The Trickey-McHenry Affair.
The history of the Borden murder would be incomplete without reference
to the affair in which Henry G. Trickey, the talented reporter of the
_Boston Globe_, and Detective Edwin D. McHenry figured so prominently.
They were not alone in the deal which resulted in the _Boston Globe_
publishing on the 12th of October, 1892, a story which has since became
famous as the most gigantic “fake” ever laid before the reading public.
A dozen people, a majority of whom rank high in the estimation of the
public were directly connected with this matter and while the writer of
this book would be justified in giving each and every man’s connection
therewith, circumstances have arisen which would seem to indicate that
by the publication of these names, an unfortunate occurrence would
be stirred into action again, and perhaps no particular good would
result. So delicate in fact has the matter become that no newspaper has
attempted to publish anything more than an occasional reference to it;
although more than one great daily is in possession of the main facts.
It is a delicate matter because it has many sides to be presented,
and each participant maintains that he was right in his actions and
that the others were wrong. After hearing the story from many sources,
each of which is apparently authentic, it becomes more confusing and
treacherous. There are some things however upon which all parties
agree, and they will be discussed in this chapter.
Henry G. Trickey bargained with Detective McHenry for an exclusive
story of the Borden case and the price to be paid was $500, according
to Mr. Trickey. The story was delivered, paid for and published in
the _Boston Globe_. It was false in every particular, and the _Globe_
discovered its mistake ten hours after it had been made. Mr. Trickey
left Boston soon afterward and was accidentally killed by a railroad
train in Canada in the latter part of November. His friends insisted
that he was unjustly dealt with by McHenry, and that his death was
the indirect result of the transaction. They claim also that he
represented a great newspaper and that his efforts in getting the
story for publication were honest, praiseworthy, and done in a manner
which is to be expected of the live newspaper man of the day. But the
State represented in this matter by McHenry, makes a different claim,
and it submitted evidence to the grand jury whereby Mr. Trickey was
indicted for his connection with the affair. Had the unfortunate Mr.
Trickey lived to meet his accusers the result would no doubt have
been as interesting and quite as sensational as the killing of the
Bordens. As the Fall River police in connection with McHenry secured
the evidence upon which Mr. Trickey was indicted, it is but natural
to expect that they had reasons for so doing. To offset this, the
friends of the reporter claim that he was the victim of a plot of which
McHenry was the moving spirit and they shoulder most of the blame on
the detective. He, however, appears to be able to bear the burden, as
Marshal Hilliard has repeatedly said that he found McHenry a capable,
reliable and trustworthy, officer so far as his connection with him
had been. Thus it will be seen that if Mr. Trickey was innocent of the
charges preferred against him he was at a disadvantage, for the Fall
River police, as well as the District Attorney and the Attorney-General
were kept thoroughly posted on what was taking place between the
reporter and the detective. In order that both sides may be presented
to the public the story of the transaction as told by McHenry as well
as that of Trickey is given and can be taken for what it is worth. The
detective has been unmercifully criticised by almost every newspaper in
the country. Perhaps he deserved it richly and perhaps he did not. The
following is his statement made to the writer. He said:—
[Illustration: DETECTIVE EDWIN D. MCHENRY.]
“I was in New York the day of the Borden murders, and left that night
for Fall River. Upon arriving on Friday morning, I, in company with
State Officer Seaver, went to the Borden house to make a survey of the
premises. This trip I took upon my own responsibility, as it were,
prompted merely by a desire to look over the ground where so terrible
a tragedy had been enacted. While in the yard I learned the story of
the man who was said to have jumped over the back fence, and out of
curiosity searched that part of the premises for a trace which the
escaping man might have left. I was engaged in this work about three
hours. I talked with John Cunningham who was the first man on the
premises, and from him learned that the back cellar door was locked
when he made an effort to open it shortly after the murders were
reported. I then went to the door and counted eleven weekly cobwebs,
that is cobwebs which had been in place a week or more. Assistant
Marshal Fleet and I opened the door and concluded that no one had
passed through it for a week at least. We then went to the barn and
made further search. We were told that the place had been locked.
