darkness. One had a
weapon like an ivory dirk-handle, was clad in a sailor's short jacket,
cap, and had whiskers; another wore a long coat, with bright buttons;
all three were good-sized men. Frank, too, sprung from the chaise, and
pursued with vigor, but all in vain.

The account of this unusual and bold attempt at robbery, thus given by
the Knapps was immediately published in the Salem newspapers, with the
editorial remark, that "these gentlemen are well known in this town, and
their respectability and veracity are not questioned by any of our
citizens."

Not the slightest clew to the murder could be found for several weeks,
and the mystery seemed to be impenetrable. At length a rumor reached the
ear of the committee that a prisoner in the jail at New Bedford, seventy
miles from Salem, confined there on a charge of shoplifting, had
intimated that he could make important disclosures. A confidential
messenger was immediately sent, to ascertain what he knew on the
subject. The prisoner's name was Hatch; he had been committed before the
murder. He stated that, some months before the murder, while he was at
large, he had associated in Salem with Richard Crowninshield, Jr., of
Danvers, and had often heard Crowninshield express his intention to
destroy the life of Mr. White. Crowninshield was a young man, of bad
reputation; though he had never been convicted of any offence, he was
strongly suspected of several heinous robberies. He was of dark and
reserved deportment, temperate and wicked, daring and wary, subtle and
obdurate, of great adroitness, boldness, and self-command. He had for
several years frequented the haunts of vice in Salem; and though he was
often spoken of as a dangerous man, his person was known to few, for he
never walked the streets by daylight. Among his few associates he was a
leader and a despot.

The disclosures of Hatch received credit. When the Supreme Court met at
Ipswich, the Attorney-General, Morton, moved for a writ of _habeas
corpus ad testif._, and Hatch was carried in chains from New Bedford
before the grand jury, and on his testimony an indictment was found
against Crowninshield. Other witnesses testified that, on the night of
the murder, his brother, George Crowninshield, Colonel Benjamin Selman,
of Marblehead, and Daniel Chase, of Lynn, were together in Salem, at a
gambling-house usually frequented by Richard; these were indicted as
accomplices in the crime. They were all arrested on th