Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, February 19, 1874
Marriages
GARDNER - HUTCHINSON: In Afton [Chenango Co. NY], Feb. 1st by Rev. T.P. Halsted, Mr. John S. Gardner to Miss Maggie L. Hutchinson, both of Afton.
LANDERS - PRATT: In Harpursville [Broome Co. NY], Feb. 4th, by Rev. T.P. Halsted, Mr. Asa C. Landers of Afton [Chenango Co. NY] to Miss Ida M. Pratt, of Harpersville.
Deaths
WELLS: At the residence of OA. Bassett, in this town [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY], Feb. 12th, of congestion of the brain , Mr. Albert B. Wells, aged 21 years. His remains were taken to Montrose, Pa., where his parents reside.
Brisbin [Chenango Co. NY]: John Stilson, a young man in the employ of Amos Hinman, died suddenly at about 8 o'clock on the evening of February 12th. He had broken out with the measles on the day of his decease, but the cause of his death is attributed to heart disease. He had many friends in this lace and in Deposit, where he had for a time lived. His age was 24. Correspondent - Oxford Times
Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, February 19, 1874
Marriages
DEAN - DARROCH: In South New Berlin [Chenango Co. NY], Feb. 2d, by Rev. Wm. R. Stone, Mr. Frank Dean, of Greeneville, N.Y. and Miss Nellie O. Darroch, of South New Berlin.
BOOTH - SLATER: In Eaton [Madison Co. NY], Feb. 11th, by Rev. Davis, A.A. Booth of Eaton and Mrs. Sarah Slater, formerly of Smyrna [Chenango Co. NY].
Deaths
Michael McTigue was suddenly killed at Hancock [Delaware Co. NY], by the falling of a bank of earth upon him.
Mrs. Eliza Patten, an aged lady of Laurens [Otsego Co. NY], met with a fatal accident. She got up about six o'clock on Thursday morning, dressed and started to go downstairs. It is supposed that she became bewildered as to her way, returned to her room, opened a door that was deemed securely fastened, passed through over the kitchen to where there was no kitchen floor; from thence she fell some ten feet to the wood room below, striking on the wood and receiving injuries of which she was never conscious, and which caused her death in about two hours.
SEXTON: January 24th, 1874, at his residence in Earlville [Madison Co. NY], Norman Sexton, aged 72 years.
In the early history of the town of Smyrna [Chenango Co. NY], the deceased was one of the representative men who, by his own energy and industry, acquired a comfortable competence for himself in his old age, and who enjoyed to an unusual extent the confidence and esteem of his townsmen and friends. For a long and successful term of years he acted as Supervisor of that town, and also filled other offices of trust acceptably to his townsmen and with credit to himself, as a man of sound judgment and kindly feeling, young and old sought his counsel and advise, and many of the residents of that town and vicinity, now well off as to worldly affairs, will long hold him in grateful remembrance for the kindly aid offered by him as a counsellor and friend.
During the latter years of his life, he resided at Earlville, almost within sight of the old homestead, and where his children could easily visit him and minister to his comfort. In his ripe old age, he has peacefully and quietly passed away beloved and lamented by a large circle of relatives and friends. "With good will to all and malice toward none," he lived the life of a Christian, and we who are hastening after him toward the Dark River may profitably remember his counsels, and strive to emulate his virtues.
Oxford Times, Oxford, NY, February 18, 1874
Death
CARHART: Fell asleep in Jesus, in the night of the 10th Feb., Laura Anastasia Carhart, aged 42 years.
Oh, how sweet must be her rest, / Who such cross of suffering bore! / Now she lives among the blest, / Joy is hers forever more.
