PAUL LAYTON WAS MURDERED AND ROBBED

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, December 23, 1887.

MURDERED AND ROBBED.

FARMER PAUL LAYTON OF DRYDEN THE VICTIM.

Beaten to Death and Robbed—Full Particulars of the Sad Affair—Result of the Coroner's inquest.

   For many years past, Paul Layton, a frugal and industrious citizen, has resided on a farm about 2 1/2 miles south of Dryden village. Originally he purchased 135 acres, and kept adding to it until he owned a huge farm of 285 acres of land.

   Anyone who has ever traveled the highway from Dryden to Harford, must have noticed that before reaching Dryden Lake, a road turns to the left and leads around on the east side of the lake. Taking this road, the first house on the left hand side of the road belongs to Andrew Hiles, the second to George Sweetland, and the third to Paul Layton. Between the two latter and on the right hand side of the highway [Lake Road--CC editor] stands a tenant house belonging to Sweetland. This was unoccupied. A part of Layton's farm lies in the town of Virgil. He was a bachelor 63 years of age, and had usually employed a housekeeper, but for several months past he had lived entirely alone.

   On Saturday last he was in Dryden village, and Mr. Horace Fitts met him and in the presence of several well known citizens, paid him for some lumber he had purchased of him previously. The amount paid was $8.25. Fitts noticed that he put the 25 cent piece in one pocket and taking his purse from the other pocket, placed the bills therein. The purse had the appearance of being well filled.

   Wallace Goodrich lives in the town of Virgil and only a short distance across lots from Layton's house. Mrs. Goodrich formerly kept house for Layton and has done his washing since he has lived alone. At about 1 o'clock last Sunday afternoon, as Layton did not come after his washing, Goodrich carried it to his house, which he entered, but finding no one within, concluded that Layton was at the barn and went there in search of him. He was not in the barn.

   As he left the building he saw an object lying in the barn yard near the stable door, covered with snow. He brushed the snow away and found the dead body of Paul Layton, cold and stiff with the back of his head crushed in. He at once gave the alarm and the excited neighbors gathered at the scene. The body was carried into the house and the proper officers were notified. An examination disclosed the fact that he had received a bad wound just above the left eyebrow, which cracked the skull and another on the back of the head smashing the skull into small fragments. Either wound was sufficient to cause death.

   When found there was very little snow under the body and it was covered by nearly the same depth of snow as the ground, showing plainly that he was killed very soon after snow began to fall. Snow commenced falling on Saturday night at about 5 o'clock and the deed must have been committed only a few minutes after that hour. His milk pail lay on the ground only a few feet from him and the lantern with the globe smashed in small pieces was nearby. One foot lay partially on the sill of the stable door, which swings inside instead of out. Blood was found on the floor just inside the door and there was blood on the door post. The milk from the pail was spilled just inside the door.

   It is believed that the murderer lay in wait for his victim at the stable door, and that when Layton came out and turned around to hook the same, struck him on the head with an [iron] instrument of some kind and that he fell inside the stable. The murderer evidently dragged the body out to the place where it was found and after securing the pocket book left the premises. The 25 cent piece and a key to an old calf-skin covered trunk, wherein Layton kept his valuable papers, was found in one of his pockets, but the pocket book was gone. It is supposed that the book contained about $300, as about that sum is known to have been paid to him recently.

   The crime was undoubtedly committed for the purpose of robbery. Layton was known to be thrifty and somewhat penurious. The help he employed on his farm as a rule were not up to the average so far as character was concerned, but it is not known that he had any enemies.

   The perpetrator of the crime is not known. Indeed, there is scarcely a suspicion of anyone, and the murderer left no clue behind him for the officers to work up [on]. Even the instrument used to inflict the wounds has not yet been found. Sheriff Tibbetts of Ithaca has offered a reward of $250 for the apprehension of the murderer.

   Coroner Beach of Etna held an inquest on Monday which was concluded the following day. The jury found a verdict in accordance with the above facts.

   Twelve dollars in coin was found in the pantry in the house. There was nothing to show that the murderer had entered the house. In the trunk was a bank book showing that Layton had $3,000 to his credit in the Cortland Savings Bank, besides other valuable papers.

   Mr. J. M. Patterson of Hoboken, N. Y. [sic], and Mr. F. H. Smith, of Red Bank, N. J., nephews and next of kin to the deceased, were at once notified and came on to take charge of his effects.

