“ envio eter.
soe Sele FAS
Spe. Staid.”.~ iy. tramps,
he wrote on the fly. leaf
out for ¢xamifation, the
of Na sys bel fu of the execntion 1
old, thougt he 7 wife, bis stilb very a1 Pris atter
lee is Hfty-eight years old.” is} rx lone nn ee ce. The tradion
. Domenica that the. day of cee eeentnsye cloody is
of ‘ode ean
fored z whining brightty
apoli. ‘tata ube telts of Capone and Santores
rt
Seen nae) a
Lewiston Journal. 7
THE
g
&
Pi gshert sips that populate the:
| pipe. A smile. flashed +f
| Kissed bis trans to us as. we. verbo nm rll
if
rn
cee
xa
a
$3 iso passed the nighé in their
‘Without was~a guard who in felr s
walked through the corrid
t minutes. They
i
8
R
trial of
Of the form:
19cb
rilit
. | He bas «. queer way of touching his tinger tips
» | 20 -bis “forenead ba Boapne henge
he.
gfe
ay “ bad 1
Bek, goo book.” asked bim if
f
na
ty
E
=
is
ok.
Be
ne
te a
8
#
Hf)
|
gy
~
—
yw
gti assertion a the
Geciared: Skstaned Bev s fara fn
ewen AP
a Brakcace Vine or the J Priest
m2 AE EIS PE
Two. OMASTON, a
25 mtputes of 12 py my: match ane
i. shaging. and the pelagsts
; | the workshop: Into
heartily, at some Joke, with thes
hanging beam upon them f Z
os action miro tore saw the Laat
ateon, ‘apone lore
pat deantifal prretine which © flooded
tie, basGapoae, tite,
sad. @ ha os
Be PEN
s y.war! here bf local time, -and “do their! ber
ile ses Standard tine. Although it is bat |
firmly, nt ald also Senvore Po Be
: scat
‘nor, I now bang you by the neck until yous
dead, Deait, and may:God hi
Sloped tore ‘Daiférin’s reported aview's
' poate the'deli nits
. Nag settat ory!
PF MOU ADLE Ley yi tl |
rates at the Jorn
PU sseeereete see a
"t Mie
ney is splendid
: spears. of, send, for friends
The Alles Line are’ “eba
i pastage t6 or front “Portia:
nd Granville tand or Scotland, dour €
mchiteod Im
=e 2. Albem
ea trew ttock of the bes
‘edlved at ly reduced j
ptm at wbalersie Bex
Paerbest
ma — Betwee ie biinnn
G ek oo os Hin, auvarn, 1 D
“B.hote ant other,
ahd to P.
ANTED.~A iright,
era Union Telescap
¥ by
e Ve vee inue
7
atGay, Woopuase & Co's
sNews Fricio Press save walle ne
ig : re$a says while t
Paod: Lord: Dafferin have been
8 | toables ba’
Sey pee
rd in. ac. edltoctal-aays :. We |
ay Ayt once. att Grat-cl
ANTED—A capable
EW. housework. Tnqui
. PSaxps, 128 Binke st
work. Mus. O. B.
f ANTED—A small f
a woman
dee JAE. WF27 2 / Se
CS 0
Cie had hace cs atdsaed dry Vhs peed ba Load Lf Les
Bltive Moco flr Ley Aled bith Onghe J
Lh Live ee OP Tae ee Ke ahiye Mes
pperred F Cox, lythiaue CAiMlaiwan OPS.
Ga hey cage Life dihy dofedrced gystee faethe
eS See Q iL. Mage Ea PTI gh
lio IU Pade 32 a le tale Laverne pura, Laven, he Lilie
iaihand ae In this term
ca es mrss, OF time, t wes Pia to ap dnd write, and
ences pth, in the Baptit perfuafion of religion, ©
os HE in anges bot having 00 conftant inftruétor, ~
et a | feldom = tended meeting, aiid early con- x
bate ca | abe she habit of, mifpending the Lord’s |
eo
Une taeiite:. At ‘18 years of age, t was ut tothe Black- ©
" eaves - gauith’s trade, with Abijah Fekch, of Limer-
un ete Se 4 ich Snore wher reid two yearsanda 4.
eee Es aN Sa g, I helieve, tokrable fatisfation, — :
Pacts to A ala t ane a er cnaltes and his fainily. From
hdd aed ih a ao ‘orn my native tow. , and fet
: ate nding bufiac!s dull, and
a spol pa for digolust company »sLretiove
ee
Pe ae am Shapleigh to Sactarapp4 in Fale
Ups eee uae ne: pene that fetel z, 1 found
aes . ‘ {wearing, drinking, gaming,
ee Rae ing the Sabbath, and neg-
Be abetting aut ecu * } wécth which fog called ©
, ee mer cesy Age nage a id yard ia a we frort ume t was wiler thas 3
, eae Ae staat atts a fin, and inttesd of ferving, T
Pee i iis wks cee £ A. id ref walled to rule la my freiré of rigtand
pe fing rable bodily power
; they were enlified ia the
; rs; other which | added fuel tomy
y, ectole. La fl.wns, and rspicly
| ¢ civelty and malignicy cf my
«
«ial egy
ie a ~ tye.
