Crime in Chenango County, New York - Part 3

  

Chenango Semi-Weekly Telegraph, Norwich, NY, March 26, 1879

Crime in Chenango County, NY - Part 3

Robert Maynard

Indicted for the murder of his wife, was tried.  George M. Smith was District Attorney, and in this case made one of the most eloquent pleas ever heard in the old Court House.  Nineteen witnesses were sworn. The prisoner was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and was sentenced to seven years in the States Prison at Auburn. The circumstances attending this homicide are only to be known by hearsay.  It seems that Maynard pounded his wife to death with a sledge stick.  

Russell Cady

At the term of Court commencing September 13, 1847, Charles Mason, Justice presiding, Russell Cady, jointly indicted with his mother, Nancy Cady, was tried for the murder of George Manwarren, Jr., in the town of Oxford [Chenango Co. NY], who was the brother of Mrs. Cady and the uncle of the prisoner, was a dissipated man and came to his death October 25, 1846 by blows and kicks inflicted by the said Cady and his mother, as alleged in the indictment. the jury found the prisoner guilty and judge Mason sentenced him to be hung on the 23d of November 1847, between the hours of 2 and 4 PM.  However, a stay of proceedings was obtained in the case, a new trial granted and on the second trial Cady was acquitted.  Owing to the result of the second trial, Nancy Cady was not tried.

Morning Sun, Norwich, NY, January 22, 1896:  "Not Born to be Hung":  The above is a strange heading to put over a fellow man's obituary, yet nevertheless it is true ion the sense given.  There died in this town [Norwich, Chenango Co. NY] Wednesday last a man who was twice tried for murder and on whom the sentence of death was pronounced. That man was Russell Cady. 

October 25, 1846:  George Manwarren was found dead at the house of Nancy Cady, who then lived four or five miles below this village [Oxford] on the east river road. The inmates of the house had been drinking freely, and it was supposed than Manwarren had been killed in a quarrel.  Nancy Cady and her son, Russell, were tried for murder at Norwich, Sept. 1, 1847, and Russell convicted.  His counsel, the late Judge Balcom, succeeded in getting a new trial and in April 1848 the mother and son were acquitted of the charge after due trial.

Cady lived away from Oxford for a number of years after the trial, but for the past fifteen or twenty years had resided in the town.  He was a poor, hardworking man and lived an upright life as far as known. At the time of his death his age was given at 70 years.  Oxford Times.

Dan Foote

Indicted for assaulting, beating, kicking, and killing his wife, Sarah Foote, was tried.  Foote came from New Berlin [Chenango Co. NY] and committed the deed in that town.  It was claimed by some that he also poisoned her by compelling her to drink blue dye, as her mouth was discolored by the dye when found.  Foote was a physician by profession.  After an exciting trial continuing four days, during which twenty-five witnesses were sworn, the case was given to the jury.  When they came in, they found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter in the first degree.  He was sentenced on the same day with Cady, October 2d, 1847, to State prison for life.  In Foote's case a new trial also was obtained by his counsel, the late Hon. Henry Bennett, and, after delaying till nearly all the witnesses were dead, he was tried the second time and acquitted. He is now [in 1879] an inmate of the County Poor house at Preston.