| Notes |
This information comes courtesy of Jan Warren Theisen, a descendant of Joel Glover and Huldah Gooden. Joel Glover is buried in an unmarked grave in Forest Lawn Cemetery, City of Saginaw, Grave No. 774, 9th Row, Section 16. The following is from newspaper articles at the time of his murder, and best describes the circumstances of the crime. Joel was murdered in 1915 and was the subject of many fond reminiscences of his cousin Jess Weaver who died in 1936.
SAGINAW DAILY NEWS, February 2, 1915
MAJOR, PLEADING GUILTY TO MURDER, SENT UP FOR LIFE
Slayer of Joel Glover Attempts No Defense When Arraigned Before Judge Gage and is Quickly Sentenced to Marquette Prison for Crime.
DOES NOT BREAK DOWN UNDER SEVERE ORDEAL
Weeps as He is Being Taken Back to Jail From Court Room and Expresses Sorrow for What He Has Done - Preliminaries of Law Quickly Followed in His Case - Confesses to Crime While En Route Back to Saginaw. "Little Mike" Major, charged with the murder of Joel Glover, arrested in Cincinnati Saturday night and brought here Monday night by Sheriff Sutherland and Deputy Turnbull, was taken before Judge Gage in the circuit court at 9:40 Tuesday morning. Previous to arraignment he was taken into the judge's private office for a conference. He admitted the crime. He was then formally arraigned and the charge reread to him. "I did it," he said. Judge Gage imposed sentence of Marquette prison for life. The former camp cook did not break down or display any emotion. On the way back to the county jail he cried a little and expressed sorrow at what he had done. The man will be taken away probably Tuesday night.
ALSO IN JUSTICE COURT
Previous to his appearance in the circuit court Major was arraigned in Justice McDonald's court and the formal charge first degree murder was read to him by Prosecuting Attorney Vincent. The Roumanian waited patiently until the charge was finished and cried out, "I'm guilty." Justice McDonald asked him if he desired to waive examination and be held to the circuit court and have the matter over with as soon as possible. He replied that that was what he wanted. There were few people in the little Buena Vista township court room. The Roumanian showed by speech and action just how he killed Glover. It was an impressive scene. Major was then held to the circuit court without bail and was returned to the county jail in custody of Sheriff Sutherland.
DOES NOT BREAK DOWN
Sheriff Sutherland took the News representative into the rear cell block of the county jail at 9 o'clock Tuesday morning. The officer rushed back an iron slot and Mike Major's face peered through the four by six hole in the steel door. The Roumanian wanted to shake hands. He showed no reticence about telling of the crime. One feature of the murder that has been a source of persistent inquiry is why Major wanted the money. He had a girl in Cincinnati and when he got the money and arrived in the Ohio metropolis he found she had been married five weeks. He didn't get to talk to her. He was on the second floor of the building where she lives and saw her, but she didn't see him. "I was born in Roumania and have a father and one brother and two sisters living," he said. "I am 23 years old and came to this country six years ago." The murderer's talk was in fairly good English, but broken here and there. "I have always spent my winters in Cincinnati, but worked in the summer time," he continued. "Three years I was in Cincinnati. Then I was in Detroit and Chesaning. I have been in Chesaning or near there for three years with the exception of the winters. While there I worked for J. Miller, Sam Reid, Albert Smithell, a man named Fitzpatrick and on the Prairie farm for two months."
"SORRY I KILLED OLD MAN"
"I'm sorry I killed old man Glover. You know, I liked that man. He was a good fellow. He played the violin for us and he was all right. I wouldn't do it again." Major told this several times. "I stayed in Chesaning Saturday night," the prisoner said. "Sunday morning went on the train to Swan Creek, walked across the fields and through the woods to the lumber camp and found the old man (Glover) in the bunk shanty. He was nice to me, said 'Good morning,' and talked awhile. Then he left the shanty and went to the stable to feed the horses. As soon as he was gone I took off my overcoat and my other coat, hung them up, picked up an ax and followed him. "I saw him in the hay part of the barn and stepped in behind him. His back was turned when I struck at him the first time. The axe glanced off his head and he whirled around just as I raised the axe again. When he saw me he yelled, 'Don't hit me Mike,' but I swung at him again and when he dodged back the axe hit him on the leg. Then I said, 'Give me your money,' and he threw his pocket book toward me. It fell on the hay. I didn't stop to pick it up, but ran at him and hit him over the head with the axe and pounded him down in the manger. "When I was sure he was dead I picked up the pocketbook, dropped my axe on the hay, took my coat and ran. I had $2 when I killed him."