4
ent had never fee oe |
_ youth, that no miquity may | aye t
offered haar {fh gaa,
though ie ips yere feen under he mare
gin cf fis cap contisually moving Mo
prayer, 6 the very latt moment, of his |
probation, A few minutes befote thite
o'clock (ihe fignal being given) i plank
on which he ttood let go, and drop
ped him into eternityya. |
hia Een was oat ed imprefive bee |
0 ription, i imepit who wee :
; reed thing of ote
before ; and we f:vey ly bape they: may. ia
riever fee the like, ie fue The great.
order and filence whith every where pre-
vailed, leads us to hope chet it was bist ae
for the rifing generation efpecially, agli vee
prefent at this public fpectacie, and that |
the fight and eso TArlag of this Biss
ie VKAin of vice and wickednefa, will deter”
them from evil courfes, and conflrain thei re ate
to goveta their pailions, ‘end Vive end
carve their Maker in the deys le oe
@
itinion over them. ! a4 ie if : Ae
ee ee eaion ft OF ‘ cite es 2
IOSER IDES W. ee ee :
.
bs Aol
ean
| JOSEPH eats wis pid Sha set
lei h, ¢ ic ork mt Be
oa ted wi ae dattg a ;
¥
ee
am
4g
‘ " * ipa , i z tag Ss oe,
4S ee ‘ Bec erie ae 5 ae Sees e eats a3
ee Bi Sree ieies cies LEIS AS tee te se Cato Pee hese <
? ae i, Siler oe Sip et “ shcree He. St Pee he = ie
*, 2 Sa te He
e
-_
=~
=
FI
os
dl ,
"into the madness of iniquity, Small Sins,
* nat heart, : ske way for the entrance
ti mi , i wes i Si i:
4 eh ore bid oy
het DP Sos: '
oh be¥ " A ne Rie @ tut
ap a) Pie BP
y. a Y ‘ a t t
iat 1 ey
t- ; ‘
fpolitions hey fall by infenfidle degrees
s of. vice, prefent them- f
n admiffion into the car-
» felves firft, «
till its corruptions are nuatured,
urft forth like = cotrens, and mark
r pach with defoletion. So that wher
‘in che power of bad
and wader the controu! 9 his i
fiions, the greatercrimes do not fet
fo une: onfcience 33 the :mai-
‘eft did when be firft entered the mazes offin.
ence. the. blefiednefs of the man, who)
eth not ia the counfel of the ungodly bn
pp ai bohey way of Groers: nor fiz 7
gnd endure fin ; and
i
:
i
if
=
i
;
“
}
.4
ay
#3
2
2,
z
=
te
P|
* te
=
—
»
Es
= R
3
Ps
4
[
+
E
3
tife and confeffion of the unhappy man.
befnee yau, who is pow to expiate wii:
the crime which he bas commit.
God aad Society ; and to clofe
an ignominious ee
Nhe Canfegion was then read, after which:
flew imoreffive snd appropriate Pray-,
)” ee wea made by Rev. Mr. Kellogg. The. :
Celaninalall this cime ftopd in big. place, ©
“Ba Scarce a perecivable motion, sod |
fe& Gilence, except when addrefied
Rises:
igs?
cok
4
5.
z
3
=!
5
t Pi
i . oh el ee
te eae ‘ ate ep
t
: —
¥ oe |
‘i
if ght
wit ,
‘
\
4
a
ie
i
i %
ij
ie Bt ey
we
ay a,
; ‘ {
t
y j
4H4
:
f
thieake
ore than
vho hive
ig ters.
rite, and
religion,
Mrytor,
arly con-
¢ Lord’s
1¢ Diack-
if Limer-
ears and a
tista€tion,
y, From
_, and fet |
dull, and
1) “*N0Ve
be Fal-
ty 1 found
, gaming,
1, and neg-
gan called
émy heert;
‘wifer thaa -
f {erving, I
é of riot
pan Sapeen
vt Pie Seat aes
: viii. i seh nt iter ‘ gir 3? 5
7 s dnd ; :
| Paved the caule of Babi Quyindy: ageinkt —
. Evenéter Parker, a theriff, who, on cis even-
t .
