Mountain Man and Mistress Kill Wife - 1884

This one just sucks. A poor women named Mary Colt (whose name I got from census records, it isn't mentioned in the articles), lived in a "wooden structure" at the top of a mountain with her criminal husband, son and his mistress. Her husband, their ten year old son! AND the mistress had been arrested the April earlier for shooting/stabbing and axing a man to death. Separately, articles mentioned that the husband, Frank, had also been arrested for shooting a man that summer for entering his house. They apparently got off for the murder, and the shooting in the summer, because they were back on the mountain by January. Mrs. Colt was forced to work for the two, support them and feed them, while they sat idle and had a good ol' time on the mountain. She feared of what was coming around the pike and warned some people that she believed her husband may want to kill her. Then one day she was found dead, possibly poisoned, in her house. The Galveston article is the one I originally found, and then I came across the New York version which gave more exact details. When I look further I found the Watertown article!!!! Searching the census records, we see the Franklin and Mary married sometime before 1867 and had two earlier children - Franklin 3rd and Minnie. I haven't found anything else about Minnie, but Frank is listed as "maimed, crippled or otherwise disabled" and living in the Warren County Poor House, at age 13, in 1880. Can't help but wonder what happened to those poor souls. I haven't found anything else about what happened to the case or these people - if anyone has additional info, please let me know.

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The articles:

Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, New York) - April 24, 1883

A bloody affray occurred at a farm house on Luzerne mountain, six miles from Glens Falls, in which George Dean, a resident of Luzerne, was cut in the arm with an ax, stabbed in the abdomen with a pocket knife, and shot in the back with a revolver. Frank Colt did the shooting, Nancy White used the ax, and Colt's ten-year-old boy employed the knife. All were roughly handled by Dean; he is dead and they are in jail.

Galveston Daily News (Galveston, Texas) - Jan 1, 1884

A Suspicious Death

GLEN'S FALLS, N.Y., December 31 - Great excitement prevails over the mysterious death of the wife of Frank Colts, at the top of Luzerne mountain, where Colts occupies a rough structure in the woods. A white woman of bad character had been an inmate of the place. She and Colts lived together in idleness, while the wife was compelled to work to support them. The pair are suspected of poisoning Mrs. Colts. The deceased frequently expressed a fear that her husband would kill her. The coroner will investigate the matter.

The New York Times (New York, New York) - January 1, 1884

A WOMAN'S SUSPICIOUS DEATH

GLEN'S FALLS, N. Y., Dec. 31. - Great excitement prevails here over the mysterious death of the wife of Frank Colts late this afternoon on the top of Luzerne Mountain, six miles north of here. The husband of the deceased woman occupies a rough, wooden structure in the woods. Nancy White, a woman of bad character, has been an inmate of the place for over a year. She and Colts lived together in idleness, while his wife has been compelled by him to work out and earn money and provisions for the support of the two. Although neighbors live within a few yards of Colt's house, not a word was heard of his wife being sick until some one went to the house and found her dead. The deceased woman frequently told the neighbors that her husband would kill her, and many believe that her fears were realized. Colts and Nancy White are suspected of having given the woman poison. The Coroner will investigate the case to-morrow. Colts was arrested last Summer for shooting two men who attempted to gain admission to his house, where the White woman was.

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Documents:

Queensbury, Glen Falls, Warren, New York - August 2, 1860
1860 United States Federal Census

Colt, Franklin - wm age 55, laborer, b. Canada
Colt, Mary - wf age 48, b. Canada
Colt, Franklin - wm age 14, b. Canada
Colt, Orson - wm age 16, b. Canada

Jail Record Book (1868-1883), Warren Count, New York

Colt, Franklin page 16 - November 10, 1869
Colt, Franklin Jr. page 26 - June 27, 1870

Luzerne, Warren, New York - July 15, 1870
1870 US Federal Census

Colts, Franklin - wm 76, stone mason, born Canada
Colts, Mary - wf 88, keeping house, born Canada
Colts, Franklin Jr - wm 28, farm hand, born NY
Colts, Joseph - wm 25, Works in Gannery, born NY
Colts, Mary J. - wm 28, at home, born NY
Colts, Franklin 3rd - wm 3, born NY
Colts, Minnie - wf 1, born NY

Criminal Indictment Records - Warren County, NY

Colt, Franklin Jr - indicted Sept 22, 1870 (no details)

Warren County Poor House, Warrensburgh, NY - June 2, 1880
1880 United States Federal Census
[The Almshouse records note that he was admitted Dec 14, 1875]

Colt, Frank - wm age 13, inmate, at school, born in New York
marked as "maimed, crippled, or otherwise disabled"

Village of Luzerne, Warren, New York - June 7, 1880
1880 United States Federal Census

Dean, Orrin - wm 60 - farmer - born NY
Dean, Amanda (wife) - wf 51 - keeping house - born NY
Dean, George (son) - wm 28 - farmer - born NY

Village of Luzerne, Warren, New York - June 8, 1880
1880 United States Federal Census

Colt, Franklin Jr. - wm age 35, farmer, b Canada, pb Canada
Colt, Mary J. (wife) - wf age 37, keeping house, b NY, pb NY
Colt, Charley (son) - wm age 6, at home, b NY, pb NY

Warrensburg, Warren Co., NY - 1890 Veterans Schedules
[this would be Frank Sr., father of the criminal]

Colt, Franklin D, Private - Co. E
Enlisted: Aug 20, 1863
Discharged: Aug 20, 1864
Enlisted: September 1864
Discharged: August 1865
Served: 1 year and 11 months.

of Lucerne, New York - Chronic Diaorrhaia
Gun shot wound in left hip.