FIRST CLUE TO MURDERER
From the actual time of the crime which Major says was between 9:30 and 9:45 Sunday morning, he ran and walked from the camp. This was the first clue as to who the murderer was. Joseph Barber, one of the woodsmen, saw a man answering his description running a few steps and then walking away from the camp that Sunday morning. The fellow looked to Barber to be Major. Sheriff Sutherland was given this clue and worked assiduously on the case from that point. Within four days he had the man under arrest in Cincinnati and nine days after the crime was committed the murderer was under life sentence to Marquette prison. From the Haney camp Major ran and walked along the railroad track to St. Charles where he hired a rig and drove to the Prairie farm to see a friend. The sheriff who secured the information that Major visited the prarie farm soon after the murder and putting the two together the case looked stronger against him. Major had worked at the prarie farm, had friends there and if he was going to clear out of the country it was natural he would make a visit. He secured the address of a friend in Milwaukee, drove back to St. Charles and then wrote a letter to Milwaukee. He next boarded a Michigan Central train for Jackson, paying his fare as far as Owosso and from that point paying cash again to destination. From Jackson he rode 30 miles on a freight and from then on took passenger trains for Cincinnati, reaching there Monday night and going to 1418 Central avenue, where he was arrested Saturday night.
NO EMOTION WHEN ARRESTED
Sheriff Southerland heard that Major had sold a pair of shoes a few days before the murder and this showed he was in need of money. The fact that he had a girl in Cincinnati was another clue that made the officers watch him. Sheriff Southerland and Deputy Turnbull were highly complimented by Prosecutor Vincent and others Tuesday. The fact that the detection, arrest and conviction of the murderer have been accomplished without any expense to the county except the trip to Cincinnati means a saving of a large amount of money to the county in running down clues, witness fees and other matters connected with taking cases into court. Major showed no emotion when he was arrested in Cincinnati and maintained a stoical indifference to the charge on which he was arrested when he was taken in charge by Sheriff Sutherland. Cincinnati officers co-operated in every way with the Saginaw authorities. Sheriff Southerland and Deputy Turnbull reached Detroit early Monday evening.
FIRST SIGN OF WEAKENING
As they were waiting for the train to Saginaw Major whispered to the sheriff, "wait till we get alone. I'll tell you." A few miles out from Detroit the Roumanian unburdened himself and told the story in detail. The Michigan Central train did not arrive until midnight. Prosecutor Vincent was at the train and accompanied the sheriff and Deputy Turnbull to the county jail where Major repeated his confession. It was the same story he told the sheriff earlier in the evening. Major is a quiet mild mannered fellow, when seen Tuesday did not seem to realize the nature of the crime he had committed. Occasionally he would say he was sorry and offered to sob but showed no mental anguish at his fate, Sheriff Southerland brought home with him a copy of a Cincinnati paper containing a story that Major was arrested several years ago. A woman had deserted her husband and was about to flee with Major. The plan was nipped in the bud. Andy George, the Slav, who had been held as a possible witness was given his liberty Tuesday.
From An Earlier Article in the SAGINAW DAILY NEWS:
NO LIGHT THROWN ON GLOVER DEATH
Coroners Jury fails to bring out further developments
MORE NAMES BROUGHT INTO CASE
Authorities seeking for two men to ascertain if they know anything about the Swan Creek tragedy. No attempt to fix responsibility for the murder of Joel Glover, the aged man found dead in a stable at the lumber camp in Swan Creek township Monday, was made by the coroner's jury probing the case and which continued its work Wednesday afternoon. The verdict was as follows. Joel Glover came to his death by being murdered. As far as known, sometime Sunday January 24, 1915, near midday, in the stable at the James O. Haney lumber camp on the Albright estate in Swan Creek township, Saginaw County, death being caused by blows on the head and right leg from an axe in the hands of an unknown person. The testimony brought out the fact that two other men who worked at the camp had not been seen for several days, and thus added to the interest in the case, leading the sheriff to begin an investigation as to their whereabouts in order that they may be found and questioned. One of these men is named "Little Mike Major, the other a German whose name no one seemed to know, but whose home it is said is or was Marion, Mich. Whether these men can shed any light on the tragedy will only be developed when they are found and interrogated.