\ ‘
‘is
ae 3
> Gadng of the rith of January {att, came wm the ;:
thop where I was at worliyin onder to arreft
rible ¢ Figg the firlt blow, of which he lan.
| gritised Gifted. And .2t-May Termof |
We Judicisl Court, in this towne
nimpigitial trial, 1 -wae foosd guilty of
+ @ptytmitcing aturder on the body of the faid
| Ebenerer Pasker, and on the 28th at
penth, received the joft and awful [es
: @i Death, Buc ‘my heart was GT :
ria
Hi
§ g
Poo teus ee
5 2 ®. )
4
ifr
a
S
:
<
-
. mS
ary
ee :
Seed
Pon a Wr rich +3 Aa si
a CY So hey Me ef + er
$f0 20% rhb ri : Pi
bh ac? pias ee + Wiens ¥ : wa
u *% J Pie aot Z ae
o ¥ ys se : 2
ee ee tae
eye 1 . oF ee:
; ; é
‘
rh , ;
yo 4 3 oe - ae
«
ofa
— wownce all age
RNer oa eo ems
a yee PA Py tahoe BOREL
sey aie
Fett % ¥
Ne
t
Roi
as how I have pe:
end of my bei
fach a Saviour ?
cious. blocd, 5
from al} fin; &
tranigrefigr may
holy Gad. Tk
*mity with God,
erernallife abidir.
humbiy hope,-a
‘Chrilt has taler:
ty and of a mur.
penitent, &
fafety, and to te:
any and 2!i ful
my condenvbatic
lines, when L ar
other childreg
which fuffered
€ live out half b
my Upoa hrs me
Iem7t acder
at Sacearsopar
fake their ev) |
és ekgmpers of de
Il lemert th
ELLIOTT, Seth, white, hanged at Knox, Maine, on February 3, 1825.
"Wiscasset, Maine, Nove 5, 182l-TRIAL FOR MURDER. = At the late term of the Supreme
Judicial Court held at Castine, in and for the county of Hancock, came on the trial
of Seth Eliott, of Knox, for the murder of his awn child{ The trial lasted two
days - excited the deepest interest, and was held in the MeetingeHouse, which was
filled to overflowing. Late on Saturday night last, the Jury returned a verdict of
Guilty, and the sentence of the law was pronounced against him on Monday. « Counsel
for prisoner = Messrs. Abbott and Orr. For the Government - Mr, Foote, attorney=
General, and Mr. Williamson, County Attorney, It is understood that a stenographer
attended during the trial, and we may expect soon to see a full account of the evidence and
arguments of the Counsel, = INT." COURIER, Charleston, SC, Nov. 19, 182) (2:5.)
"B25, hang ed Knox, | Maine. A
‘EBLILOIT, Seth, uhite,
** Pursuant to the potions Of ap act a at
Congress, approved on the @7th day of Ma
1884, by which the: President of the United
States is aathorized to borraw five milhos
dollare—NOTICE is hereby. govess; that scar.
Epossia Will be. ¢ attbe Treas. .
o att ones 183 h day of De.’
cembér next, ine usive,; di theten
‘eis required: unas the ol rer 3
the sum ‘are fe
of
on abe Pr ist day
5 and the. Pemaiomg: hall,
on she Sig .
of the Bank”
a at t New-York
"a teceipt for the fing -
ert niet ates ge atock, of the de .
ion. gy ora mentioned, beariug- fai
rest tcp the date ofthe deposite, will be is.
janed by the Commissioners of ‘Loans at Bos.’
