Stories of historical murders on the South Shore

John F. Gallagher

In the Shadow of Evergreen

The Murder of Cornelius Holmes in Kingson,  Massachusetts

In the spring of 1868, the Massachusetts State Constabulary launched an investigation into the brutal murder of Cornelius Holmes, a wealthy Kingston resident. His battered body was discovered lying on an isolated cart road near Evergreen Cemetery in Kingston’s Jones River Village. The shocking revelation of the murder quickly spread, instilling fear in the once-peaceful rural community and attracting intense media attention. This nonfiction account marks the author’s fifth installment in a series of books that examine obscure, century-old murders in various towns across southeastern Massachusetts. His enthusiasm for history and experience in criminal investigations have inspired him to explore and document these unsettling episodes and the impact they had on the communities in which they occurred.

"Having read his first book, I could have guessed that author John Gallagher had served over 30 years on the Boston Police Department and served as the Chief of Detectives. In his research he left no stone unturned in pursuing the cases. He relayed the stories in context of the limits of the law and forensics available in each time period and explored the differences."

Douglas Paul Ulwick, President - The Historical Society of Old Abington