Who Murdered William Lyman?

For William Lyman, the night of October 20, 1837, was proving to be a typical fall evening in upstate New York. The husband and father of four was just closing up his office after a busy day of work, ready to retire for the evening. His home was only a 10 minute walk from the office, and as he strolled along, he was completely unaware of the young man stealthily following him. Less than five minutes after locking his business door, Lyman would be shot in cold blood, destined to become the City of Rochester’s first murder victim.

Lyman was employed as a purchasing agent for a local mill, and he was well-known around town as a hard-working, respectable man who could be trusted. Because of his solid reputation, Lyman was often entrusted with large sums of money from the mill to be deposited in the bank. On the night of his murder, Lyman was carrying several thousand dollars in his hat, which was to be deposited the following day, along with a few hundred dollars in his coat. When his body was discovered shortly after the killing, only the money in the coat had been taken; apparently the murderer had missed the great sum hidden in the hat. For the man pulling the trigger, however, several hundred dollars was enough to make the crime worth it.

Octavius Barron was just 18 years old when he put a bullet in William Lyman’s head, but he already had a history of petty criminal behavior and was known as a miscreant around town. Barron often engaged in petty robbery to supplement the income he was receiving as a barge worker. Hanging out with gamblers and prostitutes also didn’t help his reputation, and neither did the fact that he was of French Canadian descent. At that time, people coming to America from French Canada were looked down upon by many in the States, so Barron already had one strike against him when he committed his crime.

For Octavius Barron, October 20, 1837, was a busy day of plotting. He spent most of the morning and afternoon lurking around Lyman’s office, watching the businessman and waiting for the cover of darkness. Lyman walked the same route everyday after closing his office, and Barron knew this. He knew the distance from Lyman’s office to his home, and he knew precisely when and where to pull the trigger. He also knew that chances were good that Lyman would be carrying a large sum of money. When Lyman headed for home, Barron quickly made his move and escaped with the money. He headed to a local tavern, where he and two friends (who would later be charged as accomplices) spent the evening flashing their money and talking about the crime in loud whispers, attracting the attention of several other bar patrons.

With all his boasting, however, Barron didn’t realize that at that same time, authorities were going over the crime scene, piecing together clues, and ultimately pinpointing the murderer. In just a few short hours, Barron would be arrested at the train station trying to escape Rochester. With the evidence stacked against him, he went to trial on May 28, 1838, with barely a chance to ever taste freedom again. The trial was a spectacle; of course, Rochester had never had a murder, let alone a trial of that magnitude. People packed the courthouse wanting to learn all the details and eager for a glimpse of the killer among them. The trial dragged on for 10 days, with most of the time spent painting Barron as a low-life turned killer who would never escape his criminal ways. Nonetheless, Barron never wavered in his plea of not guilty. Jurors saw otherwise, however, and found the young murderer guilty as charged, sentencing him to die at the gallows on July 25, 1838. And that was the fate of Octavius Barron…a life cut short by his own choices and the judgment of others.

There’s more to the story of Octavius Barron and William Lyman. You can find out more about the intertwined destiny of these two men in the fascinating documentary "Visions: True Stories of the Supernatural" by Ad-Hoc Productions. For more information on obtaining the DVD, go to http://www.ad-hoc-productions.com/.

Michael Keene is the producer of several internationally recognized independent historical films including Visions: True Stories of the Supernatural.