Florence Arlene Small

The murder of Florence Arlene Small occurred on September 28, 1916. She was the victim of a brutal murder in her home in Ossipee, New Hampshire. Her husband, Frederick L. Small, was convicted of the crime and was hanged on January 15, 1918.

Victim

Florence Arlene Small (née Curry) was born in Hortonville, Nova Scotia, in Fayville, Massachusetts, in December 1911. (Other reports give the couple's date of marriage as December 3, 1913.) The couple moved to Ossipee, New Hampshire, in May 1914.

On September 28, 1916, the couple's home in Ossipee, (Initial newspaper reports gave the location as Mountain View, New Hampshire.) Because of the remoteness of the cottage, the fire enveloped the house before rescuers could intervene. Mr. Small was away on a business trip, and Mrs. Small's body was found in the debris. Though she was badly burned by the fire, examiners found Mrs. Small to have "a cord about her neck, a bullet wound over one eye and wounds on the head." Police Inspector Andrew Houghton of a Boston-based detective agency investigated the case. In addition, Philip L. Davis stated that Small "kicked his wife, swore at her, and ordered her into the house" after a flagpole they were trying to install fell to the ground. The local physician testified that he was called to the Small establishment where he found the woman bleeding. Small admitted that he had "struck her over the head with a bootjack; damn it, I should kill her. I will kill her." after Mrs. Small ate lunch, Mr. Small beat, strangled, and shot his wife before leaving on a trip to Boston. This trip served as Small's alibi, since he was out of town when the house caught on fire. Small had with him his Masonic apron and other valuable papers, even though the trip was to be a short one. However, chemical residue (resin)

By New Hampshire law at the time, a year and a day was required between "the passing of a death sentence and its execution." The document alleged that one of the jurors stated that "he knew Small was guilty" before any evidence had been presented in the case. Small's lawyers also filed a motion for a new trial. Both were denied.

Florence Arlene Small is buried in the Grant Hill Cemetery in Center Ossipee.