A Croghan farmer angrily accused his new hired hand of petty theft, sparking a violent farmhouse encounter that ended in the farmer’s death and a nationwide search for his escaped killer 112 years ago.

On the evening of Sept. 6,1912, Patrick Burns, an 80-year-old Irish immigrant, was found brutally beaten to death in the kitchen of his farmhouse on Beech’s Ridge in the town of Croghan. William Burns, the victim’s youngest son, returned home about 6:30 that Friday evening when he discovered his father slumped in his favorite rocking chair, covered in dark blood and his head badly battered. Nearby neighbors were soon summoned, and were joined by the coroner, two doctors, the Lewis County sheriff and a deputy sheriff and the county district attorney.

The body was examined and an autopsy performed in the Burns kitchen while an inquest was conducted in the sitting room. A thorough search of the house revealed the murder weapon: a heavy bolt hammer covered in blood and hair from Patrick Burns’ head. Missing from the house were a Winchester repeating rifle, a box of cartridges and about $80.

After hearing the events of the day as described by William Burns and neighbors’ accounts, police concluded that Roy Farrington was the most probable culprit. A 22- year-old hired hand, he had worked only 10 days on the Croghan farm when the elder Burns accused him of stealing $1 worth of postage stamps missing from the farmer’s desk. An argument erupted and the Irishman told the hired hand to leave. As Farrington was gathering his things, William Burns left for work, leaving his father and the accused thief alone in the house.

In the furious assault sometime during the hours that followed, Patrick Burns sustained 12 wounds on the head evidently made by a blunt instrument. His skull was broken and an artery severed. One of the bones of the left forearm was wrenched loose from the other forearm bone. There was a blood-soaked rag on the floor and bloody footprints and fingerprints through the house.

When William arrived home to discover the gruesome sight, Roy Farrington was nowhere to be found. Farmers and train workers had seen a man later that day that matched his description, running through fields toward Castorland and hopping trains heading out of town. William Burns’ Winchester rifle was found on the train tracks near a stop in Castorland.

Roy Farrington had managed to elude the police. It was assumed that he had made his way by train at least to New York City. In the following weeks, the Burns family offered a $500 reward for the capture of the murderer and Farrington’s description was sent to police across the country: 5 feet 6 inches tall, dark complexion and of French descent. He was wearing dark trousers, coat and cap.

Despite the nationwide alert and several possible sightings, Farrington was at large for at least two months. Meanwhile, William Burns at his father’s farm one day came across a notebook containing postage stamps and a letter written by Farrington that was addressed to a friend in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The police used this address to track down Farrington, whose name proved to be an alias for Rene Brodeur in his travels. Brodeur was placed under arrest on Dec. 1, 1912, and brought back to Lowville and arraigned before state Supreme Court Justice Edgar S. K. Merrell. He pleaded not guilty and his trial was set for Feb. 4, 1913.

The day before the trial, Brodeur’s Massachusetts lawyer, James O’Shea, came to Lowville and advised his client to make a full confession of murder to his Lowville attorney, Frank Bowman. When arrested in Holyoke, Brodeur had fully confessed the Burns murder to O’Shea. The defendant did as O’Shea suggested and the district attorney in Lowville accepted his plea of guilty to second-degree murder. Justice Merrell sentenced Brodeur to a term of twenty years to life imprisonment at Auburn State
Prison.

After his sentencing, some reviewing the murder case suggested that had Brodeur not confessed, he might not have been convicted at a jury trial because of flaws in the prosecution evidence.

Nearly 15 years after his sentence, Rene Brodeur was paroled. He was believed to be leading a model life following his release. However, just over four years after his parole, on Feb. 9, 1932, Brodeur was shot in Portland, Oregon, while trying to escape arrest by police attempting to apprehend him for attacking a small girl. It was also discovered that he was wanted in New Jersey for assault and robbery and had a police record in Buffalo.

Rene Brodeur died from gunshot wounds shortly after he was brought to a Portland
hospital. Patrick Burns’ murderer was 40 years old.