Frederick Small
Frederick Lincoln Small (1866 – January 15, 1918) was the convicted murderer of his wife, Florence Aileen Curry Small, in New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Small took out a joint life insurance policy of $20,000 USD on March 16, 1916, from the John Hancock Company of Boston. The policy was written that the other spouse would collect if one spouse died. Mr. Small was 49 and Mrs. Small was 37 years old. One premium of $1,107.60 was paid before the incident.[1] Mr. Small had two previous mysterious fires before the one that claimed the life of his third wife Florence.
Frederick Lincoln Small | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1866 Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1918 (aged 51/52) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death (January 15, 1918) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Florence Small |
Span of crimes | September 28, 1916 – |
Florence Small | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 15, 1879 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | Sept 28, 1916 (aged 37) Ossipee, New Hampshire, U.S. |
Her body was found in the ruins of her burnt Ossipee Lake two-story cottage on September 28, 1916. Mr. Small had been at the cottage that evening, but was traveling back to Boston when the body was found. Mrs. Small's skull was crushed and also had a cord wrapped around her neck. She had also been shot, and there was evidence she had been chloroformed. The body would have been destroyed by the fire except for the fact that the fire had compromised the floor of the cottage. The body was found floating in the flooded basement.
At first the alibi of being in Boston was a good one, until investigators discovered an alarm clock, spark plug, fire screen, clock spring and some hairpins to make a timed arson device. Mr. Small was known to be a tinkerer who enjoyed mechanical projects. A local grocer reported that he delivered five gallons of kerosene to the Smalls' cottage just before the fire.[2]
Small's reaction
Small was standing outside the remains of the cottage when the medical examiner asked what he wanted done with his wife's remains. All he said "What?, is there enough left of the body for a casket?" He later put down about $30 for the cheapest one he could find.[3] This raised suspicion of Small's involvement.
Mr. Small offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the murderer after he was taken into custody. The authorities were already making a case against him by that time.
Previous marriages and early life
He was married three times. His first wife, Nettie Davis of Minot, Maine, died during childbirth on March 14, 1891. She was 22 years old.
In 1909 Small sued Arthur Soden, who was the president/part owner of the baseball team, Boston Beaneaters of the National League, for $500,000 USD. Small claimed that Soden had alienated the affections of Small's second wife, Laura Patterson.[4] At the time the damage amount of the lawsuit requested was the largest in United States history, the $500,000 is equivalent to almost ($16,285,185 million in 2022 dollars)[5]. Soden was ordered to pay Small a judgment of $10,000.[6]
Around 1893, Mr. Small was employed in Boston as a real estate agent, he also was a stock broker. He was moderately successful in both ventures.[2]
Aftermath of the crime
Small went on trial at the newly built Carroll County Court House. At the time, the trial was very sensational. Many reporters from Boston covered the trial and there were quite a few spectators. On Jan. 8, 1917, a jury found Frederick Small guilty of murder.
The State of New Hampshire executed Small by hanging on January 15, 1918. Small was the second of only three people executed by the state of New Hampshire in the 20th century. The other two were Oscar Comery in 1916 and Howard Long in 1939.
Frederick Small death certificate
Mrs. Small is currently buried in the Grant Hill Cemetery in Center Ossipee. Through the efforts of the Ossipee Historical Society and citizens of Ossipee, Florence Small was given a proper ceremony on the 91st anniversary of her death, and her site is now identified with a marker.[7]
Aileen "Florence" Small death certificate
See also
Literature
Petrie, Janice S. C., PERFECTION TO A FAULT: A SMALL MURDER IN OSSIPEE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1916, Seatales Publishing Company, Topsfield, Massachusetts, (2000), 152pp, good, wraps (softcover) signed by the author, ISBN 0-9705510-0-2. When Florence Small's smoldering body rose to the surface of the basement water, local folks immediately suspected her husband, Frederick Small, of the crime.
References
- "WIFE DEAD IN FIRE, F.L. SMALL ARRESTED; Body in Cottage Ruins at Lake Ossipee, N.H., Has a Noose Around the Neck. HUSBAND WAS IN BOSTON Gained Notoriety in 1909 on Suing A.H. Soden for Loss of His Second Wife's Love". New York Times. September 30, 1916. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- "Frederick Small Commits the Imperfect Murder of 1916". New England Historical Society.
- "Wife's preserved head in 1916 murder is the nail in husband's coffin". NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. Jan 23, 2016.
- "wife's affections valued at $500,000 Boston broker sues". New York Times.
- 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- "SODEN MUST PAY $10,000.; Judge Says, However, That Small Was Willing to Profit by Wife's Dishonor". New York Times. April 28, 1911. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- "1916 Lake Murder Victim Memorialized". Ossipee Lake Alliance. September 27, 2007.
| Preceded by Oscar Comery |
Executions carried out in New Hampshire | Succeeded by Howard Long |