Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-04-03
Mrs. Furbush and One Daughter
Killed and Another Mortally
Wounded.
ATTEMPT TO COVER THEFT
stolen Her Money-Hoped to Pre-
vent Detection-Has Been Ar
rested and Confessed His Crime
Robbed the House.

Philadelphia, April 1.-Fearing that he
would be arrested for theft. William H.
Lane. a colored butler, shot and killed his
employer, Mrs Ella j. Furbush, her 12-
year. old daughter, Madeline. and proba-
bly, mortally wounded another daughter,
Eloise, aged seven years. at their h me,
No. 652 North Fifteenth street to-day
Lane who is % years of age, escaped from
the house and four hours later was ar
rested by Philadelphia detectives while
waiting in Camden. n. j., to board train
for Dridgcton, n. j. He was imm diately
brought to this city, was identified by lit
tie Eloise. ard confessed his crime.
Mrs Furbush lived with her two daugh-
ters in a fine. we'll furnished four-story
house. Lane had been her butler since
Christmas. Mrs. Furbush had been miss
ing small amounts of money recently and
finally she informed the police. who be-
gan an investigation which was in pr =
gress when to-day's tragedy occurred.
Lane was suspected and a warrant was
sworn out for his arrest.
According to Lanes confession he saw
Mrs. Furbush last Monday night, countn
a large roll of bills. Knowing where sh
kept the money, he stole so late in the
evening. This morning Mrs. Furbush miss
ed the money and questioned Lane but h
denied all knowledge of having seen it. Ex-
pecting that the theft would be charg d
to him and that Mrs. Furbush would have
him arrested, Lane planned murder, rob-
berry and escape
At II o clock he went to the third floor
and found Mrs. Furbush in one of the
middle rooms. He instantly shot her twice.
She died instantly. Elose. who was in an
other room. hearing the noise, ran in to see
what was the matter. AS she entered Lane
shot her i'll the abdomen. She fell and he
thought he had killed her also. Without
even attracting the attention of another
servant, the negress, who was ironing in
the Kitchen Lane went to the front door
and called in Madeline who was skating on
roller skates on the sidewalk. He told
her that her mother wanted her and with
out the slightest suspicion of what had
happened the child climbed the stairs whit
ont removing her skates. She went into
room adjoining that in which her mother
lay dead. Lane followed her and as she
called her mother, he shot her, killing her
Instantly.
Lane in his confession, says he then rob-
bed the house of $3.50, two watches and a
pooketbook While he was searching for
tho 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. Furbush
and 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. the butler hastily donned his
overcoat and escaped by the rear of the
house.
The policemen hearing a moan, began
looking about and found Eoise in a hall
way up stairs. TO the policemen she said
civilian shot my mother and my sister,
and tried to kill me-" She was immediate y
sent to a hospital. The police traced Lane
to the Pennsylvania railroad state at Cam
den, n. j., where he was recognized by
one of the policemen he had admitted to
the house. The officers hustled him on a
ferry boat and brought him to police head
quarters here. Before going to Camden he
had purchased n suit of clothes. a light
oVcrcoat, valise and a box of cigars. lie
ore the new clothes and had his old suit
of clothes sent to his sisters home, in Bur-
lington, y. j. At the Camden station he
telegraphed another sister at Bridgeton
that he was coming to see her.
At the police station Lane said he was
sorry for what he had done. lie was sur
prised to hear that Eloise was alive. He
said he always liked her and hcsitated to
kill her but sit was necessary to do So"
Now that have been caught" he added,
Il hope she will recover | am also sorry
for Mrs Furbush and Madeline. but pcv-
ertY tempted me to do it, and | must now
suffer"
Lane was afterward taken to the hospi-
tai whore Elose identified him. Lane said
what the child said was true.
] Larc is the son OF a preacher who lives
in Brdgeton, and has served a term in the
Mount Holly On. j. Jail for larceny and
was confined in the Huntingdon (Penn) re-
formatory.