The Shocking End of Charles Tucker
- S.M. McClure
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Before dawn broke on June 12, 1906, under the shadow of Charlestown State Prison’s cold granite façade, Charles Louis Tucker was strapped into the electric chair. The current surged, and with it, the final chapter closed on a man condemned for one of Massachusetts’ most haunting crimes. Convicted of the savage murder of 41-year-old Mabel Page in her quiet Weston home two years prior, Tucker’s death marked not just the end of a life, but the chilling climax of a case that gripped—and divided—a nation.
A Note, A Knife, and a Pin
The crime itself was bloody and shocking. Mabel Page had been found in her family’s home by her father. She was violently stabbed in her neck and right wrist. Nothing was reported stolen other than some cash from her purse, and the murderer managed to flee the house unnoticed in broad daylight. The only clues that detectives could find were a handwritten note next to her body that said "J.L. Morton, Charlestown, Mass.," and a bloody handprint left on Page's skirt.
After several initial leads proved fruitless, suspicion soon turned toward Charles Tucker, a Boston railroad worker who happened to be a colleague of Mabel Page’s brother. Witnesses reported seeing Tucker near the Page residence on the day of the murder—an unsettling detail that quickly drew the attention of investigators.
One particularly damning account came from Arthur Woodward, a local fish merchant. Woodward told police that he had given Tucker a ride home in his fish wagon that very day. As Tucker stepped down from the wagon, Woodward claimed, a leather sheath for a five-inch knife slipped from his pocket and landed on the seat.
As authorities dug deeper, Tucker’s past began to cast an even darker shadow. Though never charged with anything serious, he had a history of petty theft. More troubling still was his connection to the mysterious death of his wife, Grace Tucker, in 1903. Just months after their wedding, the couple went canoeing on the Charles River. The boat overturned, and both were thrown into the water. Grace’s body was recovered the next day, but with no clear signs of foul play, the tragedy was ruled an accident.
Still, the combination of Tucker’s dubious past and the incriminating knife sheath was enough to warrant further investigation. A search of his home uncovered a broken Swedish pocketknife, believed to match the sheath found in the wagon, and a Canadian stickpin allegedly belonging to Mabel. With this evidence in hand, authorities arrested Charles Tucker and formally charged him with murder on April 9, 1904.
The Trial of Tucker
The case against Tucker moved rapidly through the courts, fueled by sensational press coverage and a public hunger for retribution. Tucker was ultimately convicted on January 25, 1905, largely on circumstantial evidence: a bloody thumbprint, some conflicting testimony, a past as a petty thief, his broken pocket knife, and his erratic behavior in the days following the murder.
On January 27, 1905, Judge Edgar A. Sherman pronounced Tucker's sentence over his cries of innocence as follows:
“10 days prior to Sunday, June 10, the prisoner shall be removed from the jail at East Cambridge to the state-prison at Charlestown, where, during the week of June 10, he shall suffer death by electricity.”
Despite the conviction, a cloud of uncertainty continued to hang over the case. As Tucker sat on death row, public opinion began to shift. Many came to believe that the evidence presented at trial was largely circumstantial, lacking the definitive proof needed to justify such a severe sentence. Support for Tucker swelled in the months leading up to his execution, with some questioning whether justice had truly been served. His youth, just 22 years old at the time of the crime, only added to the public’s unease. Petitions for clemency circulated, and voices from both the press and the public began to call for mercy.
A Plea to the President
As the date of Tucker’s execution loomed, a surge of last-minute appeals flooded Governor Curtis Guild’s desk. One was even noted to have over 100,000 signatures and argued that Tucker was too young to receive such a harsh punishment. The Governor's response was short and blunt as he declined to grant a stay of execution:
“Men of no greater age have served in national parliaments and commanded armies that have changed the destinies of the world.”
With the Governor making it clear that he would not intervene, Tucker's supporters made a desperate plea to President Theodore Roosevelt. Though the presidency held no direct power to halt a state execution, Tucker's supporters felt that Roosevelt's voice could carry significant influence.
The president reviewed the case—and declined to intervene. His response was careful and calculated: while he acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns, he stated it was not the place of the federal government to override state jurisdiction in the matter.
With that final door closed, Tucker's fate was sealed.
The Shocking Conclusion
On that grim morning of June 12, 1906, Charles Tucker was executed in the electric chair of the Charlestown State Prison. Throughout his incarceration, Tucker always maintained his innocence. Witnesses said Tucker walked calmly to the chair, a picture of resignation or, perhaps, defiance. His final words were:
"I have told you all I am innocent. I am ready to go to my death without a quiver. Goodbye."
Did Charles Tucker murder Mabel Page on March 31, 1904? We may never know for certain.
A Faded Testament
Now, over a century later, a spectral photograph survives—a 1906 image of Charlestown State Prison. Time has drained the photo of its sharpness, leaving behind a pallid, ghostlike rendering of the prison’s imposing walls. On the back, a faint handwritten note reads: “Where Tucker was electrocuted.”
It is this image—faded, fragile, and brimming with unspoken memory—that now emerges at Phantasmagoria. More than a picture, it is an authentic relic that captures a singular moment in time: the intersection of justice, doubt, and death. In the shadowy grain of the paper, you can almost hear the low hum of the dynamo, the final footsteps, and the silence that followed.
This image is available for purchase here:
Sources:
Commonwealth vs. Charles L. Tucker, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (1905)
“Massachusetts Mayhem & Mystery: Mabel Page (Part 3),” GenealogyBank Blog
“Charles L. Tucker,” The Atlanta Georgian, June 12, 1906
“Charlestown State Prison,” Wikipedia
“President Roosevelt Refuses to Intervene,” The Boston Globe, June 10, 1906 (archival reference)
“List of People Executed in Massachusetts,” Wikipedia
"Murder Came Calling," New York Daily News, January 13, 2019
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