Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-30

1si. His father. George Joseph, a prom
inert merchant of LackaWapna, insist
ed from the start that the boy had
been Kidnapped and country-wid
search vas inst .uted. The case at the
tire attracted widespread attention,
as tie father from time To time. re-
ceived anonymous letters warning him
to discontinue the search, on pain OF
having his son murdered. The confess
sion was made 70 Dist. Atty. Wesley &.
Dudley and Chief Gibson of Laelsawan-
nj. II was begun on the train, that
brought 7tiit KEY from New York to
Bualo. Wednesday, and was eemplet-
cd this .norning.
II icley was arrested in Whiting, n.
J.. Nov. ~. as the result of a country
wide order % arras. sent out by Su.
parintendent Michael Resan of the
Buffalo police department.
He was at a colony OF inebriates al
the timv OF his arrest, where ne said
he had gone TO nccoVer from a recent
drunken dehlueh.
When arrested he denied all knowledge
of the crime and declared that the ar
rest was IAN outrage Extradition pa
pers were prepared and when the hear
ing was about to he held before tn
New Jersey authorities. Hickey decided
not to fight extraditien, and consented
to so to Buffalo without further legal
eutangements. He was taken to New
York. where he was questioned by In
spector Faurot relative to the Kruck boy
and it is said made at that time many
damaging admissions.
Hiekey's proclivity at writing postal
cards to the police proved his undoiug
and led to the discovery of his identity
and his arrest within a week.
Cards were mailed from Boston and
New York, and their reproductio min a
newspaper led friend of Hickey's to
inform the police of his suspicious. The
order of arrest followed.
In one postal card from Boston the
then unknown writer wrote of the Kruels
murder as follows:
"Wednesday night, Dec. 10. 1902: In en-
ticed Michael Ricao Kruck, newsboy
at seth street and Central Park West,
| New York City, into the park opposite
the entrance to the arsenal police sta
ton. I strangled him and just escaped
the officer who found him as l came back
tfew words here iIlegible). Three times
have | taken life; II times have | tried
and cannot help it,
Another card from Boston told of the
murder of the Joseph boy and where the
body would be found. The police follow
ed the minute instructions on the card
| and recovered the body in decomposed
| fragments.
| Since the finding of the body, police
activity in running down the murderer
| has been incessant and since Hickey
| arrest the authorities have expressed
their confidence that in him they have
the right man.
| Hickey will be formally arraigned,
Monday, on the charge of murder in the
/ first degree.
| Bridgeport, Conn, Nov. 29.-On Oct
| s. 1907, little Philip Mastarionni was
murdered here, under circumstances
similar to the murders of the Joseph
and Kruck boys. The mystery has
never been solved, but impressed by
4 the confession of ]. Frank Hickey,
the police, tonight, decided to send a
detective to Buffalo. tomorrow, and
| take the matter up with the authori-
ties of that city.
| Lowell. Mass, Nov. 29.-The Lowell
police were unable, tonight, TO recall
4 the circumstances of the death of Ed
Merey. mentioned by John Frank
Hickey in his confession in Buffalo.
The records of 20 years ago We're
/ locked up for the night and nothing
could be learned about Morey's death.
Chief Redmond WEIGH said that he
was going to ask the Buffalo police
to question Hickey about the myste-
rious disappearance here, in 1900. of
a boy named Arthur Dent, who was
| believed to have been murdered. The
police say that Hickey. who once lived
here. has visited the city several times
since he went away to work.