(on; buvin order to. secure ‘to the United »,
; tates the pes samt Pasment of ‘the second ~
fomelaent, hortion: ‘thereof, y tte
Joseph, white. hanced Patmouth, Maine, July 21, 1008, oer
pifon, pepe i} ino a owhlte/vobe ind
veaecensrgemesoain. 1 = P ost ean, Wilh a hialter one hin bork and
G . colled up round his Deft Arm, He at
hy Ox AM Me Neat was greatly onttated at the view
riba of hls coffin; tuld Inoa eart, which pre-
sented Itself to him the moment he
aS rc/pot © ' : came aout of the mrison yard, together
it oat eee aeieaen { with the leh cheriff and all his
JOSEPH DREW DREW HUNG. - aie t deputies, and ao numerous trowd of
; } spectators.. He burst Into tears and}
Mgt cried out, (“Life fs sweet! Life fs’
Public Execution in Portland 100 Rweet!" and seemed deeply affected
Years Ago. 4. with the Sgnominy that awalted him. _
4 g But as he moved on towards the places
i of execution his spirit was soothed by
~~, Gruesome Sight. Witnessed by Nearly . the clergy aa were on his right -and
4090 Ecapte. ° left, and partleularly by being re-
PA 7 minded that the Saviour of the world
The Argus of 100 years ago this was led forth as a malefactor, not for
week contains an account of \the i his own sin, but for-the sins,of others,
hinging of Joseph Drew for the mur- and amid the Insults and scorn of the
der of Ebencser Parker, a deputy multitudes about him, whereas he was
sheriff, in Sacearappa on Monday ; going to suffer guflt for his own per-
night, January 11, 1808 It appears : -sonal offences, and yet received no in-
r that about two wecks before the mur- : dignitics from the populace, but the
: der took place, Deputy Sherif{ Parker topet pity and the prayers of thousands. ‘
had arrested Lev! Quinby on an exe- . When he arrived at the fatal snot
eutton for debt and pkiced him under ! he ascended the ladder with the hape
“the care of Richard King, who was ~ and composure of a penitent, and be-
ordered to keep him until Deputy ' ing placed by the exccutioner under
Parker had _perfotmed some other of- cP the gallows and facing his coffin and
fictal duty In Which he was engaged. grave, the high sheriff then read his
But on Quinby's promising to dellver , 2 ‘8 death warrant and informed him {ff he’
himself up whenever required, his. . , pate had anything to say there was now
keeper permitted him to go at large.j = oF |. -*." 4an opportunity. But he made no
‘After a number of:frultless efforts to; ° wan Neo eee reply. The Rev. Mr. Kellogg then:
have the execution settled, on the 11th ‘ : '- . | mentioned that there was a failure of.
of January, Deputy Parker again en-]> her epee the sermon expected in consequence
Geavored to arrest Quinby, who hid x Ae, of Its being thought expeticnt to have
himself fn Joseph Drew's blacksmith | ga ear, {t delf{vered In the open field, which
ghop. After endeavoring without suc-. Prete el “4 » Athe feeble health of the preacher
a cess to persuade Drew to let him intot eek 4would not admit. He then made some
}..the shop, stating that Quinby was his?- : observations Introductory to the read=- :
= . Prisoner, Parker burst open the door.. : ‘ ping of the Hife and confession of the peg om
‘Thercupon Drew threw a heated nalfl precuae | criminal. The confession fs printed in 2.
, rod and then a sledge at the deputy bate, NL ae , double-leaded type and occupies near- sf *
but without doing any material harm, Ge tate Patras “ty two columns of the Argus. Follow- Be)
; “During thelr fracas, Quinby remained . at \ing Is an abstract:
i concealed fn a dark corner of the shop .___ : (i *.+ 5 J, Joseph Drew, was born In Shap-
with a club in his hand. This club. > wae Ri Phe ea _ leigh, County of York, on the Sth of
- he threw towards the door and Drew: -_ sw SM a ee ny aise ORR hg als Oe Se i Coa ae
seized It and with it struck the officer”. areal ott ie
the blow which resulted In hfs death is ace een October, 1783, and I lived with my
“= -a few days later. At the: following” - ‘ /y 7. .: [parents till I was 18 years of sie “i f
May term of the Supreme -Judiclal | Pa sy without any outbreakings. Of Genta ]t¥s se Bes
Court, Chief Justice Parsons, presid-! ees fy ae “tas I recollect, more than Is common? ;
ing, Drew was tried, convicted, and! eee, © Li i oe with many youths who live without
zentenced to die on the gallows. The‘. °° «+ ye ON as God in the world. In this term of
execution took place’on Munjoy Hill,, [: * alae nee time I was taught to read and write,
July 21, 1808, being the third and last j ; ing and educated in the Baptist nereua sion %
) sublic execution that ever occurred in eye Te rig Bost a of religion, if In any; but having ne
: Periieaa. The first execution was of oh, , Sy ee ¢ Constant instructor, I seldom attended
Jobn Goodwin for throw!lng a man eee FO ys Emeeting, and early contracted fens
' overboard from a boat in Casco Bay. he So se Se ay habit-of mispending the Lord's day. ze
q < Fie was hung November 12. 1772. The} = °° | oe Be At 18 years of age I was put to
x second man to. be executed was; = > eS ea a the blacksmith’s trade’ with Abijah_
, dl rw ae Tae ener ari i Baile eb Gh - Feltch of it Soe Te ee :
¥ : A Eee agers out two years and a half, and gave,
B Thomas Bird for murder and pfraty.|°* | Bre eatin ge tat ae - ryiiape e, Aspiecais satisfaction both
s ' ite was hung June 25, 1780. Both of coe TN es Pg my maater and his family. From.
