This volume is attorney Charles H. Barrows's retained copy of transcripts of the "Trial of Edward F. Costello for the Murder of William A. Costello," held in Springfield, Massachusetts, in April 1891. The book begins with Costello's indictment, presented on September 24, 1890, which is followed by arguments and testimony from each of the trial's three days. Each day's transcript begins with an index, and the trial transcripts total 406 pages. The arguments of General Albert E. Pillsbury and District Attorney Charles E. Hibbard present the case against Costello, who shot and killed his son William on June 11, 1890. Costello's lawyers, Charles H. Barrows and Edwin F. Lyford, unsuccessfully attempted an insanity plea. Trial witnesses included Costello, his wife Adelaide, and several of his coworkers. The volume concludes with the closing arguments for the prosecution (Day 3: 13-51) and defense (Day 3: 52-86) and the judge's orders for the jury. The verdict is not recorded.
The following items are enclosed in a pocket inside the book's front cover:
- A letter from Massachusetts Attorney General George Marston to Charles H. Barrows about Barrows's appointment as assistant attorney general (August 1, 1881)
- A letter form Dr. Walter Channing to Charles H. Barrows and Edwin F. Lyford about his belief that Edward F. Costello had been legally insane when he shot his son (March 30, 1891)
- 21 pages of manuscript notes that Charles H. Barrows used during the Costello trial, regarding the legal definition of insanity and its application to Costello's case ([1890-1891])
- A letter from Edward F. Costello to Charles H. Barrows after Costello's release from prison (March 10, 1913)
Edward F. Costello was born in Keshcarrigan, Ireland, in the mid-1860s, and lived with his maternal grandparents after losing his father at the age of 7. In 1879, they sent him to the United States, where he lived for a time in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, working at a succession of factory jobs. He moved to Palmer, Massachusetts, in 1886, and obtained employment as a brakeman with the New London Northern Railroad; he later had an accident that cost him a leg. He married Adelaide Victoria Burns (b. 1866) on December 25, 1887, and their son, William A. Costello, was born on November 7, 1888. Costello, often drunk, grew jealous of his wife, whom he suspected of cheating on him. On June 11, 1890, after discovering that his wife was pregnant with their second child, he shot and killed William and attempted to kill Adelaide. He faced indictment in Springfield, Massachusetts, in September 1890, and his case went to trial on April 6, 1891. After his insanity plea failed, Costello was sent to the Massachusetts State Prison in Boston; he was released in the spring of 1913. Adelaide's second child, also a son named William, was born in September 1890.
