Murder of William Druse, 1884 - Part 1

The Murder of William Druse
Part 1

Chenango Semi-Weekly Telegraph, January 21, 1885

William Druse, a farmer in moderate circumstances, has for a number of years resided in Warren, Herkimer County, about four miles from Richfield Springs.  About December 16th Druse was missed from his accustomed haunts in the village.  His friends and neighbors commented on his disappearance, but their suspicions of foul play, if any existed at the time, were allayed by Mrs. Druse, who stated that she supposed her husband was in New York where her brother resides.  As time elapsed, Mrs. Druse seemed to give herself no little uneasiness over her husband's prolonged absence and went so far as to cause telegrams to be sent in different directions to ascertain his whereabouts.  No tidings were received, however.  The husband did not return home, and last week ugly rumors were circulated.  Neighbors told of seeing black smoke coming from the chimneys of the Druse house, which was accompanied by a stifling odor, as of burning meat.  The excitement occasioned by these stories grew, and finally a neighbor informed Mrs. Druse of the stories about.  She resented the imputations, and threatened to sue any person for slander who should repeat the vile stories.  This quieted things for a day or two, but it soon started up again and grew to greater proportions.  People said that Mr. Druse had been murdered, his body boiled in lye, and the bones buried.  In calling at the Druse home, the neighbors noticed that new paint had been placed on the floor and wood work of the kitchen.  Search was begun for the remains.

The family consisted of William Druse, his wife, Roxy, a daughter, Mary, aged 18, a boy George, aged 10, and Frank Gates, a nephew of Mrs. Druse, aged 14. The house was an old one, ten rods back from the road, with large barns on two sides.  Charles Pett, a neighbor, lives 700 rods west, Jeremiah Eckler about 100 rods northeast.  They are both substantial framers and good citizens.

Pett and the Eckler family believed that there had been foul paly.  Mr. Pett had noted the black smoke and the fearful stench on December 18th.  Mrs. Eckler and Pett questioned the boy Gates, a stolid youth.  He finally weakened, and soon admitted the crime.  The District Attorney, A.B. Steele was sent for, and arrived last evening.  As soon as he arrived he questioned the boy, who then told of the burning of the body, and went with him and found what was left of the remains, which was simply a small heap of ashes and a few charred bones.

The Coroner arrived Friday, and impanelled an excellent jury of farmers in the neighborhood.  After a few of the residents had testified, Frank Gates was put on the stand and told under oath an astounding tale that is given here almost in his own words.

"My name is Frank Gates.  I live in Warren.  I have lived for the past five or six weeks with my aunt Mrs. William Druse.  I did chores for my board and went to school.

"My uncle was killed the Thursday before Christmas.  I helped to kill him and depose of the remains.  Last summer my aunt wanted to hire me to shoot Uncle William.  She said she would give me a good many dollars for doing it.  I told her I would not do it.  There was nothing more said then, but this winter my aunt and Uncle Bill had a good many words.

"On Thursday before Christmas in the morning, Uncle Bill asked me to get up and build the fire.  I did so.  Aunt Roxy and Mary, her daughter, got up.  Uncle Bill went and did the chores.  I asked if I should help him, and he said 'No.'  He said he would rather do them himself.  when he came into his breakfast he sat down to the table.  I had nearly finished mine.  My aunt told me to hurry up.  I asked her what she wanted.  She then told me and George to go out of doors, but not to go far from the house.

"I heard a noise three or four times.  Then she called us.  She had a revolver.  She handed it to me and told me to shoot Uncle Bill or she would shoot me.  She put the revolver up to my nose when she said this.  I then fired at Uncle William.  He was sitting in a chair or on the floor.  I was so excited I could not say which.  Then she took the revolver and fired at him until the revolver was empty. Then she took the axe and pounded him on the head.  Uncle Bill said 'Oh Roxy, don't.'

She then chopped his head off and sent me and George upstairs after a straw tick which was filled. She dragged him onto the tick and told me I should help drag him into the parlor.  She called for me to come in.  I told her I couldn't and then she sent me and George down in the brush lot after the sharp axe. When we came back with it she took it into the other room and shut the door. She told me and George to go upstairs, and then she called us down again and sent us to the hog pen after some shingles. She built up a hot fire in both stoves, and then had me watch at the north window and Mary watch at the south window.  Then she took a block and a board into the parlor and chopped him up, and then put the pieces in the fire.  She told me to crowd the kitchen stove with shingles.