hee these execaslons took place on Braht- “4 o*,. + T thence I returned to my native town
aes hall's Hill, at the Junction of Congress “+. fand set up my trade. But finding
RISEN G Boca “am business dull, and feeling a thirst for
On ‘Thursday last at one oiclork f dissolute company, .[ removed from’ §
. ps xays, the PM Shas Drew was taken from ma Shapletzh,, to _-Saccarappa, In. Fal- fF
an
“poused the
yd wag at work,
ltmeantime Lo was
coany
‘murdercr hath eternal Hfé abiding in
tranath, And da TRA; Gat at
found exaniples of sweeties,
romio)e. quaarelllyg, oprofanting the?
Sabbath nad neglecting pubite wore
ship, whieh soon eartle a forth all os
drevdfatl depravittes of my hearty se!
thatcin a very short the Fowas w fee
than my teschers Jn sin, and Instead,
of serving. TPowas resolved to rule In,
every scene of riot and folly. i
And possessing canstderable bodil},
power and vigor, they were often on--
listed in the quarrehks of others, which
added fuel to my corrupt and frasciblé
pacsions, and rapldly o matured ~ the
cruelty and matlignity of my temper.
Itaving wickedly and wantonly | es-.
cause of Levi Quinby
aciunst Kbenezer Parken: as sheriff,
whe oan the evening of the 1ith of|
Jenuary last came to the shop where.
pl oe hs .,
drink tne, «
snid Quinhy, Ednstantly fell in a rage,
as D’arker broke open the door, and
with a mortal weapon gave him a:
blow upon the head, and as he sallied
towards. me, I repeated the stroke,
without knowing at the time, the ter-
rible effects of the first blow, of whitch!
he Jangttshed and died. And at the
May term of the Supreme Judicial
eorrt In this town, after an Impartlal
trlal, I was found guilty o commit-
tlig murder on tho body on the naid'
Iibenezer Parker, and on the 28th a
that month, fecelved the just and aw-
ful sentence of death. But my heart
wits still harder than the nether mill-
sone, and my mind for some wecks
was princlpally occupied with flatter-'
ing hopes of pardon, or of the com-]
mutition of my punishment. In ‘the
visited by several4
piece ministers who conversed and
prayed with me; but I felt more the
tisings, of temper and the fiashes of
resentinent at thelr plain dealing than
2
real sorrow or compunction forf
my gins, But when all hope -of es-j
eipe was gone, I desire to bless God,+
my wtout heart sunk within me, and
my. corrunt nature and wicked life.
hive since been continually before my.
eyes. I think I now see how I have:
heen decelved and destroyed by my
lusts. and passions; and how much I,
need such a Saviour as Jesus Christ,
whose precious blood, shed on fie.
crosa, cleanseth from all sin; and,
through whom the vilest trans.2rev-
sor may find mercy with a just ang
holy God. I know the carnal heart
is at enmity with God and that no
him: but I cannot but humbly hope, :
at times, that the spirit of Christ has}:
In order to arrest the,
—_—
ae
’
tnken from me the heart ‘of enmity ' ;
und of a murderer and given me tha.
: heart of a penitent, and made me will-
ing to rensunce all my sins, and all.
ether means of safety, and to recelye-
the J.ord Jesus as my only. and | sally
safficlent Saviour.
oh
t sine erely., ask forgiventan,
—
“ve out half his days, and -
-expressive of my present
j consolations
Hisjuread try ehery
Hyeds sand "eae
pee tail ‘of the whlew nnd children of
Pbeaexzer Parker, the dunoecent ov tetinn’
of my unprovoked and diabolical pas-
Slons, * > ws
whom to hove
hivve
petmeiis
Phuc where |
I most ardently pray my acquatnt-
ances at Saccarappa may profit by my
fall and fousake thelr evil ways which
“fend down to the chambers of death.
i 1 fervently pray, 1€ so great a sin-
ysner may Jook up to God,
-biitter regrets, and this glimmering
hoye, may be some consolation to my
‘parents, and especially to my poor
mother, If she yet survives the event
of my condemnation; and. that the
eight of these lines, when I am no
more, may restrain thelr other chil-
dren from the errors and Vices which:
suffered not thelr illfated brother to"
‘infamy upon his memory.
In prison, at
- 1808: Drawn p at my request and as
frame of
mind; and I hone God has given me
the grace of sincerity in what I have
now done;
“that he will forgive me.
JOSEPH. DREW.
After the confession was read, a
solemn, impressive and appropriate
prayer was made by Rev, Mr. Kellogg.