After that, we made search of the Chagnon fence, and I measured it and
took other observations. From the house, I went to the City Marshal’s
office and there met Mr. Hilliard and Mayor Coughlin. The two men were
discussing the case. It was then that the Marshal employed me on the
case, and the Mayor authorized his action. I was engaged in various
work until Saturday afternoon or evening, when the Marshal said to me,
‘Mr. McHenry, I understand that there is a Pinkerton man in the city.
I want you to take care of him.’ The Mayor was also present at this
interview, and gave his sanction to the order. I learned afterward
that the Marshal referred to the fact that Assistant Superintendent O.
M. Hanscom of the Boston Agency was in the city, and believed that he
was in the employ of Attorney Jennings and the Borden family. But the
same night I found Mr. Hanscom, and watched him according to orders.
It happened that the Marshal, Officer Seaver and myself were at the
Marshal’s residence during the early part of the night in consultation
on the case. Mr. Hilliard was at supper, and I took occasion to go out
and look around the premises. As I did so, I saw two Pinkerton men at
the back window evidently in the act of eavesdropping. I very quickly
told them to get out, as we did not want any such cattle around. I did
not mention the incident to the Marshal at the time, but later, as
we walked up to the city, I informed him of what I had seen. He was
naturally angry at the audacity of the men whom I had seen around his
house. On the way to the police station we met Henry G. Trickey, and
he immediately entered into conversation with the Marshal. I heard
Mr. Hilliard say, ‘I am making no special mark of anybody in this
investigation, but I do intend to probe this affair to the bottom,
no matter who it hits. I want you to convey this information to your
friend. Outside detectives must not interfere with the work of my men.’
Right here I want to state, by way of parenthesis, that I did not go
to the post office in Providence and offer to sell the evidence in
the Graves-Barnaby case to Mr. Trickey, although he said that I did.
And the reason that I state that, is that this very night, of which
I am speaking, saw the beginning of the Trickey-McHenry affair, and
it was but three nights after the Borden murders. It did not have its
origin in me at all, as you will see as we progress. You will remember
that yesterday I told you of an alleged truce which was said by the
newspapers, in fact by Mr. Trickey himself, to have been patched up
between us. The fact is that three months before the Bordens were
murdered, I, in company with two friends, were in the Adams House,
Boston, when Mr. Trickey came up. We had not been on friendly terms,
as you know, since the Graves trial in Denver, and at that time we did
shake hands, and apparently the hatchet was buried. In Mr. Trickey’s
own statement of this affair, which was printed over his signature
in the _Boston Globe_ of October 11th, 1892, appears this sentence,
“I went to Providence to see about the lawyer story.” Now that was
manifestly incorrect, as you know yourself that the _Boston Globe_
published the whole story ten days before, and I know that Mr. Trickey
got it from State Officer Seaver. I merely mention this to show to you
some of the glaring inconsistencies which are prominent in the story of
the affair from which that sentence was read. But that is not the point
for discussion now. On the night to which I referred awhile ago, which
was the 7th of August, Mr. Trickey, before meeting us as before stated,
had left Superintendent Hanscom across the street and Mayor Coughlin
had joined the party, which then consisted of Marshal Hilliard,
the Mayor, Officer Seaver, Mr. Trickey and myself. After the short
conversation with the Marshal, Mr. Trickey then turned to the Mayor
and commenced to abuse the Attorney-General for his course in the then
pending Trefethen-Davis case. Mr. Trickey said, ‘Hanscom had prevented
the conviction of Trefethen so far, and he will lead Pillsbury yet;
more than that, he will prevent the Fall River police from hanging
Lizzie Borden.’ This thread of conversation was kept up for awhile, and
then Mr. Trickey, turning to me said, ‘Just a minute, Ned, I want to
speak to you.’ I stepped aside with him. The Mayor and Officer Seaver
walked along; the Marshal heeled up a few feet away. Then Mr. Trickey
delivered himself as follows:—‘Ned, you are a big chump if you don’t
throw that big clam digger, (meaning the Marshal) and deal to me.
