Legendary Murders in The Schenevus Area
About the time when what is now called Route 7 was being built, a pack peddler who was traveling through the town, stopped at an inn for the night. As the legend goes, the pack peddler got involved in a poker game which later lead to an argument. He was then taken upstairs and somehow murdered. They then dragged him down to the cellar were he was supposedly buried. Legend has it that some people had heard sounds of something being dragged down the stairs at night. They also say that there was a permanent blood stain on the upstairs floor. The house at which this supposedly occurred in has since been destroyed.
Sometime in the early history of the town of Maryland, a triangle murder took place. It involved a farmer, his wife, and their hired hand. Apparently, the wife and the hired hand were involved in a relationship. Together, they planned to get rid of her husband. They first stabbed him repeatedly in the abdominal area with a pitchfork. To cover up any evidence of the murder, they placed him in their barn, which they then set on fire. The fire was extinguished and the corpse was found. The murderers apparently got away.
Murders
1834 Marks the First Murder Recorded in the Town of Maryland
It occurred at the corner of Schenevus and Elk Creek Road. Located at this site was a General Store owned and operated by Mr. Slingerland. The trouble began when a group of "rowdies" entered the store and caused destruction. In self-defense, Mr. Slingerland hit one of the rowdies over the head with an axe handle. The following morning the boy was pronounced dead. Mr. Slingerland was arrested and tried before the Justice of the Peace. The verdict read, "not guilty by virtue of having acted in self-defense."
An Unsolved Murder
The next murder brings us to 1857. Nathaniel Hazen, better known as Doc Hazen, a blacksmith who also sold home cures, was last seen on his way to visit with a family who lived five miles from his shop on the corner of Main and Prospect Streets. The next spring, only half a mile away from his destination, Doc Hazen was found in a stream lodged under a piece of timber. The cause of death wasn't exactly known, but he suffered multiple body injuries and was robbed of his valuable belongings. The murderer was never found, and the case remains an unsolved mystery.
First Woman to be Electrocuted in New York
The first woman to be electrocuted in New York was Eva Coo from Maryland, New York. On June 14, 1934, a defenseless handyman, Harry, was murdered by his employer, Eva Coo. Apparently, her motive was to collect his life insurance. The unsuspecting victim was invited to go for a ride with Eva and her friend, Martha. After luring Harry out of the car, Eva brutally beat him over the head with a mallet. As soon as Harry was beaten badly enough, Eva motioned motioned for Martha to drive the car over Harry's body. She then dumped the corpse in a gutter in front of her place of business, a bar located where the "Mini-Motel" once stood. Martha was confronted with a twenty year prison sentence, while Eva Coo was put to death in the electric chair on June 27, 1935.