Official paper, by the present District Attorney.
Mr. George W Ilurlbut, the working out OF the
problem, the arrest and the ultimate conviction
which made such a profound sensation in north
ern New York, are due 10 the clear headed reason
ing and the energy Of Mr.. Iedyard z, Hale. who
was the District Attorney from 1896 until 1900 and
now signs the summar Of the case merely
as counsel.
The principal persons involved in this tragedy
Of American country home life are Ave:
FIRsT-HowARD W. BURT. a we'll to-do
farmer, 40 years old, living in the township OF
Pierreront, five and a half miles from Potsdam.
SECOND Mis- HOWARD ". BURT, 81 years
old, and " ife Of the above.
THRD Asa ". BnIGGs, a paralytic,S3 years
old, and father Of Mrs. Burt, who lived with his
daughter and soninlaw.
FOURTH EDNA DELOsH, % years old, u
handsome girl Of respectable family in the neigh
borhood. Employed in the Burt household.
FIFrII-M oRRls J. SAVAGE. a young man
comparatively unknown To the Burts, but who
had come 10 their house drunk on an occasion.
had been thrown out by Burt and had gone away
threatening to be avenged. This episode oc-
CURED some two weeks before the commission
" the murder,
1t was at Z O'Clock on the evening az Nov 10,
1897, that the crime " as committed. Mrs Burt
and such Of her family as were at home vera
seated in the cosey farmhouse sitting room MI
Burt himself was away in Potsdam had been
gone there and in neighboring towns on business
for two days. The oldest son, william, 81 years
old. WAS away teaching school The second son,
Elmer, was in Potsdam attending school, The
hands me country girl, Edna Delosh. who had
long been "A membeT Of the household, was away
at her home. The only members Of the family
present besides Mrs, Burt and Mr. Briggs were
Harry Burt, The younsrs, son, aged 10, and Mary
Harvey, also about ID years Of age, and employed
10 do light housework.
All Of this little family were seated around
the centre table in the room on which burned
a lamp lowered 80 that the shade protected the
eyes Of those sitting about it. Mrs. Burt was
reading, Harry and the girl, Mary Harvey, were
looking & some picture books, Mr. Briggs In
his invalid chair was playing with a kitten that
sat uTun his knee IL was a sharp, cold night,
such as they have in the mid fall up in northern
New York with the stars blinking freshly and the
roads frozen hard. In the sitting room stove a
fire was burning brightly and altogether it was
a very snug Little autamEal evening scene In the
quiet farmhouse,
Suddenly without moving, without the slightest
rremonitory sound VI footsteps on The yerandA
there came a loud, sharp premptory rap on the
panels of the front door Everybody was startled.
1t was Mis-. Bun's almost inNariahlo custom 10 60
herself To the door when any body knocked and she
started up TO DO so now. tut her son Harry ran
ahead of her, undid the fastenings and threw the
door wide open. Standing there sharply out
lined against The bright moonlight was a figure
which caused the boy to cry oul in terror II was
the figure Oi n tail, stoop shuuldered man with
a wide bri med felt hat sluucled down over his
forehead and his features, from the eyes down
concealed by the heavy folds Of a wide red silk
handkerchief. In his night band and pointed
straight at the boys head he held a revolver
With one glance at this alarming vision Harry
fed, screaming with frigh, back through the hall
into the sitting room. Close at his heels came the
intruder. The girl, Mary Harvey, fell covering
TO the floor behind Mr. Brggs's invalid char.
With her face pale with fright Mrs Burt stood
rigidly in front VI he chair from which she had
risen when he rude summons at the door FIRST
startled her
without uitering a word or a sound the masked
mdl NdlhfN SN al ~ w '" Ia I'hlti lOiilttu III
pistol at her and fired. The bullet grazed her
chest Just over her heart and passed through the
ileshy part " her left arm. She staggered but
did not fall The assassin then held the muzzle
Of the pistol within six inches Of her face, but the
woman dashed II aside Just in time. Il exploded
and The hall va, buried in the wall Of the room.
At this her ass llant struck her heavily over the
head with the weapon, sending her in IA running
sort Of fall To the floor close by the hall door The
boy and girl meanwhile had made their escape
BY way Of the dining room and a hack entrance
. NJ. Ilttrt AtnnpArnN IN l3f faaf and N ~ nm ~
front door
Old Mr. briggs who, three weeks before had
suffered a partial stroke Of paralysis, had By this
time struggled to his feet and triod to throw him,
seli upon the ASSASSIN. lie fell Ia the floor in he
effort but graSped the man firmly around The
lcrs and held on to him courageonsiy while the
would-be murderer Tained blows upon his head
with the pistol butt Seeing he could not shake
the old man of he fred two shots, one Of which
passed through Mr. Bnggs's neck The other lodg-
Ing in lis shoulder, At this the brave old man
lost con, ciOlsness and relaxe his hold Then
the murderer made of in the night leaving behind
him a shambles where five minutes be fore there had
been such a peaceful picture " home comfort
and Contpntmcnt
When the ncighbors whom Mrs. Burt and the
young people summoned reached the house they
found the old man lying unconscious in his blood
where the ASSASSIN had left him, Dr.. Botsiord
was nmmone by telephone from PUtsdam within
half an hour after the intruder forced his way into
his victims presence.
BY < O'Clock all Potsdam knew Of the murderous
assault and search was made for Mr. Burt, who
was known to he la town, htliStA an acquaintance
met him on the street and told him, he went at
once to the Albion Hotel, where his teaEl was put
up, and started on a mad Fallop for home. lie
fOun'l his wife at the house uf a neiyhbOr and his
father inlaw living at deaths door in his own
devastated home Mr. Briggs fingered on for a
few days and then died. Neither his ov ante
mortem statement MOI the testimony Of Mrs Burt,