Life, Trial, and Confession of Frank C. Almy

Laconia, NH: John J. Lane.

Undated, ca. 1892. 32 pp, illustrated with portraits and courtroom scenes. Original pictorial wrappers are missing a few large chips, and there is some staining in the text--mostly minor, but more significant on four pages (though not affecting legibility); good. On July 25, 1891, the Utica Globe published a story under the headline "Atrocity Unparalleled!" which opined that "never before did a crime throw the people of New Hampshire into such a state of wild excitement nor excite such a profound and far-reaching desire for vengeance as has the fearful roadside butchery at Hanover [N.H.] Friday evening last. Among all the many remarkable crimes which figure in New England history none exceeds in devilishness of design or brutality or boldness of execution the murder of beautiful, rich, and cultured Miss Christie Warden by the vindictive, educated, and mysterious farmhand Frank Almy. It is a remarkable story of infatuation, rejected advances and horrible revenge." This perhaps overstates the case, but the situation did have drama. After repeated attempts to win the affections of Miss Warden, Almy gave up and shot her in the head. He then made the odd decision to hide out in the Warden family barn, where he managed to go undetected for an entire month. His discovery led to a 10-hour standoff with police that ended with Almy being shot twice in the leg. Once they had him in custody, police determined that his name was actually George Abbott and that he was an escapee from the New Hampshire State Prison, where he had been serving a fifteen-year sentence for burglary. Almy confessed in an attempt to bargain for his life, but was nonetheless condemned to death.

Item #19813

Price: $95.00