The criminal all this time stood tn his
place with scarce a perceivable mo-
tion,’ and in perfect silence, except
when addressed” by the clergy who
were near: him and offered him the
of religion. Under the
margin of hts can his lips were seen
j to be continually moving in prayer to
the very last moment of his probation.
A few minutes before .three o'clock,
the signal being given, the plank on
which he stodd was let go end
dropped him Into eternity. :
“The scene, says the Argus, was
awful and Impressive beyond de-
scription, a3 most of those present
had never seen anything of the kind
before, and we fervently hope’ they
may never see the. like In future.
Probably between 3560 and 4000 peo-
tit witnessed the execution.
that thesa
stamped ' :
4 ’
Portland, 20th Tuly,.—
or if I have erred ht hs
?
“TELEGRAM AUGUST 2 1908 >
enememnieentsir, sig 9 beet
SURVIVING MAINE -
’ VETERANS OF THE
_ WAR OF REBELLION |
: Bletches! of Portland Men Who Went-to the Front
\' purnE the Civil War. :
wees
HARRIS = hanged Maine, 3-12-1869 - Contineed, .
"Returning to Mrs. Kinsley's bedroom, the negro found that the accomplice had made way
with Mrs, Kinsley by stabbing her in the neck, ‘he negro was thensent for a light -
all the transactions above detailed having been in the dark, He proceeded to the
kitchen, but in trying to obtain a match he opened the matchbox and it turned out
that neither of the murderers could light a lamp. Having satisfied themselves of
this after some immaterial incidents, they sat down together upon the lounge in the
sitting-room and talked over the money matter, After sitting there a short time
the negro said: 'It is of no use to skay here, we can't find the money;! whereupon
they both arose and left the house by the back door, The negro asserts that when he
entered the house he had not the least idea that murder was contemplated, but when the
work was commenced he says he did his part, lhe negro says there was no attempt to
fire the buildings, The detective was sat&sfied previously from the inspection of
the pile of burnt wood found in the shed that it was simply something taken from a
stove, There was no light in the house during the execution of the terrible tragedy,
No attempt on the part of the murderers towash themselves there or divest themselves
of any clothing, It was about 2? o'clock A.M, when the murderers finished their
work, The above are the essential points of the negro's confession, although some
of his statements which bear upon the mestion as to who was his accomplice are
withheld for the present by the officers," TIMES, New York, NY, 2-16-186% (2-1)
CONCERNING TRIAL.
"., Harris, who is a mulatto, told us the following story, in a brief interview at the
Jail: 'My name is Clifton Harris; I am 19 years old, 5 feet 2 inches high, and weigh
10 lbs. I was born at Fortress Monroe, Vase, in 186, My parents, who, I suppose, are
now living, were free, and I was never a slave, I was with Gen, Sherman's army in
the march from Dalton to Savannah, as servant - first to Capt. Anderson, First Batta-
lion, United States Artillery; then to Major Robertson, Third United States Infantry.
When the army reached Savannah I enlisted as a private in Company I, First Calvary,
and served with the army to the close of the war. When I left the army I came North
and finally reached Portland. ‘Thence I came to West Minot where I learned to read
and write; thence to W, H. Keith's, at West Auburn, where I worked when I helped
commit this murder,.'",,,In Verrill's statement, he says he was a shoemaker, 1 years
old, a native of Minot, Me.,ee"eeeHarris read his Bible much, and says whisky stimu-
lated him to commit the murder, while he claims (luther S,) Verrill planned the job
and that he (Harris) had planned it he could have done the 'job better.',.." TIMES,
New York, NY 6-26-1867 (1-7),
"Clifton Harris, the negro who confessed being one of the murderers of the 2 old women
at Auburn Me,, was sentenced on the 8th inst., to solitary confinement at hard labor
in the State Prison for 1 year, and then to be hanged at such time as the Governor of
the State may direct." TIMES, New York, 7-1-1867 ( 3-7.)
"Lewiston, Me., Thursday, Jan, 30, 1868-The case of Verrill, convicted of the murder
of the two women in Auburn some months ago, which came up today on a motion for a new
trial, resulted in the motion being granted by Judge Dickerson, whereupon the S,ate
Attorney-General entered a noble pros, and Verrill was discharged, The result was
hailed with applause by a corwded courtroom and Verrill, amid congratulations,
proceeded to his home in West Auburn," TIMES, New York, Jan, 31, 1868 (1/2.)
