This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 33 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Boston Post
Location
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Date
Apr 21, 1897
Page
5
A partial transcription from page 1 mentions a loud break in and a post event reaction. The readable lines include a distressed speaker stating they felt sorry and nervous after the incident occurred, with an explicit time reference of about an hour.
Near Cookshire a man sorted his money with gold stored separately and silver left in a dressing case. Based on Kelley’s description, Mr. Carpenter drew a conclusion.
Kelley traveled from Toronto to Montreal and back by express then visited several bars. At 11:30 p.m. he was taken to the bagnio of Agete Ashton, shadowed by detectives Campau. Disguised as a woman, Kelley joined the revelers before police intervened.
Kelley admitted hiding a dress suitcase with about $810 along Canadian Pacific lines near Vaudreuil and St Polycarpe Junction. A bag containing 810 dollars was later found in a covered culvert after a 509 yard search. He said he walked in rain to St Justine de Newton then Berard's Hotel before boarding a Montreal bound train. About 500 dollars remained unaccounted for and he felt relieved after confessing.
Kelley tells detectives that the supposed accomplice Jack was a myth and that shifting murder blame was his only plea. He recounts odd details about a trip and stealing clothes from an old woman he met at St Justine de Newton as the game neared its end.
Kelley confesses to authorities and guides them toward a buried cache of stolen money. On the Canadian Pacific line toward St Justine, the group splits. a black valise containing the cash is found in a culvert near the St Polycarpe station.
Joseph Kelley, dressed as a woman and spending his ill gotten money on wine, was arrested Monday night. Police found $2700 and two letters on him. one to his father naming an inmate in a New Hampshire reform school as the killer, and another to a girl named Olive. Kelley claimed an accomplice and offered no defense, saying only that investigators may have captured the man. Chief Silas H. Carpenter led the dragnet tracking Kelley from a reform school link to a Toronto and Chicago line stop near Montreal Junction.
O Keefe entered and put Kelley under arrest. Walton, who robbed the National Express Company of Dallas, Texas, of 2000 dollars, made his headquarters at Aggie Ashtons and was captured on a steamer bound for Kingston Jamaica.
Kelley confesses receiving part of the loot but denies killing Stickney, insisting his accomplice known as Jack acted alone. He tells officers he could not kill the old man, adding he did not know the pal who supposedly did the deed and that the job was done by someone he had not met until last Wednesday.
The blood stained handkerchief found in Carter's orchard is identified as Cashier Stickney's. Joseph Stickney, son of the slain cashier, recognized it as his father's, debunking Kelley ownership theory. Police theorize Kelley retrieved the kerchief during the robbery of Stickney's pockets and used it to wipe traces from his hands. Additional searches yielded only scrap Manila paper as a minor clue.
A fragment describes a person owing $100 and intending to settle the debt upon reaching a place of safety. The brief excerpt provides limited context about the incident or individuals involved.
A man said he intended to depart this morning on the 9 o'clock train to Boston using a woman's disguise to avoid detection. He claimed he had nearly decided to leave and believed he could pass unnoticed in the feminine attire.
Kelley will be treated with care by Mr. Bartlett and Chief Carpenter. No decision yet on his removal to New Hampshire or conveying him without legal costs. Detectives plan to ask him to go quietly when all preparations are ready, avoiding mention of a return during discussions.
A crowded courtroom finds several criminal lawyers vowing that the accused will never hang, predicting an insanity defense will prevail. The scene centers on high tension as prosecutors push for accountability.
Kelley recounts a robbery plan and flight with a companion, claiming they used a blackjack and fled from Milton to Intervale Quebec Junction and Cookshire. He admits stealing a pillow slip and leaving a necktie and key, insisting his unnamed partner joined them though records show only one man.
Kelley recounts money hidden in a dress suitcase at a Cookshire hotel and claims Jack carried away most of the funds. He says they traveled to Montreal Junction and Toronto after one man left the other. Police discovered $27700 on Kelley, with $2400 in gold and $300 in bills, while he clings to the tale that Jack seized the bulk.
Witness recounts that the accused conspired with a man named Jack to commit murder for money. He claimed he did not realize murder would be done and said the victim wanted funds to pay her bills.