There is just 5000 bobs in this job for us.’ The Marshal overhead this
statement. I replied, ‘What do you mean, Trickey?’ Then he said, ‘You
know how I stood with Hanscom in the Graves matter, don’t you? I just
about own that Pinkerton Agency, and the men do just about as I say
in these matters. Now, I am in a position to give you a chance to get
square with the Pinkertons and at the same time catch 5000 nice juicy
bobs.’
“This was a tempting offer, I must say, for a poor man to hear made,
and I said, ‘Well, Henry, I will consider your proposition awhile
and see you again later.’ Hardly had the words been uttered than he
grabbed me with both hands, and at the same time spoke in a loud voice
to the Marshal, who still remained near by, saying, ‘I’ll let Mack go
in a minute, Marshal; I want to speak to him about a lady we knew in
Denver.’ Then lowering his voice he continued, ‘Has Lizzie Borden got
a lover? Can’t I allege that she has in my story to-morrow morning?
I want something big to scoop this gang of newspaper fellows who are
in the town.’ My reply to this was, ‘Great God, Henry, no.’ He talked
on, saying, ‘Judging from what I heard to-day, somebody is in love
with Lizzie.’ ‘No, sir,’ said I, ‘the utmost consideration is and has
been shown to Miss Borden, and I never heard that she had a lover.’
The suggestion which Mr. Trickey made then was used in the great
story which he bought some months afterward, and you can begin to see
now, perhaps, why I was suspicious of the honesty of Mr. Trickey’s
intentions. He continued, however, saying, ‘I know a great deal more
about this case than the Fall River police, and right here I want to
give you a straight tip, and you take it to Hilliard. It will give
him a valuable clue to work on. If my friend Hanscom, on his return
from the next interview with Lizzie Borden, is satisfied that she is
guilty, he is going to pull up stakes and leave the town.’ This very
statement, Mr. Trickey made again in the police office the next day in
the presence of the Marshal and others. ‘So,‘ said Mr. Trickey, ‘if he
leaves the town, you can jump Lizzie immediately.’ Then in parting from
me, he said, ‘Don’t forget to consider my proposition, and connect with
me to-morrow. Then I will square myself with you for the dirty deal
I gave you in the Graves case.’ I would have smashed him in the nose
right there, had not the Marshal been in hearing distance. I promised
him to think the matter over and see him again. I walked up to the
Marshal, and we entered my room at the Wilbur House. Then and there
I related what I have just told you, and also told of Mr. Trickey’s
conduct in the Graves case. Went through it all from end to end. The
Marshal said that he had overheard a part of the conversation, and
that Mr. Trickey was up to just what he suspected. The Marshal said to
me in the course of the talk, ‘Ned, if this man is what he represents
himself to be, in connection with these people, you watch him, and look
to me personally for help. Take plenty of time and use good judgment.
Have everything in black and white.’ As I stated to you before, I had
told him of my connection with the Graves case, and I suggested the
advisability of my keeping in the background and under cover as much as
possible, in the work before us. Dr. Graves was then under conviction
of murder, and the Supreme Court had not passed upon his motion for
a new trial. Until this was settled, I did not feel that I should be
prominently mentioned in the Borden case, as there were many men,
enemies to me, who would antagonize me at every step if they knew that
I was a factor in the investigation. He told me to go ahead and follow
these people to the end, and to spare no pains or expense to do the job
well.
“Next morning I was given a great many anonymous letters which the
Marshal had read, and in company with Inspector Medley, ran them down.
That is, established a clue for work which was afterward carried out by
Captains Harrington and Doherty. This was part of the work which I did
for the police, and secrecy of it kept me in the background. I kept my
eye on the movements of the people I have mentioned before, and at the
end of the first month, made out my bill to the City of Fall River. It
was allowed by the Board of Aldermen, but the _Fall River Herald_, in
an alleged editorial, severely criticised the Marshal for allowing me
to work on the case, and objected to me being paid for what I had done.