"The Lewiston (Me.) Journal has received the permission of the authorities to publish
the leading facts of the confession of Clifton Harries, the negro now under arrest as
the murderer or one of the murderers of the two aged women at West Auburn, The JOURNAL
says: 'Before proceeding to give these leading portions of the confession, we may re-
mark that the etectives are entirely satsified, independent of the confession itself,
that more than one person participated in the murder, and that the negro, Harries,
was one of them. They have accumulated indepandent facts sufficient to convict him
of being engaged in the crime, facts which so far as they go square with the confession,
The detectives have no doubt that the essential statements in the confession, so
far as they bear upon the negro himself, and so far as the represent a second person
as being present and participating in the crime, are true to the letter, As to.
whether or not that second person, as charged by the negro, is Luther S, Verrill, the
white man now under arrest, the detectives give no indications, :
"In general terms it may be stated that the negro says that the subject was broached
to him on the evening of Wednesday, while .returning from Lewiston, by a man whom he
implicates in the confession, “hile the particular object of entering the house was
robbery, he had no.idea that mrder was intended, or would be found necessary, how-
ever it may have been with the accomplice, On Wednesday evening, the night of the
murder, the negro went to Lewiston alone, called upon several friends, drank four
times and returned home about 10 o'clock, After taking care of the horse, which be-
longed to his employer, he went to his room and soon all was cuiet-in the house, all
the inmates being asleep but the negro, who was awaiting the hour of midnight, At
that time, as previously agreed upon, he left the house stealthily, carrying his boots
in his hands, He soon met his accomplice, and the-two proceeded to Mrs, Kinsley's
house, well aware that there were only 2 old ladies there, with their little treasure.
On reaching the rear of the house, the negro entered by forcing off a loose -board
from the shed, and, opening the door, let in his accomplice, The latter, then, as
the negro alleges, armed with a hatchet and knife, he himself having no weapons,
went ahead through the rear entry door leading into the shed, into the house, It was
so dark in the house that no object could be plainly discerned, The accomplice on
reaching the sitting-room, as the negro afterward ascertained, laid his hatchet upon
the hounge and proceeded at once to Mrs, Kinsley's bedroom opening into the sitting-
room, finding her sleeping, He imm@édiately moved to her bedside and seized her with
his hands, She shrieked and cried, 'Polly, Polly, come here,' and the accomplice
s@ized a chair and struck Mrs, Kinsley with it over her head, demanding to know
where the money was, At first Mrs, Kinsley said that 'her daughter had all the money
qith her down to Lewiston,' The negro then appeared and the demand was repeated,
when she indicated it was at the head of the bed, in a closet in that place, The
negro then opened the passageway door leading from the bedroom into another room at
the right, and searched the passageway in every part but could find nothéng, The
money was really in a trunk on a bureau in this room beyond, and there was a second
door in the passageway opening directly into the room, The negro missed it, suppos-
ing that the passageway was only a closet, while it woth a closet and passageway.
While the negro was searching fop the money, Polly Caswell, aroused by the cry, arose,
came into the sitting room, and proceeded to the mantel«piece where she was trying to-
light a lamp. The accomplice, hearing Polly coming out, left the bedside of Mrs,
Kinsley, the latter being partially insensible, and passing out of the bedroom = leav=
ing the negro there # stealthily tip-toed up behind Polly, who stood by the mantel-
piece, and struck her on the head with, as is supposed, the hatchet, This felled her
to the floor; and the accomplice left her supposing she was dead, It was there that
the pool of blood was found on the floor, While the accomplice was disposing of Miss
Caswell, Mrs. Kinsley began to move, as though attempting to get out of bed, when the
negro turned upon her and gave her a heavy blow with the chair which felled her sense-
less back upon her bed, The acommplice then returned to the bedroom, and demand was
again made for the money, but no response was received, Mrs, Kinsley was still
alive, but perhaps in a swoon, Her pockets and the closet were again searched, While
the negro was searching the closet, the accomplice was on the bed with the half-dead
Mrs, Kinsley, and what happened there the negro does not pretend to have personal
knowledge of, At this point Polly, who had been left for dead by the mantel-piece was
discovered up and moving across the floor toward her room, her white nightclothes
making her visible in the dim moonlight, The negro went out to take care of her and
seizing a chair struck her, and at last felled her in the door-way where she was found.
r
saa
saad aoe
AT pee
ef het ae
porte
} wie wes ¢ -
“he
iene
. care,) that: ; ~
hi siuthd” hime” The Doty of Mes; Kinelef Wi ee
; throat cut. and. braises and stats on Shelia?
45 found in “her bed... That of. Mist Cabmell,::
ud that. despite his awfel crime, hé: bas’
3) hope in SYnieuaict and the merey of: a Berior.
