Website design By BotEap.comThe year was 1837, and Rochester, New York, was growing rapidly. People were drawn to the bustling Lake Ontario community, and the population has doubled over the past decade. The city enjoyed a reputation for friendly residents and a low crime rate; in fact, violent crime was virtually non-existent in Rochester…until the night of October 20, 1837. On that cold fall night, a heinous crime would occur that would stun people and leave them crying out for justice, and Rochester would be changed forever

Website design By BotEap.comOctavius ​​Barron woke up with a plan on that fateful day. A French-Canadian dockworker who was known around town as a thief and gambler, Barron, 18, spent the day watching and waiting. His target was William Lyman, a respected and beloved successful businessman. Lyman’s honesty in his business dealings was widely recognized and she was often entrusted with large sums of money to put into his company. October 20, 1837 turned out to be one of those deposit days, and when he finally left his office around 9:00 pm, Barron made the move on him. Sneaking up behind Lyman, he fired a single shot into the back of Lyman’s head, killing him instantly. He quickly found several hundred dollars that Lyman had in his coat pocket, but Barron didn’t see the thousands that were hidden in Lyman’s hat. He fled with the money he found and spent the rest of the night in a tavern, bragging to his friends about the murder.

Website design By BotEap.comInvestigators arrived at the crime scene shortly after the murder occurred and immediately began combing the area for clues. Eyewitnesses who reported seeing Barron hanging around Lyman’s office all day provided the best evidence for police as to the killer’s identity. Ten-year-old Thomas Dixon also provided important clues; it was he who heard the shot and ran to the window in time to see a man in a bright dockworker’s cap run out. With these accounts, the police had enough evidence to identify Barron’s crime, and he was arrested less than 12 hours later at the train station trying to escape.

Website design By BotEap.comBarron’s trial turned out to be something of a spectacle. Rochester had never had a murder before, and the trial that followed was an exciting distraction from everyday life. With one of the city’s most prominent citizens dead and a foreign killer behind bars, everyone’s interest was piqued. The trial lasted 10 days, had the contribution of 39 jurors, 40 witnesses and 12 city officials. Barron didn’t have a chance. His guilty verdict surprised no one, nor did his sentence: execution by hanging. Interestingly, his sentence was almost pardoned due to his young age, but it seems that his fate was already sealed. Although many of the citizens of Rochester wanted a public execution, New York’s “Act to Abolish Public Executions” denied their wish. On July 25, 1838, a total of 49 people packed the jail, eager to see Octavius ​​Barron draw his last breath and to witness his fair city’s first execution.