   The citizens of Dryden are greatly excited over this terrible crime and if the murderer was known, they would not wait for judge or jury but would undoubtedly lynch him at once. Several years ago a man was sent to prison for shooting another in that town under strong provocation, but this is the first time that a capital crime has ever been committed in the town. The murder of Layton, was one of the most cold-blooded crimes ever committed in this section.

SUSPECTED OF MURDER.

DID THOMAS SULLIVAN, THE TRAMP, KILL PAUL LAYTON?

A Deputy Sheriff and New York Detective Arrest Him—His Contradictory Stories.

(From the Binghamton Republican, Dec. 29, 1887.)

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, December 30, 1887.

   Thomas Sullivan, a tramp, who was arrested while prowling around the roundhouse in the D. L. & W. yard last Saturday night, was arraigned before Recorder Downs yesterday afternoon on the charge of vagrancy. When arrested the fellow carried with him a goat skin robe and had $100 in his possession. Upon his examination before the Recorder he claimed that he was not a vagrant and could not be held as such as he had the wherewithal to support himself.

   He was discharged from custody; but before he could leave the Recorder's court Detective M. F. Dwyer, of New York, and Deputy Sheriff J. C. Larmore, of Ithaca, stepped forward and placed him under arrest, upon suspicion of being implicated in the murder of Paul Layton, the bachelor farmer at Dryden, Saturday, December 17. Sullivan was securely handcuffed and was taken to Ithaca by the officers on Erie No. 1.

   During the day, Detective Dwyer and Deputy Sheriff Larmore had interviewed Sullivan at the jail. To the detective he told a story of his wanderings and said that on the day when Paul Layton was murdered near Dryden, he passed through that village. As Sullivan was not very lucid in his explanations as to where he had received the money found in his possession, and as to where he secured the goat skin robe and the quantity of clothing worn by him, and as certain articles of his clothing resembled wearing apparel known to have been in Layton's possession and which cannot now be found, the detective felt warranted in arresting him.

   During his examination before the Recorder, Sullivan's statement's differed materially from those made by him to Dwyer. He said he was born at Hampton Junction, Huntington county, N. J., that in November last he was working near Rochester and about the middle of November left Rochester and tramped to the neighborhood of Oneonta; that he had purchased a mustang, which he had sold to a woman in Oneonta for $100. He thought this woman's name was Cousadine; that before selling the animal he had tried to dispose of it to parties near Poughkeepsie; that he had been able to do so and had tramped back to Oneonta; that he had been arrested on the way and arraigned before a Justice Tyler, on the charge of larceny, but had been released, as it could not be proven that be had stolen anything.

   After selling his mustang at Oneonta, he wandered South, with the intention of going to Hampton Junction; but before arriving there gave up that idea, and wandered back in the direction of this city [Binghamton]. Before arriving here he had stopped at numerous towns along the D. L. & W. and at Great Bend, [and] purchased the goat skin robe. When he was arrested here he was on his way to Ithaca to visit a friend named Frank Ridgeway, who lives near that village and for whom he formerly worked.

   Sullivan is 38 years of age, medium height rather thin faced, with unkempt whiskers, and lustreless blue eyes. When arrested by officer Dwyer and Larmore, he appeared somewhat surprised and demanded upon what grounds the arrest was made. He did not resist, however, and suffered the manacles to be clasped upon his wrists, as though accustomed to such proceedings.

   Before he was taken from the Recorder's court he was critically inspected by Detective Lobstein of Buffalo, who is looking for a man with a wart behind his left ear, who is wanted for a crime committed in that neighborhood.

Criticized.

   The Cortland Democrat, in its account of the murder of Paul Layton, goes a little too far when it says: "The citizens of Dryden are greatly excited over this terrible crime and if the murderer was known, they would not wait for judge or jury, but would undoubtedly lynch him at once."—Dryden Herald.

   The DEMOCRAT may be mistaken in representing the feelings of the people of Dryden in reference to this affair, but while in that place last week Wednesday engaged in looking up the facts of the case, we were assured by several prominent citizens, who are usually very reticent in expressing their opinions, that they were ready to become members of a mob for the purpose of hanging the murderer without trial. The fact that the Herald gave a very meagre account of the tragedy, while the DEMOCRAT gave full particulars may account for the Herald’s criticism.

Reference:

1866 map showing the location of Paul Layton’s home near Dryden Lake (click and drag computer mouse to enlarge and shift location on map): http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/17207/Dryden+002++Etna++Varna/Tompkins+County+1866/New+York/