I never rendered another bill to the City of Fall River, although I
worked night and day for months. In view of the _Herald’s_ criticism, I
concluded not to bring the editor’s unjust ravings onto the heads of my
friends, and so ever after that I paid my own expenses. I spent every
cent of money I could rake and scrape to carry out the work assigned to
me, until my family were all but destitute. I gave up all my time to
this work, and stood still under the fierce and unjust thrusts of every
editorial pen, with few exceptions, in New England. It made me a poor
man, and eventually brought on an attack of nervous prostration, when I
fell exhausted, penniless and perhaps friendless, in the streets of New
York, and was carried into the Cosmopolitan Hotel, where I lay among
perfect strangers, while my wife and child fought alone the battle
for life in Providence. Yes, I did this rather than have such learned
men as the editor of the _Fall River Herald_ spill his gall over the
magnanimous sum of $106.00, which I claimed for work and expenses,
while upholding in my humble way the dignity of, and straining every
nerve to assist, the Fall River police. I took a solemn vow that no
act of Ned McHenry should ever again compromise my friends Rufus B.
Hilliard and His Honor John W. Coughlin. Therefore I plodded through
in silence, and where is my reward? A few dollars for six months work
of myself and wife, and half a dozen men whom I paid regularly. But I
would not have you understand that I am complaining. Perhaps the City
of Fall River will reimburse me when the end of the Borden murder case
is reached. Now, in regard to all this bosh about my attempting to rob
and defame newspaper men as a rule. I refer you to the _Boston Post_
of October 11th, and there you will see how I saved a paper which has
been friendly to me. You may ask the managing editor how I treated him
and his men in this case, and I think it only fair that he give you an
answer.”
At this point the writer asked Mr. McHenry if he furnished Mr. Trickey
with a list of the witnesses for the government. He replied, “The only
living evidence that I furnished Mr. Trickey with the names of living
witnesses, is that I did tell him that I, my wife and Bridget Sullivan
were witnesses for the prosecution, and that he knew before I told him.
I defy contradiction of this statement.”
“Did you furnish him with that list of names which it is alleged that
he showed the managing editor of the _Globe_, in order to convince him
that the story which he had bought from you was true?” Mr. McHenry
answered, “That list of names is in Mr. Trickey’s own handwriting,
and if you or anybody else want further evidence of the truth of
this statement, examine the affidavits of those persons who were
present when he wrote the list, and which are now locked up in the
Attorney-General’s office, Commonwealth Building, Boston.”
[Illustration: MRS. NELLIE MCHENRY.]
“Who made these affidavits?” I asked, and he answered, “Several
persons, but all of them were not summoned to the Grand Jury to
testify. For instance, there are two Providence policemen, two
Providence lawyers, two of my men, and Captain Desmond of Fall River,
who know about this case, but were not called. All this documentary
evidence against Mr. Trickey is in his own handwriting and laid away
in the same place, and marked exhibit No. 1. I want to say here and
now that Andrew J. Jennings has been clean and free in this whole
business. In justice to the man I do not believe that he did in any
way give his sanction to the action of other friends of the accused
woman. I say this through no fear of Mr. Jennings, but because he
would not countenance any such actions as Trickey represented to have
come from those friends. As to the story I furnished Mr. Trickey, he
had the gist of it in his pocket three weeks before it was printed
in the _Globe_. I gave him a skeleton of what the alleged witnesses
would testify to, and he carried that around with him, I suppose.
The Attorney-General has the affidavits of eight witnesses to this
transaction, all of whom heard what was said at the time I gave him the
story. In an editorial of the _Globe_ of October 12th, this statement
appears: ‘Reports are examined at short notice, and sometimes under
great hurry and excitement, etc.’ Now, that was no excuse for printing
the stuff I sold Mr. Trickey, for he had the skeleton of the story
for three weeks at least, and if he had wanted it primarily for the
_Globe_, there was no reason why he could not have examined it at his
leisure. The editorial goes on to say the story was so well written
and on the face of it appeared to be so plausible, that it was used
without attempt at verification. Now, I never read stronger language
than that, and I consider it a great compliment to me from the editor
of the _Boston Globe_. After Mr. Trickey had made the proposition to
buy the State’s case from me, I lay in bed that day and thought the
matter over, and formed some idea of the story which I would give out.
