The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-08-06
HARTFORD MURDERER
CAUGHT UNDER BED.
IN 4HE VERY HOUSE NE CON-
MITTED HIS CRIME.

the Prelnises--Poiice Had Searched
Every Part. Of the City and AutOmo-
biIes Were Sent Into the Country to
Run Him DOwn-Had Not stirred Out
Of House-Admits killing Henry os-
born because He was Discharged as
valet--Not Sorry.
Hartford. Aug. 5.-Henry Osborne, a
FORMER police commissioner and one Of
the leading business men of this city,
was murdered by his former body ser
want, Joseph Watson, to-day. The ne
gro was found this evening in hiding
under a bed in the basement of the
Osborne home, % Capitol avenue, after
a close search for him had been made
in all sections of the city. Outside the
. house at the time the murderer was
found were gathered fully thousand
persons, and as Watson, heavily man
. aeled. was conducted down the steps to
. the police patrol wagon the air resound-
ed with cries of Kill him!" Lynch
y hint" from the crowd, which surged in
towards the officers as If 1t desired to
take the prisoner.
AS the wagon started towards the po-
lice station the crowd, which was rap
y idly increasing in size, swarmed after
+ 1t, wildly demenstrative mass of hu-
manity offering a spectacle the like Of
which has never been seen here before
\ and has hardly been duplicated under
4 like circumstances in New England. At
i the police station, which is located at
the junction Of three streets, the scene
was even more striking, for people al
most fought among themselves to get a
glimpse of Watson, and it was only by
the greatest effort on the part Of many
officers that the crowd was kept from
forcing its way into the guard room it
self
n Watson is only eighteen years old and
4 is very unprepossessing in appearance.
He did not quail even when face to face
with the crowd which seemed so anx-
ious to avenge the murder. When
brought into the police station he was
asked several questions and answered
them without hesitancy. He said he
n killed Mr.. Osborne by shooting. II had
y 1t in for him and killed him" said
Watson. Il am not afraid to die, and I
am satisfied that ] killed him. He
then described in detail the killing, af-
ter which he was locked up and a po-
lice officer placed as a guard over him.
Mr.. Osborne was deliberately killed
4 by Watson, according to the latter's
confession, out Of revenge for being dis
charged as valet on July Is. He went
to the Osborne house to commit the
4 murder, and not to rob, as it was first
supposed. Mr.. Osborne's family were
at their summer cottage at Crescent
Beach, near New London, but Mr.. Os-
borne had been at home each night.
Watson says that he got into the house
by key last night and went to bed in
s the basement. Mr.. Osborne was in bed
at the time Watson intended to COM
init the deed early, but he slept late
and so was unable to get into the up
stairs bedroom while its occupant was
asleep. This explains why 1t was that
MIR. Osborne was killed while In his
night robe. AS Watson went upstairs
8 he heard Mr.. Osborne stirring about
Il and met him at the bathroom door, FIR
4 ing one shot. Mr.. Osborne ran into his
bedroom leaving a trail of blood on the
door The negro followed and twice
more shot at Mr.. Osborne, both bullets
taking effect. The wounded man must
have undergone terrible mental agony,
as powder marks on his face and body
indicate that the negro stood right over
hirh as he fired the second and third
shots.
It was Just this point that the first
ankIing of the tragedy reached the
4 neighbors, for with the pistol shots were
heard the words "Save me-" The sound
of the shots and the dying words of the
4 victim were heard by several persons
on the street, and some one ran for an
officer Sergeant Dietrich was on the
street with several officers and on being
informed of the suspicious noise rushed
to the house and forced an entrance.
Mr. Osborne was found stretched full
length on the floor of the hall on the
second story, pool of blood being at
his side. He was faint, but managed
to say to the officer that joe the negro,
had shot him, and that there was no
cause for it. DR.. e. G. King, a neigh
Dor, had arrived and he ordered the re-
moval Of the wounded man to the hos
pital, but Mr.. Osborne died just after
reaching that institution.
The police had something in their
favor in knowing the man who commit
ted the crime, and immediately the sur
rounding towns were notified to be on
the watch for Watson. Although a
search Of the house had been made,
they at first failed to locate the MUIR
derer. and several times went through
thu room where Watson was hiding,
watson admitted tonight that he
was about to give himself up, fearing
that Chief Ryans men would surely
find him, but as they finally left the
Osborne home, and it became late ir
the afternoon he had hopes of making
his escape tonight as soon as it be-
came dark.
IT was at conference between CHIEF
RYAN and Commissioner Furlong, held
In the chiefs office after o'clock this
afternoon, that it was decided to make
another search Of the house, and, il
necessary, the houses in the same bloch
where the murder was committed. The
police available were divided in squads
and again the house was entered. Ser.
geant Dietrich and Policemen Sullivan
and Lloyd took the basement anc
cearched every nook and corner, and OF
looking under the bed In one of the