Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-02
LIVES CUT OFF.
Shooting Affairs at Philadelphia
and Barkhamsted, Ct.
Mother and Daughter Killed and An
other Daughter Fatally Shot.
Insane Daughter Shoots Mother and
Then Commits Suicide.


Philadelphia, April 1.-Fearing that
he would be arrested for theft, VIM II.
Lane, a colored butler. shot and killed
his employer, Mrs. Ella ]. Furbush, her
l2-ycar-Old daughter Madeline, and
probably mortally wounded another
daughter, Eloise. aged years. at their
! home on North 18th street, shortly be-
! fore noon, today. Lane, who is % years
/ of age, escaped from the house, and
! four hours later was captured by de-
tcctives while waiting in Camden, N.
j., to board 4 train for Bridgeton, n.
J. He was Immediately brought to this
city, was identified by Eloise Furbush
and confessed his crime
The murder was cold FLOODED. Mrs.
Furbush lived With her two daughters
and was wealthy. Lane had been her
butler since Christmas, and besides
! him she had another colOred servant,
4 woman named Agnes. Recently Mrs.
Furbush had been missing small
amounts of money, and finally she in
formed the police, who began an inves-
| LEGATION which was still in progress
| when today's tragedy was enacted
.NuSl ltIpiI lCll vi l/dflt, anu IL WdII
was sworn out for his arrest. Accord
ing to Lanes confession, he saw Mrs
Furbush. Monday night, accounting d
large roll of bills. Knowing where she
| kept the money, he awaited his oppOr
tunity and stole $40 This morning
Mrs Furbush missed the money and
questioned the colored man, but he de-
MED all knowledge of having seen it.
Expecting that the theft would be
placed on him and that Mrs. Furbush
would have him arrested, Lane planned
to murder the mother and her children,
rob the house and disappear.
At IL O'Clock, he went to the third
floor and found Mrs. Furbush in one of
the middle rooms. He instantly shot
her twice, once in the breast and then
through the head. She died instantly.
F.loise, who was in another room and
hearing the noise, ran in to see what
was the matter. AS she entered, Lane
shot her in the abdomen. She fell and
he thought he had killed her.
Without even attracting the atten-
ton of the other servant who was IRON
ing in the kitchen, Lane went to the
front door and called in Madeline, who
sidewalk. He told her that her mother
wanted her on the third floor, and with
out the slightest suspicion the child
climbed the stairs without removing
her skates. She went into a room ad-
joining that in which her mother lay
dead. Lane followed her, and as she
cheerily called her mother, the negro
shot her through the heart, killing her
instantly.
Lane. in his confession, says he then
proceeded to rob the house. He quickly
found $3.50. two watches and a pocket
book, and while he was searching for
iewelry he was interrupted by the ar
rival of two special policemen who had
a warrant for his arrest on the charge
of larceny. They asked to see Mrs. Fur
bush. Lane showed them to the sitting
room on the second floor and said he
would call his mistress.
Recognizing one of the men as an
officer. Lane escaped by the rear of the
house. All was quiet in the house, and
the policemen hearing a moan, started
an investigation. On the third floor
hallway they found Eloise. To the po-
licemen she said: civilian shot my
mother and my sister, and tried to kill
me-"
The wounded child was Immediately
sent to hospital.
Lane was traced to the Pennsylvania
Railroad station at Camden, where he
was recognized and arrested by one of
the policemen he had admitted to the
house. The prisoner was at once
brought to Philadelphia.
CofOro yOinu IN Camden Lane MR.
chased a suit of clothes, a light over
coat, valise and a box of cigars. He
wore the new clothes and had his old
suit of clothes sent to his sisters home
in Burlington, N. J. At the Camden
station he telegraphed another sister at
Bridgton that he was coming to see her.
At the police station Lane said he
was sorry for what he had done. He
was surprised to hear that Eloise was
alive and said he always liked her and
hesitated to kill her but lit was neces-
sary to do So"
Now that 1 have been caught" he
added, Il hope she will recover. I am
also sorry for Mrs. Furbush and Made
line, but poverty tempted me- to do It
and l must now suffer-"
Later Lane was taken to the hospi-
tai, where Eloise identified him, say
ing: He is William Lane, the man who
killed my mother and sister and tried
to kill me- You know you did, Will
lam
Lane said: Everything the child has
said is true
Lane is the son of preacher who
, lives in Bridgton. He has served a
, term in the Mount Holly, N. j.. Jail for
larceny and has been confined in the
Huntingdon, Pa, reformatory.
AN INSANE DAUGHTER