That night Trickey came down and he and I worked on the story, writing
it out from the skeleton. He wrote and I dictated. We were at it until
three o’clock in the morning. This was on Thursday before the Monday on
which the story appeared in print. Mind you, I had not given the bogus
witnesses names to him until that night. In the skeleton there appeared
no names. But the separate statement of each witness was numbered, from
1 to 25, and it read something like this: Witness No. 1 will testify
to so-and-so; Witness No. 2 will testify to so-and-so; and in this
manner through the whole list. That night I told him who the witnesses
were and he used their names instead of the numbers. After this was
completed he showed me a draft made out by a certain gentleman payable
to me in the sum of $5000. It was drawn on Andrew J. Jennings, and was
in payment for the government’s case. That draft was never honored.
With it was a letter authorizing the expenditure of any sum of money
to get at the whole case of the prosecution. That letter was laid in
a convenient place, and I got Trickey out of my office long enough to
afford other people a chance to get a good look at it and to read it.
I consider that movement a nice piece of detective work. During the
evening, Captains Harrington and Desmond sat behind the curtain in my
office and heard Mr. Trickey say to me that he had bribed them and that
they had told him many of the State’s secrets. Why, Trickey went so far
as to accuse the Mayor of the city of accepting a bribe and selling out
to him, the representative of the defense.”
At this point the writer asked McHenry, “How on earth did Mr. Trickey
escape, in the face of such accusations as this?” McHenry replied
at once, “He never met his match before.” Continuing, McHenry said,
“Trickey did agree in the hearing of the usual number of witnesses to
give me twenty-four hours notice before he published the story.
“In his published statement of October 11th, he says I asked him two
questions on the night of the 10th. This, mind you, was at the time
of his first and last visit to my office after the alleged evidence
had been published. The first question he quoted correctly, except he
did not use the word “skeleton” as he should have done. The second is
entirely wrong. I did ask him this question, ‘Trickey, did you not
promise to come down to my office with the balance of that $5000?’ and
he replied, ‘Yes.’
“I did inveigle Trickey into Massachusetts, for I wanted him to commit
that crime in that State. By agreement I was in Attleboro and waiting
to hear from Trickey. He telephoned to me from Boston that he would
be in Attleboro on the 3 o’clock train, and he kept his engagement.
I met him in front of the Park Hotel. The message was received by
the proprietor of the Park Hotel, and he has a record of it. In Mr.
Trickey’s published account of this matter, he says that he has eight
affidavits of parties to the effect that the alleged evidence was
true and that they were sworn to before me as a notary in Providence.
If he has, why don’t they show them? I defy any man to produce such
affidavits.
[Illustration: REPORTER HENRY G. TRICKEY.]
“On Monday night after the _Globe_ published its story, I was in Fall
River and started for home. I expected that there would be trouble,
and so Captains Desmond and Harrington went up on a late train to get
behind the curtain and watch the fun which was sure to come. I left
on an afternoon train by way of Mansfield. Mr. Carberry, a _Globe_
reporter, followed me on the train and harrassed me until forbearance
ceased to be a virtue. Arriving in Providence, I was met by about four
newspaper men, including Charley Kirby and Mr. Trickey. They surrounded
me at the entrance to the station, and demanded an audience. I eluded
them, and was on my way home when they again caught sight of me, and
when near Engine Company No. 4, matters almost came to a crisis. Mr.
