Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1885 — A CELEBRATED CASE. [ARTICLE]

A CELEBRATED CASE.

The Crouch Murder—A Concise History of Michigan’s Dark Tragedy. Jacob D. Crouch went from New York ,*Kate many years ago to Michigan, and there engaged in farming near Jackson. He prospered in all Ids enterprises, and amassed a large fortune. Besides his farm, which was one of the |arg st and best in the State, he owned exten ive t acta of land in Texas, and was largely interes:ed In stock raising, both in the West and here. A bout twenty-five years ago his wife died, leaving an lntant girl named Ennfce. Besides this child there were three sons and a daughter. The latter had already been married to Dan el Holcomb, and lived on the latter's farm, adjoining that of her father. Judd Crouch, then a mere fioy. lived with Mrs. Holcomb, lie was a cripple, and for many years was not exicctO i to live, but while with his sister his father paid for his care. The two other sons, Byron nnd William, were in Texas, superintending the estate there, in which both were Interested. The Holcombs did not prosper. Mortgages and debts accumulated, and when compromises could not be made they would appeal to Mr. Crouch for assistance. Many times ho gave them large sums of monev. Onoethey present<d him with a bill for itO,M):) for supporting Judd from Infancy, and When, after some high words, he pahl it, he threatened them with disinheritance. The oi l man. as tho years (rept upon him, grew morose and gloomy. He lived in his preht house alone with his daughter and the servants. For several years when she was away at college he Was quite alone, and was seen bnt rarely. On her return a lew years ago, a beautiful and accomplished girl, she introduced some life old home, and, »s her father was in failing health, she took upon herself the duty ot attending to his correspondence and keeping his books. In the course of time Eunice was wooed gnd won by Henry White, a yonng business man of Jackson, and Mr. Crouch consented to their union on the promise that they would live with him. This was assented to, and White took np his residence at the Crouch homestead. During the last year of his life Crouch frequently tailed of his business affairs in the pres >nce of the Holcombs and his daughter Eunice. It was understood that before oug he would call his heirs together and divide his property lietweon them. He did not wish to make a will. Sad he thought It would lie more satisfactory all around to dispose Of the property by deed. For? some reason, however, this was postponed from time to time. Presently there came a prolonged quarrel between tho old gentleman and the Holcombs over the settlement of some of the r iLdebt'TSness. 110 held several of their notes and a mortgage or two on their propeity, which the understanding was should be deducted from their share in the estate when Jthe time for settlement should arrive: On tho morning of Nov. 22. Bolles, a little 'negro boy, who was employed about the honse, ran to a neighboring farmer’s, and, almost speechless with fright, said that Mr. Crouch had been murdered. Hurrying to the house, tho neighbors discovered Mr. Crouch dead in his bed with a bnliet hole In his temple. In the spare room, adjoining, was fonnd the dead body of Moses Polly, a cattle buyer Lorn Mercer County, Pennsylvania, who had accepted the hospitality of the Crouches for the night, and had lost his life in consequence. He also had been shot in.the head. Both men lay in their beds as if they had never moved after receiving their death wounds. Going Into the apartmepts occupied by Eunice and her husband the young couple were also fonnd dead. White had received but one wound, like the others, bnt Eunice was shot four times, twice In the head aad twice in tne body. The negro boy and the servant girl, who slept in another part of the house, were oloeelv catechised, and both admitted that they heard the shooting, bnt declared they were partlvzed with fright and were nnable to move until daylight. Although there was little reason to believe theqg guilty they were placed undor arrest. A hasty search of the hSuse revealed the fact that nothing had been taken bnt the bine and gold box on the whatnot, although there was over $i;000 in money in the honse and mnch va’nabie jewelry. The night on which tbp murder was perpetrated was one that had been waited for. it was of iukv darkness and a fnr.ous rain-storm prevailed. The wind blew almost w.th the violence of a tornado, and the noise made by the warring elements such as to serve a murderer’s purpose well. Nobody would be on the highway on such a night, and the -ound of a revolver shot would be drowned instantly by the tnmnlt of the winds. There