Bio

George R. Long was the name used by the man convicted of murdering Lucina Courser Broadwell in Barre, Vermont. His real name was later identified as George Rath. He had taken the name “Long” before moving to Vermont. 

By 1919, Long was living in Barre and was connected to the Parker house, a residence run by Isabelle Parker. Parker operated the home as a place where men and women met for paid private encounters.

Long became a suspect after Lucina’s husband said he believed she had been involved with someone living at the Parker house. At first, Long denied knowing Lucina. However, investigators later found evidence that Lucina had written to a friend about meeting a lodger named George at Parker’s house.

Isabelle Parker later admitted that Lucina had been at her house on the night of the murder and had met with Long. Long eventually admitted that he knew Lucina and had paid her for sexual relations. He also admitted paying Parker for the use of the room, but he denied killing Lucina.

Murder Story

Lucina Courser Broadwell was murdered on May 4, 1919, in Barre, Vermont. She was 29 years old, married to Harry Broadwell, and the mother of three children. Her body was discovered at about 7:30 a.m. by Harold Jackson, a Brookfield resident who was out walking. Lucina was found face down in the Wheelock garden, off North Main Street. She was clothed only in shoes, stockings, and gloves. Her other clothing, hat, pocketbook, and watch were found near her body.

Lucina’s hands had been tied behind her back with one of her undergarments. A portion of her clothing and a man’s white handkerchief were tied around her neck. Marks on her neck showed that she had been strangled. The crime quickly became one of the most widely discussed murder cases in Vermont at the time.

At first, suspicion fell on Lucina’s husband, Harry Broadwell. Investigators looked into him because spouses were often examined first in domestic murder cases, and there were local rumors about the marriage. However, private detective James R. Wood Jr. of the Wood Detective Agency reviewed Harry’s movements and determined that he had an alibi. Wood then focused attention on the Parker house and on George Long.

The investigation showed that Lucina had visited Isabelle Parker’s house on the night before her body was found. Parker admitted that Lucina had met Long there. Evidence also suggested that Lucina and Long had eaten together shortly before her death, and the autopsy supported that timing. Long first denied knowing Lucina, but later admitted that he had met her and paid for sexual relations. He still denied killing her.

Detective Wood’s team developed several key pieces of evidence. One was a tire track found near the place where Lucina’s body was discovered. That track was later linked to a car rented by Long. Another was the white handkerchief tied around Lucina’s neck. A witness named Eddie Barron testified that he had given the handkerchief to Long. Wood’s investigation also found that Parker kept a red book listing names connected to meetings at her house, and Long’s name was linked with Lucina’s on the date of the murder.

George Long and Isabelle Parker were arrested on May 15, 1919, and taken to the Washington County jail in Montpelier. They were arraigned the next day. A grand jury indicted both of them on June 11, 1919. During this period, investigators learned that George Long’s real name was George Rath and that he had adopted the name Long before arriving in Vermont.

Long’s trial began on October 7, 1919, with jury selection. Opening statements began on October 10. The prosecution relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including his connection to Lucina, the handkerchief, the tire track, and statements made around the time of the murder. On October 20, Long’s second statement to authorities was read to the jury. In that statement, he admitted paying Lucina and Isabelle Parker but continued to deny murder.

On October 24, 1919, Daisy Luce testified that she had spoken with Long on the morning Lucina’s body was discovered. During that conversation, Long allegedly said, “There would be one less woman in Barre.” The statement became one of the most damaging pieces of testimony against him.

The trial lasted nearly a month and included many witnesses. The defense argued that Long had no reason to kill Lucina because the two had been involved with each other. The prosecution argued that the circumstantial evidence, taken together, pointed to Long as the killer. On October 31, 1919, the jury found George Long guilty of second-degree murder.

On November 5, 1919, Long was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Windsor State Prison. He appealed the conviction, but the Vermont Supreme Court denied his appeal in 1922. The court described the killing as brutal and upheld the conviction.

Isabelle Parker was not ultimately convicted of murder. After Long’s trial, she pleaded guilty to operating a house of ill fame and received a sentence of two to four years. Because of health issues, she was temporarily allowed to remain free while seeking clemency, but her petition was denied. She began serving her sentence in April 1920 and died on September 5, 1922.

George Long’s case remains known as one of Vermont’s most discussed early twentieth-century murder trials. The conviction rested largely on circumstantial evidence, but the jury accepted the prosecution’s case and found him guilty. The most accurate summary is that George R. Long, whose real name was George Rath, was convicted of the second-degree murder of Lucina Courser Broadwell and sentenced to life in prison.