Trickey had his hand thrust into his pocket as if to draw a pistol, and
he wore on his face the most aggravated look of desperation that it
has ever been my misfortune to behold. I felt that he was in a state
of mind which would lead him to do something rash. I feared he might
attempt to take my life. I was not armed at the time, but I determined
to make a bold stand, and so I told him that if he made a move I would
kill him on the spot. Before leaving Fall River, I had telephoned to my
wife that I would arrive home at a certain hour, and she had already
made preparations for receiving me. Hardly had I made this threat to
Mr. Trickey, than one of my men from the office rushed up and handed
me a pistol. With this I ordered Mr. Kirby to stand aside, and told
Mr. Trickey that if he wanted to speak with me, to proceed to my
house, where I would hear what he had to say. Before moving from his
tracks, he said, ‘McHenry, I ought to kill you instantly.’ I learned
afterward that he had made the statement in Boston that there would
be a funeral in Providence if he ever laid his eyes on me. In his
published statement before referred to, he says that he was instructed
before leaving Boston to treat me with the ‘utmost consideration.’ You
can judge for yourself whether he did or not. I believe that he had
been instructed to shoot me on the spot, and he would have done so had
he the courage. We moved toward the house, and he marched in front. We
entered, and left Kirby on the outside. We had a more rational talk
about the publication and authenticity of the story, and he finally
withdrew. As he backed down the steps, I told him I would shoot him
dead in his tracks if he ever entered my house again. The next time I
saw Trickey was on Broadway, New York, after he had left Boston. I was
sent to this city to shadow and watch his movements, and I had kept
track of him all the time up to the meeting of the Grand Jury. At the
session of that body he was indicted on six counts. In the preparation
and attempt at service of these warrants, there was some queer work,
and I know that Trickey would have been arrested, had he not received
a tip and skipped to Canada. He was in Boston when the warrants were
issued, and had been for three days. I had him located, and was at the
Attorney-General’s office to get instructions as to how to proceed. He
gave me a sealed letter of instructions to the clerk of the District
Court in Taunton, and this I delivered in person. Instead of making
out the warrant according to his orders, the clerk made them out to
the Sheriff Constable, etc., of Bristol County. I did not know this
at the time. There was in the room at the time the warrants were made
out, State Officer Seaver, and he demanded that the clerk deliver the
warrants to him for service. To this I most strenuously objected, and
then there was a clash as to who was entitled to possession of the
papers. I told Mr. Seaver that I was sorry to quarrel with a man whom
I had always looked upon as a friend, but that I had been into this
transaction from the start, and I proposed to stay in it until the
finish. Without more ado I laid hands on the warrants and took them to
Deputy Sheriff Brown of Attleboro, who in turn, delivered them into
the hands of the Boston police. At police headquarters in Boston it
was soon learned that the warrants were defective, inasmuch as they
were made out in such a manner as not to be serviceable in any County
except Bristol County. They had to be returned to the District Court in
Taunton and rectified. This necessitated a delay of about twenty-eight
hours, and gave somebody an opportunity to get Trickey out of the
State. That is why he was not arrested. Mr. Seaver was especially
desirous that I allow him to make the arrest of Mr. Trickey, but to
this, as I said before, I successfully objected. There were some very
strange things done in connection with these warrants, and if you doubt
what I have said, I refer you to the records of the Boston police on
the 15th of last October. This, briefly, is my connection with the
Trickey-McHenry affair.”
In closing the interview I asked Mr. McHenry how many times Mr. Trickey
visited his office in Providence during the carrying out of this work,
and to this he replied, “Twelve.” “My wife,” said Mr. McHenry, “did a
great deal of work in this case, and was of much service to the Fall
River police. She was, I believe, the only woman who could and did
succeed in getting the confidence of Bridget Sullivan. She was also of
much assistance as a shadow, and was the famous veiled lady who was so
mystifying to the newspaper men. She shadowed Trickey to Boston time
and again, and on each occasion found that he went to the Pinkerton
Detective Agency. Mr. Trickey always, after leaving my office, went to
this place before he went to the office of the _Globe_.”
Such is the statement of McHenry and it is but fair to say that the
Fall River police admit that Captain Harrington was sent to Providence
several times to overhear the conversation between Trickey and McHenry,
and that Captain Desmond went one or more times. The police also admit
that Mr. Trickey was indicted for tampering with a government witness.