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YOUNG: In Norwich [Chenango Co. NY], Feb. 10th, 1874, John W. Young, oldest son of John and Jane Young, aged 21 years and 9 months. Funeral tomorrow (Friday) at 2 o'clock P.M., from the residence of his parents on East Tenth between Mitchell and Mercer streets, and at the Church of the Evangelists at 2-1/2 o'clock. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend. [Oswego Daily Palladium, Feb. 12, 1874]
Murder in Norwich
Chenango American, Greene, NY, Feb. 12, 1874
One of those horrible crimes which shock an entire community was committed in Norwich on Tuesday the 10th. It occurred at the "Orr house" at the corner of East Street and Grove Avenue. We give the main features as taken from the Telegraph. Coroner Hand held an inquest, and from the first witness, Daglan Morrissey, who was present and saw the whole transaction, we condense the following facts:
The witness testified that he resided in Oswego, and that in company with John Young, the man who was shot, and William Bookpower had been making the rounds of several saloons, hotels and other drinking places on the evening in question, during which time they had all drank six or seven times of beer and had become somewhat affected thereby. At about half past nine, they returned to the car where they were to sleep. After some consultation they accosted a small boy they saw in the street and asked him to show them to a house of prostitution, and in compliance the boy accompanied them to the house in question, and then left the party. Young then went to the front door and knocked for admission but received no answer. He then went around to the side door on Grove Avenue, and the three went upon the steps together and knocked for admittance. The lady of the house came to the door and asked what was wanted. They replied that they wanted to come in. She said they had no room for them there, for they were all full. They asked again to be let in, saying they had money, and received substantially the same answer. At this juncture Albert Holmes came to the door and says "get out of this," and pushed them off of the steps. Morrissey and Bookpower stepped to the walk on the outside, and on turning, observed that blows were passing between Young and Holmes. Just at this juncture, Holmes said to Young, with an oath, "get out of this or I will shoot you." Young replied, "Git out," and Holmes instantly drew a pistol and shot. Young staggered around a moment and fell. Morrissey took hold of him and partly drew and partly carried him around the corner a few steps distant. He spoke to Young and asked him if he was shot and received no answer but a groan, and in a few minutes he was dead. After the shot some woman came out of the house and asked Holmes if he had shot the man, but witness did not hear any reply. Holmes, with the woman, then returned into the house.
In the meantime, Bookpower had run away immediately after the shooting. Morrissey saw two young men coming along and he urged them to go for an officer. They said they would and left at once. In a short time Sheriff Brown and Deputy Smith arrived at the house, and upon entering promptly arrested all the inmates, but Holmes after some consultation with the family took Sheriff Smith one side and confessed to the shooting, and gave substantially the above version of the affair, except that he claimed the Young was clinched to him at the time, while Mr. Morrissey swears they were some three or four feet apart, when he was shot. There may have been a difference in other particulars, but the important fact of the shooting stands confessed. Holmes was lodged in jail.
Holmes is the son of Frederick Holmes and wife, a very worthy couple who keep the gate house just below this village on the Oxford Road.
Young was a resident of Oswego and was a brakeman upon one of the trains plying between that city and this village. His associates upon the fatal night are residents also of Oswego and engaged as train hands in some capacity. All are young men, the murdered man being only about twenty-two years old and unmarried. The postmortem examination of the physicians was held Wednesday morning and revealed the fact that the ball passed almost through the center of the heart and must have caused almost instant death.
A dispatch says: The verdict of the Coroner's jury, concerning the killing of John Young, declares that Young came to his death at the hands of Albert Holmes, and that the killing was willing, malicious and of malice aforethought, or murder. Holmes is in jail and has confessed the deed.
The Murdered Young
Chenango Union, Norwich, NY., February 19, 1874
The Oswego Palladium [Oswego Co. NY] of the 11th, speaking of the recent tragedy in this village [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY] says: "The deceased, John Young, Jr., resided with his father on East Tenth street between Mitchell and Mercer. He had been a sailor, and had worked on the Midland, braking a freight train, for about a year. He left Oswego yesterday morning, and the train with which he was met the pay car at the Oneida Community and the men were there paid off. Young's father is a very respectable man, and has worked at the Columbia elevator, as a dockman, for several years. He was formerly a boatswain in the Cunard line. The deceased had here the reputation of being a very quiet and inoffensive young man, and it is probably that he and his companions were intoxicated. The body will arrive here tonight."
We learn that the deceased was a favorite among his associates upon the road and elsewhere, and a devoted son, passionately attached to his mother, whom he left on the morning of the fatal day, with his usual parting kiss, and the promise to return with his earnings, as the men were to be paid that day. A few hours later, that fond mother was stunned by the announcement that her darling son had fallen by an assassin's hand, and since that time she has been almost beside herself with grief.
Young held the position of Assistant in a Hose Company in Oswego, and the entire Department of that city turned out to his funeral, which was held on Thursday, and largely attended by citizens of all classes.
Upwards of $40 - the amount received by him from the paymaster, with the exception of a few cents - were found in Young's pocket after the murder, and taken charge of by the Coroner.
