Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-08-31

Springfield, MaSS,-The police are
looking for young man suspected of
being the murderer of Hugh McKane,
a prominent mllkman of Ludlow, who
was held up, robbed and shot Wednes-
day afternoon on the road from South
HadIey Fails TO Ludlow.
When the fact of the murder be
eame known the greatest excitement
prevailed among the citizens for miles
around, and talk of lynching was heard
in many quarters in case the highway
man and murderer was captured.
The Holyoke police are also looking
for young man who eight years ago
shot farmer with q rife. The boy
was then l2 years of oge. He later
joined the navy in Worcester but has
been seen around HOlyoke since He
has worked in Belchertown recently
and has heen seen hanging around dis.
reputale resorts.
The robbery was evidently carefully
planned. Mr. Kane had just finished
collecting tour among his customers
in Holyoke and was on his way home
when he was murdered. The high
wayman evidently supposed that Kane
WOulG have a considerable sum of
money in his pockets, but, as a matter
Of fact, he Is understood to have had
only about $40.
His horse brought him home, and
when the animal walked into the door
yard of the Kane home in the after
noon with the unconscious body of
Kane in the wagon the mans pockets
were found turned inside out with
everything missing.
Exactly how the robbery and murder
took place Is not known. An investl-
cation of the locality where the affair
occurred indicates that the highway
man shot Mr.. Kane while standing
in a position at the side of the road.
Then he probably climbed into the
wagon and went through Kane's pock-
cts.
Some of the investigators think that
there must have been more than one
highwayman. Footprints in the vic
unity would seem to show, however,
that there was only one. One theory
which seems tObe more in evidence
than any other is that the highway
man crept up behind the wagon, climb
ed in and shot Mr.. Kane in the head.
Then he rifled the pockets of the un-
-.<.nantsN"s mon aud -aana rt od ..----ra
Mr. Kane evidently did not have
an opportunity to make fight for his
life, but was unconscious after the
bullet entered his head.
It was few minutes before noon
when Mr.. Kane started from Holyoke
for his home In Ludlow. The dis
tance is about six miles. Less than
an hour after he started from Hol-
yoke the horse of Mr.. Kane entered
the yard of the Kane residence, draw
ing the wagon containing the lifeless
body of his master.
This would indicate that the robbery
and murder took place shortly after IL
o'clock noon. The horse evidently walk
ed good part of the way and did not
show any signs OF fright.
Michael Kane, brother Of the muir
dered man, and with whom he lived,
noticed the horse and wagon come
into the yard, hut he did not sup
pose anything was wrong. When his
brother Hugh failed to enter the house
he thought 1t was rather peculiar and
started to investigate.
Hello, Hugh!" he called, but there
was no response. Then he fastened
to the wagon and there found his
brother lying back upon the seat I'M
conscious.
Further investigation revealed a bull
let wound in the right temple. Real
izing the seriousness Of the situation,
Michael ran for a physician. Every
effort was made to save the wound
ed mans life by the doctors, but he
died about an hour and half later
without regaining consciousness. The
doctors stated that In their opinion
Kane was shot about half an hour be-
fore the body was brought home by the
intelligent horse.
The police of Springfield, Chicopee,
Holyoke and Ludlow, as soon as they
received word of the murder, began a
systematic search of the entire coun-
try about Ludlow for the murderer or
murderers.