Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1879 — Arrest of the Murderer of Mrs. Hull. [ARTICLE]

Arrest of the Murderer of Mrs. Hull.

Bouton, Mass., June 23. The murderer of Mrs. Hull, of New York, was arrested in this city to-night, and is in the custody of the police authorities. His name is Chastme Cox, a negro who has been employed as waiter for a year and a half in the neighborhood of the Hull residence, in New York City. This negrff made his appearance in Boston a week ago to-day, and, as is now known, went into a pawnbroker shop, where ho disposed of a cameo set of jewelry. About tho same time the Superintendent of Pawnbrokers received from New York a description of the property, and this set was found by an officer in a pawnbroker’s shop in this city. The pawnbroker then furnished the officers with a description of the party who pawned it. The search, which was then commenced, revealed the fact that the negro Cox, after getting rid of the jewelry, went to New York and remained there two or three days. In the meantime he made some alterations in tfie character and color of his clothing. Mr. W. R. Batch, a newspaper reporter in this city, had obtained a description of this man, and this evening, while walking along Shawmut avenue, he observed a colored man in front of him in company with another man, and the appearance of the negro impressed Balch as very much in accord with the description that had been given by the pawnbroker of the man who had pledged the cameo. After a careful observance of the party, Balch approached him and inquired if he could direct him to Bunker Hill street, and to this inquiry the negro responded that he eould not, as he was a stranger here from New York. This tending to confirm the impression that he was the person wantea, Balch watched until he saw him enter the colored church, and then hastened to inform the police authorities, who sent a detail of officers and roadethe irriportant arrest. Cox made no resistance, but went quietly to the police station, where he vyas searched, and Mrs. Hull’s watch was found on him and thoroughly identified. He was not reticent, and said, in answer to questions, that he had lived for a long time opposite Mr. Hull’s house, and at the time of the robbery he entered through a lower window and went up-stairs to her room. He further said that his purpose was robbery alone, and he did not intend to kill- her. The negro has appeared very calm and indifferent since his arrest, and has talked without much hesitation in giving details of his crime. He went home on the evening of the night on which Mrs. Hull was murdered at six o’clock, and remained in the house where he was employed until ten o’clock, when he went out again. He had a key for the door of the Hull house, but was unable to make it fit, and consequently he raised the window in the lower story and fastened it up, so as to provide for himself easy means of making his escape from the house. He had a candle with him. On ascending the stairs he heard some one snore, and thought it was a man. He blew the candle out, walked into the room, and stepped up to the side of the bed. Mrs. Hull, awakening, asked, “who is it.” “The Doctor,” replied the negro. She put her hand up and touched his face, as he was standing close to the bed. The robber threw her hand back so she could not touch him, at the same time laying his hand heavily over her mouth! He then got hold of a cologne bottle and dashed cologne into the face of the struggling woman; after which he got upon the bed and made a gag of the bed-cloth-ing. She was by this time in an exhausted condition, and he tied her ih the manner in which she was found in the morning after her murder. Afterward, Cox relates, he relighted the candle, and, holding it close to her face, the cologne ignited, which accounts for the singeing of the eyebrows and other burns on the person of the murdered woman. The robbery was then committed, and the robber made hisesGape, soon leaving New York for Boston. He repeats his statement that he had no other motive than robbery in the assault that he made.