Verdict of the Coroner's Jury
State of New York - Chenango county, ss: At an inquest indented and taken this 11th and 12th days of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, for the People of the State of New York, in the village of Norwich, in said County, before me, S.M. Hand, one of the coroners of said County, on view of the body of John Young, then and there lying dead, upon the oath of Edwin J. Loomis, Hiram Goodrich, George Mitchell, R.E. Rindge, N.H. Button, L.D. Burdict, H.P. Marion, A.D. Sergent, W.L. Scott, James K. Spaulding, James W. Thompson and D.C. Rogers, good and lawful men of said county, who being sworn and charged to inquire how and after what manner the said John Young came to his death, do say, upon oath aforesaid that he came to his death by one Albert Holmes, of the town of Norwich, in the County of Chenango aforesaid, on the 10th day of February, 1874, at or about 10 o'clock in the afternoon of that day, with force and arms did, at Norwich, in the County of Chenango aforesaid, then and there feloniously, violently and of his malice aforethought, make an assault in and upon the body of the aforesaid John Young, then and there present; and that the aforesaid Albert Holmes then and there, with a certain pistol then and there held in his right hand, violently and feloniously, and of this malice aforethought, inflicted a mortal wound upon the left breast of the said John Young, of which said mortal wound the said John Young then and there instantly died; and so the said jurors do say that the said Albert Holmes did then and there feloniously kill and murder the said John Young, against the peace of the People of this State and of their dignity. (Signed by the Coroner and jury)
The Holmes Murder Trial Is Started
Chenango Telegraph, Norwich, NY, November 19, 1874
The readers of the Telegraph need not to be reminded of the horrible tragedy, which was enacted last winter, at what was called the Orr house, and which resulted in the death of the unfortunate John Young and subsequently in the death of his dependent mother, who shortly after died from the effect of the shock upon her already enfeebled constitution, at the loss of her stay and support. The grim details and evidence given before the Coroner's inquest, were fully given by us at that time, and will be well remembered by our readers.
Since the murder, Holmes has laid in our County Jail awaiting his trial, which commenced on Tuesday morning, before his honor Justice Murray, and T.D. Anthony and Jacob Stowell, Esq., Justices of Sessions.
Upon calling the roll of defendant's witnesses it was found that the Orr family had deserted their victim in his extremity, and had not responded to their subpoena, but on the contrary were now in a distant State, far beyond the reach of the jurisdiction of the Court. This absence formed the basis of a desire to put the case over the term, but upon the consent of the District Attorney, Judge Murray ordered the evidence of the missing witnesses to be read from that taken at the Coroner's inquest as published in the Chenango Telegraph at the time, and the trial was set down for Tuesday morning.
As we go to press, the trial has not been concluded. The people are represented by District Attorney C.I. Tefft, assisted by his brother Henry M. Tefft, Esq. The prisoner is defended by Hon. E.H. Prindle. The case was clearly and ably opened for the prosecution by Henry M. Tefft, and the following people's witnesses sworn: Daglan Morrissey, Wm. Bookpower, who were with Youngs on the outside of the house, and saw the shooting, Henrietta Worden, an inmate of the house, W.W. Brown, Sheriff and O.M. Smith, Deputy Sheriff, who made the arrest, detailed the condition of affairs as they found them at the house, and the confession of Holmes, Richard Bosworth and H.K. Bellows, M.D. who made the postmortem examination.
The Defense called without making any opening address, the following witnesses. The evidence of Lida Orr, Charles Orr and Rosa Hodges was read from the Telegraph. R.E. Rindge and Dr. Hand, Coroner, were sworn to identify the testimony given at the inquest and thus read, and finally the prisoner was sworn in his behalf.
This closed the evidence and today (Wednesday) the case will be summed up by Mr. Prindle for prisoner and C.L. Tefft for the people and will go to the jury.
The Holmes Murder Trial - Guilty, Manslaughter in the Third Degree
Oxford Times, Oxford, NY, Nov. 25, 1874
The trial of Albert Holmes for the murder of John Young at a house of ill fame in Norwich kept by the Orr family, on the 10th of February last, occupied Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. The trial was before Judge Murray, the people being represented by District Attorney Tefft assisted by his brother, H.M. Tefft, the prisoner by Hon. E.H. Prindle, who was assigned by the Court. John Young, the murdered man, with two companions, brakemen on the Midland R'y, all from Oswego, went to the Orr house on the night of the murder, and demanded admittance which was refused by one of the girls. They did not go away but kept trying to get in when Holmes appeared and pushed Young off the stoop, in the scuffle that ensued Holmes drew a revolver and shot Young through the heart.
The defense claimed that Holmes did not know the pistol was loaded, that he drew it to strike with, and that he was defending his home. the jury retired and after an hour or more returned and were further instructed by the judge in the different degrees of manslaughter which they again retired, and later, in the evening rendered a verdict of guilty of manslaughter in the third degree. The prisoner is a fair looking young man, and one who would not be taken for a quarrelsome person. He appeared to be deserted by everyone, save counsel, even the Orr's, to one of the girls to whom he claimed to be married, had fled. During the plea of his counsel, he was often affected to tears, but through the rest of the trial he sat in his chair like a statue, scarcely moving a muscle.
Saturday morning the prisoner was brought into Court and sentenced by Judge Murray to Auburn State Prison for 8 years and 8 months.
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