There is, however, another side to this case, and that is the
explanation made by Mr. Trickey of his conduct. It is conceded that he
was one of the ablest and at the same time most brilliant man in his
profession in the State, and there is no attempt made here to reflect
discredit upon his methods or to question his honesty of purpose. Thus
it is justice to him in giving his version of the affair. Before his
departure from Boston and after the _Globe_ had published its big story
he made a written statement of connection with it, telling plainly
of every move he made and of all the talk he had had with McHenry
before and after the purchase of the story. This written statement
was delivered into the hands of Superintendent John Cornish of the
Pinkerton Detective Agency, and served as a basis for an extended
investigation which the Pinkerton’s carried on for months in Fall
River, Providence, New York and Boston, with the intention of sifting
the entire matter to its foundation. Mr. Trickey alleged, and his
friends believe him, that McHenry was responsible for the injustice
done the _Boston Globe_ and that the detective actuated by motives
of personal gain and revenge not only sacrificed Mr. Trickey and the
_Globe_ but deliberately misled the Fall River police and secured
their sanction and co-operation in the deal. He starts out by saying
that he was in Providence the early part of September on the lookout
for the “lawyer story” and that he saw McHenry on the street. That the
detective called him across and the two men entered into conversation,
during which McHenry said that he had a good story to sell. “Well
Mack” said Trickey “the _Globe_ will pay as much for it as any other
paper.” “Yes” said the detective, “but it’s worth a great deal more to
somebody else.” “Who?” asked Trickey. “The defense” replied McHenry.
Then Trickey was given to understand that he could have the entire
evidence in the Borden case for $1200. He says that McHenry gave him
to understand that the matter would be sold only for the use of the
defense and not for publication. Trickey didn’t care anything about
the defense, all he wanted was a story for his paper and with a view
of getting it he humored McHenry by agreeing to call upon Col. Adams
and ask him if he wanted to hire a good detective, one who could get
at all the state’s evidence against Miss Borden. Trickey did call upon
Col. Adams and had a conversation about this matter with the result
according to Trickey’s statement that the lawyer didn’t have any use
for a detective and didn’t care anything about investing his client’s
money in the purchase of the Commonwealth’s case. In other words,
Col. Adams refused to have anything to do with the proposed deal. But
the reporter, knowing that his chances of securing the “stuff” for
publication would be very materially lessened if he made known the
result of his visit, concluded to act the part of an agent for the
defense and represent to McHenry that Col. Adams did in reality desire
to buy the story. With this conclusion in mind he again visited the
detective and reported, (but wrongfully as he says) that the Colonel
would buy if the price was lowered. McHenry then agreed to sell for
$1000 and divide the money with Trickey. This was the reporter’s
opportunity. He knew that the _Globe_ would give $500 and that sum he
intended to pay over to the detective, representing that it came from
Col. Adams, and that he had kept the other $500 as his share, according
to agreement.
It might be said here that if any such deal as this was made the
supporters of Mr. Trickey have failed to find a witness who overheard
the bargain, while on the other hand the police deny that such a
conversation ever took place and claim that Captain Harrington and
others were in a position to hear all that was said upon the subject
by Mr. Trickey and the detective. But this chapter is not an argument
either for or against Mr. Trickey. His declaration goes on to say that
after the 15th of September, or thereabout, he made numberless visits
to the detective, and in this particular he agrees with the police
version of the affair. He admits receiving the “skeleton” story first
and later the names of the alleged witnesses, and that he did play the
part of an agent for the defense prompted purely by a desire to get the
story for publication. The fact that he hastened to print the story
without further attempt to verify it, is due to two causes. First,
he feared that McHenry would sell it to the _Boston Herald_. Second,
that he had given a Fall River police officer (one whose name does not
appear in this chapter,) the sum of $100 for a list of the witnesses
in the case and they agreed with the names furnished by McHenry in the
latter part of the transaction. The fact that it did agree convinced
him that the story was all right and he did not want to take the
chances of McHenry selling out to the _Herald_, so the agreement about
the twenty-four hours notice was violated.
The writer has been assured by the police that if Mr. Trickey had
given the twenty-four hours notice before publication the _Boston
Globe_ would have been spared the trouble of printing the “fake.” In
Justice to the _Boston Globe_ it must be said that its editors made the
most humble and abject apology for the wrong done Miss Borden by the
publication of the “thirteen columns of lies” which Detective McHenry
had sold to Mr. Trickey. The apology was made as prominent as the
story had been and the Globe’s position, although not an enviable one,
appeared to be as graceful as the circumstances would admit.
It has been stated by persons who are in a position to know whereof
they speak, that not only Mr. Trickey, but others were indicted for
their apparent connection with this affair.