Scene from the Harry A. Kirby murder case, Winthrop, 1925
Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media
Suspect: Harry A. Kirby a.k.a. James Crawford or Louis Blunt
Accusation: Murder, Attempted Murder, Kidnapping, Arson
Location: Winthrop, Maine
Date: 1925
Victim: Aida Hayward and Emma Towns
On May 19, 1925, Harry A. Kirby (circa 1895-1925), also known as James J. Crawford or Louis Blunt, broke into the lakeside Winthrop, Maine cottage of Aida Hayward (1887-1925) and her aunt Emma Towns (1869- 1930). Kirby shot Emma twice—once in the arm and once in the jaw—and kidnapped Aida, promised he wouldn’t harm her. Kirby returned three hours later to set fire to the house. Emma, clinging to life, climbed through a window and alerted the neighbors. They quickly organized a search. Three days later, searchers found Aida Hayward’s body at Kirby’s nearby rented cabin. Searchers looked for Kirby, who escaped to Massachusetts by train.
Kirby altered his appearance and evaded the police. Investigators located his wife Ruby in Saco, Maine, who provided a photograph of him and his daughter, which newspapers circulated. The photograph ultimately led to his arrest.
Investigators found luggage with Kirby’s initials containing broken keys matching his rented cabin; ceramic dishware—a perfect surface for collecting fingerprints; and false teeth, which Kirby wore. Meanwhile, Kirby stopped and rented a room in Newburyport, Massachusetts. The landlady recognized his photograph in the newspaper and alerted authorities who arrested him on May 25, 1925, his identity confirmed by his false teeth.
Initially, Kirby told his wife and Augusta investigators he found Aida’s body in a different cabin and brought it to his rental to “protect someone” else. After ten days in custody, Kirby confessed. He claimed his initial motive was robbery, but drunk on bootlegged liquor, he shot Emma in a “frenzy.” He kidnapped Aida for ransom, but later strangled her to death.
On September 14, 1925—the day before his trial was set to begin—Harry A. Kirby died by suicide using a razor blade inside his Augusta jail cell.