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From:
Subject: [GM-L] Maria L. Crue Murdered, 1880 at Groton - Boston Herald Story Part 5
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 17:47:02 EST
I have two items concerning this case. A digital pic of the glossy photo of
the Crue farm
(house, barn, outbuildings) Also a sketch of the area surrounding the Crue
murder scene.
Sent on request. Janice Farnsworth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject: Maria L. Crue Murdered, 1880 at Groton - Boston Herald Story Part
5
Source: Boston Herald
During this conversation Mr. Reed questioned Mr. Crue very closely and,
although the story
was a plausible one, he was not satisfied of his innocense. Crue was placed
under the
surveillance of two men, without knowing it, with instructions if he started
to go away
from the premises to arrest him. Detective Reed then went and saw the people
whom Crue said
he had seen at certain times, and from what they said and from the statements
of the medical
examiners in regard to the probable time the deed was committed, he found it
was impossible
for the husband to have committed the crime. Mr. Reed then had a conference
with Mr.
Lawrence, one of the selectmen of Groton, and stated that as the crime had
been committed
out of his jurisdiction he could not spend time to ferret out the
perpetrator. He suggested
that a state officer be sent for and he would assist and impart all the
information obtained.
Mr. Lawrence acted on his suggestion and when the state officer came, (Mr.
Hill of Salem)
Mr. Reed was not available, and with Deputy Sheriff Brown, an attempt was
made to discover
the murderer. On Monday morning the citizens of Ayer insisted that Mr. Reed
should contin-
ue on the case, and he did so. He therefore began systematic work, and that
the reader may
obtain a better idea of the results of his labor it will be well to follow as
this report
is read, the plan of the country which is given herewith. See map. [sent as
attachment on
request]
Mr. Reed first began by endeavoring to ascertain if any strangers had been
seen about the
neighborhood on the day the murder was committed. The first clue he obtained
was from Mrs.
Emma Pierce whose house marked "O. Pierce" can be seen on the map. She
stated that a strange man called at her house at about 11 o'clock on the day
of the murder. She said he asked for a drink of water, inquired the way to
Littleton and Graniteville, and went away in the direction of the Crue house.
Mr. Clark, in describing the man, said that he wore a black slouch hat, had
on an overcoat like his, and showed Mr. Reed the overcoat. He also described
the shoes worn by the stranger. He stated that he met this man at the
junction of the roads near his house and the school house, at a public pump,
about 10 o'clock in the morning.
Mr. Reed next obtained information in regard to the stranger from Mrs. Betsy
Mitchell, whose
house is near Sandy Pond, near the junction of the road and the Stony Brook
railroad track.
She stated she saw him about 9 o'clock on the morning of the murder standing
on the track,
or to strike off on the road to the left. Mrs. Ellen Falconer, who lives at
the junction
of four roads near Sandy Pond, said she saw this man about 9:30 o'clock in
the morning. He
came and leaned on her gate. He came from the direction of the Stony Brook
Railroad.
He answered the description given by other people interviewed. Tracing the
course of this
man, the officer went to Mrs. Bridget Bradley's house, on a road leading to
the Crue house.
Mrs. Bradley and her daughter stated that a stranger called at their home on
the afternoon
of the murder. They could not tell the exact time of his call. Their clock
had stopped.
They were certain, however, that he came after the Lowell train "had gone up
to Ayer."
The train was then due at Ayer at 12:45 o'clock and must have passed their
house about ten
minutes before that, or at 12:35 o'clock. They would swear that the stranger
called a
considerable time later than 12:35 o'clock.
In their opinion, it must have been about 1:30 o'clock, but they are positive
that he came
there after said train passed on to Ayer at 12:35 o'clock. The reader's
attention is called
particularly to this point .. that it was later than 12:35 when the stranger
called at the
Bradley house.
At this place he talked about buying their farm. He said that he had just
come from the
point in the road farther on, where a guide board said "Lowell and Forge
Village." He had
talked with a man about buying his farm, who had told him of a farm in Groton
which was
for sale, but he did not remember the name of the place the man gave. Miss
Annie Bradley
remarked that perhaps it was the Libby Place, (the Crue house). The stranger
remarked
"That is the name; there is a birdhouse on a pole near the house." He asked
Mrs. Bradley
if she had any sons and if Crue had any family or if anyone lived with them,
the Crues.
Mrs Bradley and her daughter described him and the the description they gave
answered that
given by others. They said he remained 12 or 15 minutes and when he went
away he went in
the direction of the Crue house.
On the day of the murder, it was quite warm, and the snow on the ground had
melted consider-
ably, so that a foot track in it was remarkably well defined. Mr. Reed
examined the ground
in the direction the stranger was said to have gone.
To be continued Part 6
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