"Next day all I saw of him was a large bone.  Mary had that and put it in the other stove.  It had flesh on each end.  Next morning she took up the ashes from the stoves, put some in a bag and some in a tin box.  She told me to hitch up the horse, as she was going to my father's. When we got into Mr. Wall's swamp, we went two rods into the swamp.  I took the ashes and threw them on the ground.  We then went to father's, and I was taken sick and had to stay home a few days. When I went back, Mrsa. Druse told me to take the new ax and saw the handle off.  Mary took the handle, which I had sawn into pieces and put it in the stove. The we hitched up again, and my aunt and I drove to Richfield Springs. When we were on our way back she threw the ax into the pond as we passed over the bridge.  There was a newspaper wrapped around the ax. When we got along a little further she told me to take the revolver and also the knife and throw both into the pond.  She said I must do it or I would be sorry.

"When we got a little further, she threw the razor blade out against the fence.  She told me she got the revolver last fall.  It was a nice pearl handled one.  She said no one should know where it came from.  I knew the revolver, the one found in the pond, is the one Mrs. Druse and I used to kill Uncle Bill with.  I knew it by the stamped handle and the cylinder.  It was loaded when I threw it into the pond.

"Mrs. Druse and Mary were in the room when Uncle Bill was shot.  Me and George were outside.  Uncle Bill was eating breakfast when we went out.  His back was toward the outside door.  Mary was in the kitchen, walking to and fro from the buttery to the parlor door.  when I came back into the room after the shot was fired I saw blood on Uncle Bill's neck and on the floor.  I saw blood before I fired.  His head was leaning over on his shoulder.  Mary had a rope around his neck and was holding it.  When I fired at Uncle Bill he made no noise."

The District Attorney, here said "Show me how you held the revolver."  The boy held a pencil and aimed it at a juror's head.

"When I fired," he continued, "I don't know what Mary was doing.  My aunt was behind us.  she talked fast, but not much faster than usual.  George was in the door after I fired.  I gave the revolver to my aunt.  When my aunt told me and George to go out, I did not know they were going to kill Uncle Bill."

The inquest has not yet been concluded.  Saturday George Druse, the murdered man's son, was examined, and swore to substantially the same facts as are above related.  Dr. Getman testified that he made a post mortem examination of the remains of Druse and gave as his opinion that the bones found in the ashes were those of a human being.

Monday morning the crowd was not quite so large as on Saturday.  Before the proceedings were commenced, the Druce house was opened and people allowed to inspect it.  The kitchen has been newly painted and papered.  In front of where the stove stood, showed many marks of the ax, and it is presumed it is the spot where Druse was decapitated.  After scraping the floor it had been painted with a muddy color of paint.  The furniture in the house is poor and shows evidence of poverty instead of thrift.  Yet the owner started in with a farm free of debt, worth $6,000.  Now there is a mortgage on it for $3,500.  Mrs. Druse has been kept over Sunday at the house of Officer Armstrong at Little Lakes, the daughter at Mr. McDonald's and the boy George at Eckler's.  The Gates boy stayed at Harvey Snyder's.  the son, George, has had his hair cut and looks much improved.

Mrs. Roxana Druse was sworn, and stated that she did not desire to be sworn, or make any statement, she said she had been so advised by her lawyer.  She was questioned as follows:

Q:  William Druse is your husband?

A:  Yes

Q:  On the 18th of December, 1894, at the time your husband died, who aside from your family was present, and did anything that caused him to die, if you are willing to tell us voluntarily?

A:  I decline to answer, by advice of counsel, as my answer might tend to incriminate me.

Q:  Are you willing, Mrs. Druse, to tell us who, if anybody, was in the house when your husband died.

A:  Yes besides my own family.

Q:  Who was it?

A:  Charles Gates, and his son, Frank.

Witness preferred not to make any further statement.  She said that she was never married before, and that her daughter, Mary is William's daughter.  She is 43 years of age.  This was signed by prisoner, Roxana Druse.

Charles Gates, the woman's brother, was sworn, but no new facts brought out.

Some Other Particulars:  Mrs. Druse, about 22 years ago and before her marriage, was employed in Washington Mills and was well known in New Hartford.  She then appeared as correct as any other girl and evinced no symptoms that would lead one to suppose that she could ever be guilty of the crime with which she is now charged.  About five years ago she visited New Hartford, bringing her two children with her.  She at one time complained of the miserliness of her husband and the difficulty they had in getting along.  Druce appears to have been a shiftless and careless man, paying little attention to the cultivation of his farm of 80 acres given  him by his father, and in consequence they were hardly able to get enough off from it to live comfortably.  They are said to have been consistently quarreling and were a nuisance to their neighbors.  It is also reported that about a dozen years ago a child of Mrs. Druce's died under what were then considered suspicious, and have become more so since the late event.