The Post confirms Kelley was arrested by Montreal police as details unfold. Mrs. Mary Wilkinson, Kelley’s boarding house landlady in Berwick, examines the blood stained handkerchief and disputes Kelley's claimed accomplice in the murder. She notes Kelley used the front door and previously washed at a river laundry in Somersworth.
A phrase notes that making going and coming at any part of the night unobserved seemed easy. The text hints at hidden movement and possible stealth without detailing persons or locations.
A widow describes Joe Kelley’s calm, cordial behavior before a murder and bank robbery. She notes a single mattress indentation, his late lunch routine, and lingering afterward, questioning his alleged break in at George Wentworth’s room. She cannot reconcile his deeds with the Kelley she knew.
Mrs Wilkinson recalls leaving a pocketbook with $12 for the butcher on the kitchen table. The money vanished when she searched later, but she could not bring herself to accuse the mild mannered young man of theft.
A Post reporter traces Kelley through Berwick washing houses and residents as part of a murder case probe. Quong Sing and Plante Bros. Laundries confirm Kelley’s laundry connections. Stickney family links a handkerchief to the victim. Witnesses discuss disguises, a false mustache, and Kelley’s past as a patriotic organizer and nightlife figure.
The anticipated arrival of Joseph Kelley’s father in Amesbury drew crowds at the depot but he did not appear. City Solicitor Moore says he has strong clues to convict Kelley of murder and robbery and discounts any pal story. The hearing is expected at the Court House with transport to Dover jail until then.
Mrs. Keefe of 37 Henley Street Charlestown awoke to find her children Mamie seven and Eddie four dead in their squalid rooms. Doctors say cerebro spinal meningitis caused both deaths amid a monthslong meningitis epidemic. The mother, jobless and with husband away seeking work, mourns beside their shrouded forms as neighbors aid with clothing and support.
Report describes a tense scene with police photos of Kelley circulating while townsfolk rush to buy remaining prints. City officials vow to deploy a strong guard when Kelley is moved, ensuring the transfer proceeds without incident.
The requisition papers to demand Kelley’s return to the state will be drafted and sent to the Governor for signature, though Kelley may consent to return without that step. Assistant City Marshal Parquette reported Kelley’s capture, and Olive Stone, Kelley’s sweetheart, reportedly received a letter found on his person claiming an accomplice and lack of awareness of the murder plan.
State Detective Ira M. True reports Joseph B. Kelley, jailed in Montreal for Somersworth murder, was in Gardiner months earlier. He rented a room and ran gambling operations with a gang that plotted to kill True during a planned raid. The plot was detected in time. Kelley vanished before capture.
Amesbury Mass April 21 news of the arrest of Joseph Kelley a suspected Somersworth New Hampshire murderer and bank robber who formerly lived here caused a commotion in this vicinity where Kelley is well known. His father says if guilty the boy must be insane and started for Somersworth yesterday.
The fragment describes a person planning to contact authorities and aid their inquiry into a statement by Kelley claiming an accomplice, from whom he had separated after a murder.
Joseph E. Kelley of Somersworth is defendant in a Supreme Court writ filed in Auburn to recover 100 dollars on a promissory note dated June 1896. Coburn, owner of the Harpswell hotel leased by Kelley, filed the suit. the note was given in settlement and the writ is returnable to the court. Kelley was served before leaving for Canada.
Dartmouth College students from Amesbury recall Joseph Kelley of Somersworth bank tragedy fame as sensational and reckless in youth. They describe wild deeds from his younger days and provide memories from Hanover.
The munici pal council of the Irish National Federation met last evening with Rev. Denis O Callighan presiding. Treasurer T B Fitzpatrick reported a $1000 forward to Dr Thomas Addis Immet for the Irish parliamentary party. Subscriptions were received from Hyde Park Roslindale Jamaica Plain and East Boston among others. Speakers included Rev G F Marshall Milford N H and Dr P J Timmins with praise for Dominick J. Hart’s fundraising work.
A witty exchange from the Chicago Record notes that decadent novels remain popular because readers enjoy stories about people who are bigger fools than themselves. The comment frames readers as amused by others’ folly and seeks to poke fun at literary tastes.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.