was one footprint, however, which the rain did not obliterate. Under a window on the west side of the house was the mark of a rubber bootror sboersbowmg that somebody bad stood there and watched while the murderer was at his work inside. Everything connected with the case indicated that the murder had been done by somebody familiar with the house and the habits of its occupants. Without doubt the guilty parties knew where the servants slept, for after the shooting they opened the stair door and listened. Had the servants made the least sign of wakefulness they, too, would have been slain. Suspicion attached to the' Holcombs, though no arrests In that quarter were made. It was fonnd that a man in Holcomb's employ, named Foy, had a pair of subber boots which fitted the track made by the window. Mrs. Holpomb took to her bed after the murder and refused to see any one, but her deposition was taken soon afterward. She admitted that Holcomb had got np in the middle of the night to go out and shut the barn door, which was slamming, bnt denied that be was absent long. Byron Crouch came home from Texas and remained a few weeks, returning then to his ranch, after patting the Pinkertons to work on the case. Soon after his departure for home Mrs. Holcomb was lonnd dead in bed, under circumstances indicating that she had committed suicide, but, after an Investigation, the coroner's jury fonnd that her death was caused by heart disease. At the inquest in the case of the Cronoh murders, which dragged along most of the winter, the only important evidence introduced was that of a hardware-dealer in Jackson, who testified that several weeks before the tragedy Daniel Holcomb purchase 1 of htnp a 38-caliber revolver. This was the size of the pistol with which the shooting had been done. Holcomb denied that he ever owned a revolver of any kind, and positively swore that he had never been in the hardware store spoken of. A close surveillance, however, was kept on Holcomb and Jodd Crouch, and detectives hang about the old homestead with great penpstence. Several amateur detectives busied themselves on the ease, and some of them were threatened by the hired man Foy and by Judd Cronch. One day toy went to Union City with the intention of killing D. J. Ea ton. editor ot the Jifjnuer, but mistaking Elmer Shules to be the gentleman for whom he was searching, shot and dangerously wounded him. Foy. then returned home and lay down on a lonnge, where be was arterward found dead with a pistol by bis side and a wound in bis head. Physicians testified, upon the holding of an invest gation into the matter, that it was impossible that Foy had committed snicide, and the jury rendered a decision in accordance with their testimony. This tragedy was followed In a few days by a murderous attack on Detective Brown, who was at work on the < ase. One night Mr. Brovgn was riding along the highway near the place where the murder was committed when he was stopped by two men. one of whom Inquired: "Is your name Brown?" Receiving a reply in the affirm"at ve, the speaker drew a revolver and fired, the ball taking effect in Brown's thigh and causing a bad wound. The two men then tied and Brown made his way to Horton, from which place he telegraphed to Jackson charging Judd Crouch with tbe attempt upon his life and demanding his arrest Tie demand was complied with and the prisoner was arraigned and released on b»iL On March 1, Judd Crouch and Daniel Holcomb weie arrested charged with the murder of Jacob D. Crouch. After a preliminary trial they we e dmitted to bail In >2o,o©> each. On the zsJth of. March Lorenzo D. Bean, a farmer who becam : in-ane on the 21st from brooding over tbe murder, died after seven days of terrible suer nc, and on April 13, A H. L«e. who imarrin d himself the murderer of the Crouch family, committed soicide. On tbe 22d of April Jos -pn Alien was arrest.d in Canada c arged with being tbe princip d in the 1 Crone a murder, bn was soon after released. Tne case was called in May. Hi 4. bnt adjournments, tedious exam naiion-t and cross-examinations of witnesses. the elaborate arguments of counsel, and ;:..other matters have deiayed the verdict, which was not r.nnere i ti 1 the second week in January—Srw York Herald.

A AViscoxsi-n farmer who buried SSOO in an oyster can has taken the unrecognizable palp that rem u,.s to Washington, to try and have it redeemed. The Treasury experts were unable to identify any of the notes, and the farmer will hare to appeal to Congress, and exercise more judgment in future, A little girl at Wind Gap, Pa., has ears that are bent forward and grown fast to the face. She is bright and her hearing is very acute. Gqv. Bobie. of Maine, is an advocate of woman suffrage. i \