NO INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE
Andy George the Slav fellow workman with Glover, who has been held since the morning the body was found, figured in the stories of different witnesses, but evidence did not tend to incriminate him. "Little Mike" Major worked as a dishwasher and handy man about the Haney camp up to Friday noon, when he quit. At that time Mr. Haney paid off all of his men. "Little Mike" being about the camp until Saturday afternoon. He went to Chesaning with Mr. Haney and son Ray and was seen in Kain brothers pool room as late as 11 O'clock that night. The German it seems, lived with Glover just before Andy George did and from the stories brought out it appears that Glover and the man who is said to be about 45 years old quarreled and the German left, just before departure he was refused a loan of money by Glover. That was before Christmas. Except for brief intervals he has not been in Saginaw County as far as known, but Saturday afternoon, as Mr. Haney was walking out of the Camp to take the train in Chesaning to spend Sunday, he was surprised to see the German walking along the road. Since then the man has not been seen. Then he returned to the camp and found it was Glover that was dead. Ten minutes later George cried it's him he's dead.Arthur Banting and Ward Parkins were other witnesses but they went to work Monday morning and didn't know much about the case. Prosecutor Vincent made a statement to the coroner's jury in which he said the crime was one of the most brutal ever committed in Michigan and that his department and the Sheriff would do everything in their power to solve the mystery.
Elgin Marriages - Joel Glover, aged 26, Yeoman, Born Saltfleet, Resides Yarmouth, son of John & Susan, married Hulda Gooden, aged 20, Born Yarmouth, Resides Yarmouth, daughter of James & Emily, witnesses Nelson Gooden & Frederick A. Johnson, of Yarmouth, 21 March 1870 at Southwold
On the 1881 Census of Orford, Bothwell, Kent County, Ontario are:
Joel Glover, born 1844, Ontario, aged 37, Farming, Ethnic Origin English, E. Methodist
Huldah M. Glover, born 1849, Ontario, aged 32, E. Methodist
James N. Glover, born 1872, Ontario, aged 9, E Methodist
Charles B. Glover, born 1874, Ontario, aged 7, E. Methodist
Emley A. Glover, born 1875, Ontario, aged 6, E. Methodist
Susan M. Glover, born 1878, Ontario, aged 3, E. Methodist
Amos F. Glover, born 1880, Ontario, aged 1
Sarah Bennison, born 1798, England, aged 83, Widowed, Ethnic Origin English, Church of England.
On the 1900 Census of Brant Township, Saginaw County, Michigan are:
Joel Glover, born January 1844 in Canada, aged 56, Head of household, farmer
Bell I Glover, born July 1875 in Canada, aged 25, Wife
Mary E Glover, born July 1889 in Michigan, aged 10, daughter, at school
Stephenson Glover, born July 1892 in Michigan, aged 7, son, at school
Joel's second wife was Ida Bell Burgess. Bell (the name she went by) was born in Springfield, Canada on July 3, 1864, and died on Mar. 19th, 1910 of a heart attack at her daughter's house.
On the 1910 Census of Saginaw City, Saginaw, Michigan are:
Streeter Charles, Head, Male, Aged 20, Married 1, ! Year, Born Michigan, Father Born Michigan, Mother Born Michigan, Teamster, Transfer Company
Streeter Mary, Wife, Female, Aged 20, Married 1, 1 Year, 0 Children, 0 Children Living, Born Michigan, Father Born Canada, Mother Born Canada
Glover Steven, Brother in Law, Age 18, Single, Born Michigan, Father Born Canada, Mother Born Canada, Miner, Coal Mine
Michigan Marriages, Saginaw County - October 14, 1907 at St. Charles, Newton Esterbrook, Aged 22, Resides St. Charles, Born Michigan, Miner, Son of Nathan and Hattie Esterbrook, Mary Glover, Aged 18, Resides St. Charles, Born Michigan, Daughter of Joel and Ida Glover, Witnesses Mrs. Geo. Youngs, Owosso, Geo. Youngs, Owosso, Solemnized by Geo. F. Thurston, Clergyman
Michigan Deaths, Saginaw - Belle Glover, Female, Death Date March 19th 1910, Burial Date March 22, 1910, Place of Death Saginaw, Saginaw, Michigan, Aged 45, Born About 1865, Born Canada, Housekeeper, White, Married, Father Stephen Burgess, Born Canada, Mother Unknown, Birthplace Unknown
Michigan Marriages, Saginaw County - June 6, 1914, Stephen Glover, Aged 22, Resides Saginaw, Born Michigan, Butter Maker, Father Joel Glover, Mother Belle Burgess, Charlen Warlburn, Aged 21, Resides Saginaw, Born Ohio, At Home, Father Albert Warlburn, Mother Laura Welburn, Witnesses F. Churchill, Saginaw, Florence Scharar, Saginaw, Solemnized by Frederick Spence, M. E. Minister
|
Rainham Builders
1844 - 1915 (70 years)