The Crime Web: Samuel Green

Serial murder can be linked back hundreds of years to Elizabeth Bathory who killed young virgins, as she believed bathing in their blood would keep her youthful looks.

However, criminologists agree the Samuel Green is America's first serial killer, who reigned terror across New England from 1817 to 1822.

Born in the hamlet of Meredith New Hampshire, Green's poor hardworking parents thought the child was possess at an early age when he played truant from school. They resorted to thrashing the child with switches. AS a teenage apprentice to a blacksmith, Green was caught stealing, where he was whipped again. On his return home he was whipped again, in revenge he threw the family dog down the well. The dead animal contaminated the water, and the well had to be cleaned. For this Green was whipped again.

The family gave up and sent Green to Newhampton to live with a man called Dunne. For a short period of time Green settled down into school. But soon began to truant again for which he was beaten. Samuel stole a jew's harp from a local store and was flogged when apprehended. He fled home to his parents who flogged him into unconsciousness when they had heard the news and sent him back to Dunne. Dunne flayed Samuel's back until a layer of flesh had peeled away.

Green decided to kill Dunne for this last beating. Green had arranged for an axe to accidentally fall on his master's head. if that failed a pitch fork was placed above the barn door. Dunne was lucky and escaped both incidents with only minor injury. For this Green was tied to the barn door and whipped until his back was a welted bloody mass of flesh.

Again Green retaliated and destroyed a hogshead of cider, he was, of course, whipped for this. Green then tried to burn down Dunn's bar unsuccessfully, and was beaten senseless with whips and Dunne's fists.

Dunne gave up the fight after some time and Green left to embark on a career or passing counterfeit notes with another youth named Ash in Newhampton.

As they passed a school house, Green decided to seek vengeance on those who represented to pain of his childhood and threw a large piece of timber under a speeding sleigh loaded with children, almost killing them.

For revenge the two battered youths lay in wait for the schoolmaster in a remote spot. They knocked him unconscious with rocks, stripped him naked tied him up and left him to freeze to death. (He was found hours later and narrowly survived).

Green and Ash moved through Guildford, and Burlington, Vermont where Green enlisted in the army. He quickly went AWOL and was flogged at the guardhouse when he was caught. He fled again and went home to New Hampshire, he was quite wealthy with thousands of dollars worth of counterfeit notes. He purchased a cow for his mother (the only sign of love he has ever shown) and spent the rest on himself with fancy clothes, a horse, expensive jewellery and meals.

When the money ran out, Green went to Boston and hired himself out as a servant to wealthy men. During the day he was a loyal servant, at night he robbed his masters and fled.

Outside Bath, New Hampshire, Green again teamed with Ash. They encountered a jewellery sales man who allowed the two to inspect his wares. Later the two men waited to ambush the peddler, when he strode past them, they knocked him from his mule and took his money. Ash said they should kill the man. Green hesitated a movement then brought his club down upon the unconscious man, bashing in his head and killing him on the spot.

Green's wild adventure's became less secretive as he ranged though New England, robbing and murdering at will. He was jailed several times on suspicion, but evidence was lacking in most cases. Ash also helped Green to escape on several occasions. Once in Montreal, Green fought his way through an entire posse of men when he was looting a jewellery store. Shooting several of the men in the process.

He was finally caught and thrown into jail. Soon he was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang. As was expected, Ash broke Green out of jail and they returned to New Hampshire. After a quiet period of hiding out, Green went on another crime spree burglarising stores in Albany, New York and in New York City. He then went to Vermont, where he robbed and shot to death a wealthy French traveller. Nothing was beyond the ambitions of Samuel Green. He left a trail of rape, horse stealing, burglary, counterfeiting and murder, from Montpelier, Vermont to Schenectady, New York; from Saco, Maine to Barre, Vermont. He became America's first Enemy Number One. Half the country was looking for him.

Green's end began when he was arrested in Danvers, Mass. for stealing $30 worth of goods from a store when he was blind drunk. He was convicted and sent to Boston State Prison for a four year sentence. He attempted escape several times and was fitted with special shackles with weighted clogs to slow his movements, several more years were added to his sentence.

Green learned a Negro prisoner named Billy Williams had informed on him about his last escape attempt. Once release from solitary confinement, Green vowed revenge. He put poison into William's food, but the wary convict did not eat it.

Finally, Green cornered Williams alone in a shop on November 8, 1821. Wielding an iron bar, he pounced on the informer. He brought the weapon down on William's head giving him a fractured skull. While the man lay unconscious at his feet, Green kept hammering at him with the bar, breaking all of William's ribs and his arms and legs. William died a week later from his injuries.