More About the "Mysterious Murder" in Pelham in 1870

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

On Thursday, May 17, 2007, I posted to the Historic Pelham Blog an item entitled "A Mysterious Murder in Pelham in 1870". The item described an incident in which the body of an unidentified murder victim washed ahore near City Island in the Town of Pelham. Today's posting provides further information about this incident based on an item published in the New York Herald on June 11, 1870. The item is transcribed below, followed by a citation to its source.

"MURDER ON THE SOUND

-----

Excitement on City Island - The Corpse Exhumed and Identified - Probable Assassination on Board a Sound Steamer - Strange Conduct of a Relative.

Within the past few days the isolated inhabitants of City Island - forming one among the many verdant spots in Long Island Sound - have been diverted from their pastoral sports and fishing excursions by a degree of excitement seldom experienced in their midst. The washing ashore of a murdered man in their neighborhood, the farcical inquest on and unceremonious burial of the corpse, and subsequently the exhumation and identification of the assassinated stranger, form at present the topic of conversation among the residents of the island. As the particulars relating to the finding of the body alluded to were given in the HERALD of yesterday, together with the informal investigation as to the cause of death, it is unnecessary here to reiterate the tragic story.

On Thursday evening John Richards and Morris Keeze, of New York, accompanied by a boarding house keeper from Bridgeport, Conn., called on the poormaster at City Island, and produced a note from Captain Ward, of the Tenth police precinct, stating that the first named party believed the deceased to have been his brother, Christian G. Richards, late of East Bridgeport, and requesting that the body be exhumed for his inspection. They had in their possession a likeness of the missing man, which Poormaster Baxter at once recognized as that of the murdered stranger. Having first obtained a permit from Justice Sparks, who held the inquest, and after identifying the shoes, as well as other articles found on the deceased, the body was exhumed and fully identified by Richards as that of his brother, and also by the boarding house keeper, at whose place the deceased had been staying in Bridgeport.

It was ascertained from Poormaster Baxter, by a HERALD reporter, who visited City Island yesterday afternoon, that John Richards, who was about visiting Europe on important business, wrote to his brother, some three weeks ago, requesting him to come on to New York, as he wished to see him before sailing. He received no answer, and after a few days his letter was returned, unopened, from the Post Office at Bridgeport. Becoming alarmed, he proceeded to the latter city, and, on arriving at the boarding house of the deceased, learned that his brother had left for New York about a week previously. Inquiries regarding the missing man were at once set on foot in Bridgeport and vicinity, but no clue could be found as to his whereabouts. Baxter states that it is generally believed the deceased was murdered while on board the steamer Bridgeport, and that the body was thrown overboard into the Sound at a point east of Hart's Island, from whence it drifted with the east wind to the spot on the western shore where it was found. This theory, he states, is supported by the fact that two Hell Gate pilots, named Charles E. Adams and Alexander Banta, both living on City Island, state that while boarding the Bridgeport about daybreak of the morning supposed to succeed the night on which deceased left Bridgeport for New York, they saw a quantity of blood on the deck abaft the cabin and near the stern of the steamer. This, if true, would have formed a most important evidence before the jury of inquest.

Another strange feature of this mysterious case is observable in the circumstance that after the remains had been exhumed and identified, John Richards, who claims to be a brother of the deceased, requested the poormaster to reinter the body, as he was about sailing for Europe, where he would be absent two months at the expiration of which time he would have the body removed and properly interred. As a consequence the corspse was again committed to the earth. It appears that deceased was a German, about twenty-six years old, and had been employed as foreman in a machine shop at Bridgeport, Conn. His brother, while at City Island, stated that he frequently carried considerable money with him, and that he was rather partial to drinking lager beer."

Source: The Muder on the Sound, N. Y. Herald, Jun. 11, 1870, p. 5, col. 3.

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

A Mysterious Murder in Pelham in 1870

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.

In 1870, the body of an unidentified man washed ashore near City Island in the Town of Pelham. The man had been murdered. Pelham's Justice of the Peace, Judge Sparks (after whom Sparks Avenue is named), conducted an investigation and authorized burial of the body without notifying the coroner to permit a coroner's inquest. Quite a scandal erupted as a consequence. What follows is the text of an article about the events that appeared in the June 10, 1870 issue of the New York Herald.

"A MYSTERIOUS MURDER.

-----

Tragedy on Long Island Sound - The Corpse of a Stranger Washed Ashore Near City Island - Conclusive Evidence of Assassination and Robbery - The Body Buried Without a Coroner's Inquest - An Obsequious Justice of the Peace.

The brutal murder of an unknown man, whose body was cast ashore by the waters of Long Island Sound within the past week, has, through the bungling interference of a justice of the peace, remained hitherto almost unnoticed. Last Friday some fishermen discovered the corpse of a stranger near City Island, and in the town of Pelham, Westchester county, and the occurrence having been mentioned to Justice Sparks that official, without notifying one of the Coroners, proceeded on his own responsibility to hold an inquest. A jury having been summoned, an examination of the body took place, which disclosed a deep cut under the right ear, which had penetrated beyond the jugular vein, sufficient at once to produce death. Two gashes were also found on the left wrist, as though inflicted while the deceased was endeavoring to evade the knife of his murderer.

The body is represented to be that of a German, apparently about five feet six inches in height, and was genteelly dressed in dark clothing. A gold ring was found on one of the forefingers, in order to secure which it was found necessary to amputate the digit. In one of the pockets a small amount of money was discovered, and hanging from the vest was a portion of a watch chain with seal attached, leaving little room to doubt that the watch had been secured by the murderer. In view of these facts the jury rendered a verdict that the man came to his death by wounds inflicted by some person or persons unknown to the jury. The body was subsequently buried on City Island by the poormaster of the town of Pelham.

Having been first notified on Wednesday of the unwarrantable proceedings attending the inquest, Coroner Bathgate, at the request of citizens living in that vicinity, visited City Island and had an interview with Justice Sparks, to whom he expressed in sever terms his disapprobation of Sparks' conduct in usurping the functions of the county coroners, and at the same time giving the former to understand that if a repetition of the unwarrantable proceeding occurred he (Bathgate) would bring the matter before the Grand Jury.

In the HERALD of the HERALD of the 5th inst. a paragraph under the heading 'Suspected Foul Play' appeared, setting forth that a German named Frederick Etzold, a resident of Union Hill, N.J., and who was an agent for Wheeler & Wilson, had gone on a visit to Bridgeport, Conn., since which time no traces of him could be found.

It was ascertained yesterday afternoon, through Captain Leviness, who lives on City Island, and who saw the body, that the appearance of the corpse corresponded, to some extent, with that of Mr. Etzold, and the wife of the missing man, having been notified, intends visiting the spot to-day, when the body will be exhumed for her inspection."

Source: A Mysterious Murder, N. Y. Herald, Jun. 10, 1870, p. 5, col. 6.

Please Visit the Historic Pelham Web Site
Located at http://www.historicpelham.com/.
Please Click Here for Index to All Blog Postings.