Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-12-30
BRUCE CUNFESSES
That He and the Van Wormers
Killed HaI|enbeCk.
Rode 10 Miles, Called Him to Door
and Shot Him Down.
The Three Van Wormers Are kephews Of tkt
Murdered Man.

tional episode tn one of the most sen
Sational murders ever committed in
New York state developed. Saturda y
afternoon. in the confession by Harvey
Bruce aged u. in the form of a sta te-
inent 10 his mother and aunt.
The statement is Witnessed by Mayor
Charles :. Harvey and County Treas
urer George III. Macy. and tells how
the murder of Peter A. Hallenbeck, the
wealthy farmer of Greenport, was com
mitted by Bruce, and Willis. Burton
ana Fred Van Wormer. brothers. aged
20 % and %. and nephews of the muir
der@d man.
The fun purport of the confession will
not be given out until Monday morn
ing at the inquest by the coroner. but
enough has been told to demonstrate
that the murder was deliberately
planned.
Ii shows that the prisoners. who all
lived in Kinderhook. IS miles from thu
IIalienbeck home. rode on Christmas
eve to the scene Of the crime. tied thei
horses to the barn of the victim. walked;
t. The rear Of the house in the bright
moonlight. raped on the door and
when the old man opened it shot him
to death. firing - shots. II penetrating
the body
The crime was witnessed by Hallen-
Ecck's wife and mother. The olhe.'
members Of the family We're at Christ
mas eve services less than q mile dis
rant.
The Van Wormer family lived unit.
last fail in Il house in GreenpOrt. mort
gagged Il Halenbeck. The boys being
iusolent and troublesome, the mort
gag was foreclosed and the family
cvictcd This was the basis of the ill
viii held against the victim.
The shots were heard by the neigh
hors. who saw the fleeing men, and.
after investigating. gave the alarm
Suspicion soon rested on the Nan
Wrrmers.
Christmas day they We're arrested.
with Bruce. at kinderhook Their
mother and friends tried hard. by tes-
t;Inony before the coroner. t. establish
~, abb declaring the boys were a.
home by O'Clock Christmas eve.
The officials had strong evidence
AGAINST them. The horse which they
drove had q peculiar shoe. with a short
ralk. the same Impression being in III"
soft earth at the barn whore the horse
was tied up. The wagon wheels meas
t.ted exactly the same as the tracks in
tn, snow leading from the iallenhcck
house
one footprint was by feet wearing !"
.hmll-dog- snoo. another by shoes hay
ing steel heel plates, ana the shoes al
the prisoners. when arrested, had thos"
characteristics and fitted the snow
prints exactly.
The bullets in the body We're 81 ana
rs calibcr. which We're the same as re-
VolverS found in the prisoners home
They purchased masks from notion
dealer at knderhook the afternoon OF
the murder. AMI the men Who did the
shooting. wore masks. Four rcVolNerS
\yara found in the boys home.
The mother testified that they spent
the day IF the murder cleaning the re-
vnlvcrs: that they were good boys, but
lever left home without putting the
Ievolvers in their packets.
describing which revolver belonged
To each boy. she said the 3S-caliber one
vas Harvey Bruce's. the smaller cali
bers We're those If her three sons. the
phv4icians who held the post-mortem
say the 3N-c5liber revolver produced
the fatal wounds. the minor wounds
being by the 32-calibers.
The first knowledge of something
startling came. Saturday afternoon.
When. on the advice Of the district at
fornev, Coroner Lisk abruptly ad-
ioutned court while a witness was be
in: examined.
The news spread quickly and soon
m. courthouse was besieged by throngs
~ IN nr
readily found in which room Bruce
VAS ana the sheriff was compelled To
establish a line to hold the people back.
When they became convinced that a
confession had been made all seemed
satisfied at the thought that JuSuc"
Mas likely p be meted out.