The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-04-23
THE CAREER OF A CRIMINAL
WHO BEGAN AT THE AGE OF 13
Possesses the Distinction of Being Americas Most
Famous Criminal-Story of His Crimes
and Attempts to Escape.

ged along leading the way to the
marshes Every time the policeman
halted the child pulled at his hand
and pointed to the wet marshes be-
yond.
At last the policeman reached a
point where the grass was high and
the water close to the roadway.
Pointing into the clump the child
mumbled something, which was in
terpreted to mean search" There
in the weeds lay the dead and butch
cred body of a little boy. He had
been mutiliated and his flesh was
full of pins.
The deaf mute was taken to the
Perkins institute for the deaf and
dumb, and there DR.. Anagnas was
fingered the story:
Il was in the front yard when
Horace Mellen and a big boy came
along. They asked me if I wanted
to go down to the marshes, but 1
could not go, and they went along
without me. The big boy took Hor-
ace away out in the marshes; then
they sat down. The big fellow got
up, hit Horace with a stick and then
sat down again. 1t little while
the big fellow came. along, and I
ran to this policeman"
There was the crime and the clew
the big boy" with little boy,
horrible mutilation of the dead child
and his body full of pins Foot
prints in the snow were carefully
traced on paper, and with one accord
the police said: Jesse Pomeroy!'
At the Pomeroy home the mother
was awakened. I'VE want JESSE
the police said. He's in bed, been
sick all day and has not been out of
the house." answered the mother.
1t. was a fatal defence 1t convinced
the police that the boy had been up
to some mischief, even if he did not
kill the Mellen child.
The door was opened and in bed,
apparently asleep, was Jesse. His
shoes and stockings near by were
wet and muddy. The shoes exactly
fitted the prints in the snow where
the Mellen boys body was found.
He was arrested for murder, but de-
MED guilt, saying he had not been
near the marshes all day. He did
admit leaving the house despite his
mothers vehement assertions to the
contrary. A cell door swung to, and
Jesse Pomeroy was a prisoner await
ing trial.
The day Jesse was held for trial
the mother closed her store and
moved. Everybody felt sorry that
she must abandon her business, and
assumed that the disgrace had been
too much for her.
Landlords were ION the job in
those days as actively as to-day. Soon
renovators were in the now vacant
store room to fix it up for the next
tenant At first they encountered
a horrible odor. They attributed it
to the STIFFNESS of the closed store.
Next day they found number of
dead rats. These were thrown n
the streets.
A nearby druggist became inter
ested in the rats, for all had disin-
tegrated in a peculiar manner. He
predicted that all had eaten some
thing containing chloride of lime.
Then he recalled that he had sold
chloride of lime to member
of the Pomeroy family. With
the police he hurried to the
store. In the basement was found a
pile Of earth and lime. Into it they
delved. First they found a gold
locket and chain. then the distin-
tegrating body of a little girl, the
body of little Katie Curran. 1t had
been placed in the lime only short
time before. after the arrest of Jesse
for the Mellen boys murder.
Indignation ran to the limit. An
attempt was made to burn the house
and the father of Jesse had to leave
Boston, although no one suspected
him. He had not lived with his
wife for a long time previously. The
crowd shouted for the blood of the
mother, but she was safe with the
police
1t was shown that both murders
were calmly conceived and calmly
carried out, thus making their vii
lainy peculiarly atrocious. When
the Curran girl asked for spool
of thread she was told to come down
to the end of the counter and make
! her selection. While she was there
Jesse walked to the street door and