“} though: not broken down physidally
tin ‘thas hie hours ot | earth. are-well nigh pene
bared): has mn ash pa Leto! eth.
oy ‘ike re
in the snd thanks God that ‘hi a
andnal men were pulpictet seas
5 Frenchasw, at one time: eget es
So
hibited tothe chfongs that preset at at the jail os.
ea states the wost likely doer of the: crime. ‘All at once
bn urder) ‘of | hie proved an clidi, and the uncertainty reached
ited, it’is | 6 psinfal pitch, but at last suddenly burst into:
‘ “| lightat the discovery of blood. sisias-apon the
eS swegeo Harris’ boots and. garments, and: in his
naa ‘aad tsumediate. ‘afrest and confession’ of ‘the: deed.
(de Verrill, whom: Harris: implicated, wis:
tgp riches at'onde arrested, -—Harris detailing all the bloody:
ttendan scenes of that terrible murder night with great.
: ainuteness, ‘as well his own part in them as the”
pre sdopty f Alleged part of Verrill: ‘The trial resulted in the:
oa; Warren ‘cbnvietion of Verrill.< Harris ‘subsequently con
‘Largs mn~ |] tradiciga Bis Grot story and declared that Verrill
ted s pee aya With the crime, but afterward
his dental and reaffirmed his first story-.
“was psateogesliy granted’a new trial,‘on+
W, Wherenpon ihe Attorney General
prosand Verrill. was discharged,
work, at hia trade of ‘shoemaker at’
. Bach :in “brief is the:
tn outline of this awfel trinre ‘which Harris, ubleas:
eet Kxeottive. clémency interferes, wiil expiate on.
gallows
t case inore than Stdingry attention and
5 ith the’ Inhabitants of, this’ vicinity;
fof Kuo® Coutty, ‘3
{| man, Ka fae Rose
he merey
two weeks ago he said ie preferred to be.execat-
ed rather than to remain in, prion -for'-life. A
day’ or two since he modified,’ that atatement, by
taying that while he preferted.jto- be: executed,
yet if he thought he could do-any good by leading
& Christian life before his comrades in the prigon
or by urging them "to be ‘Christians, that he
would be willing to live Bat. anyway he said
“God's ; will be done.”*
© Harris opened his’ beatt freely to his spiritual
adviser.. He grasps with syidity” everything
that will g:ve the light of faith to his aoul as to
the great, ‘eteraity into. which; he “is. About to
plage: «I was istoxicated,"”’ said be, *‘whea I
did that deed—T have violated law and the pan-
ishment’ I deserve.’ I cleared; Verrill because
they told me that if T did that it woald help me
ae
the cause ofthe ecime,”*.anid hes, 7
- Harris and the officers ‘with leave
11g ofelock, end the xen? Wilt
press the fatal spring. : pte ;
pePspagt agape se
cording to orders. only: the:
chsplaing “re era ‘and
poitizens, will be allowed tebe |
There is some wild. tale “pbowg.
as well as Veurill. ‘They told) met would be} t
patdoned if T got Verrill Clear, birt “iow I can't
say ‘anything: but my first story is true.“ I don’t
want to go'thfough with the.whole story again.| ©
Tam afraid I might not get every little thing just }* ae
tight, but Verrill was with me.I can’t say any-
-| thing different, because it is trac.”
“Why did you confess the murder, Harris? 2
oF idee Tale, "Mother et,
yma Ym Tie
-/Hiseria has bo constantly read and, pored ovet
durig his confizement sph
bial Saceeasy
SEYMOUR, John, white, hanged York, Maine, August 11, 1755.
NMXAKSYXABKEAAXHEXWSXKBAR
"Meine: We have advice from York that on the 7th instant John Seymour
of that town, whose wife had laid in but four days, forcibly took the
child out of her arms, ran to the K¥ZH& bridge and threw it into the
river where it was drowned, The distressed mother ran after him cry-
ing SHEE out to spare the child and went up to her armpits in the wa-
ter in order to save it, but in vain, and is since dangerously ill.
The wretch being asked the reason why he drowned his child, said the
devil bid him do it and told his son about 13 years old that he knew
he should be hanged but advised him, the son, to serve God as faith-
fully as he, the father, had done the devil. It is remarkable that
in the year 1745 this same man without any provocation on the Lord's
BXERE Day cut his wife's throat in such a manner that he very nearly
BSEK dispatched her. But the knife being dull, he could not make
clean work of it before she escaped out of his hands,"
PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25, 175.
‘Pte:
560 : _ : Buente, 1834.
his body carried to Hallowell with great speed, where attempts were
made to restore it to life by means of galvanism and other experi-
ments, all of which were fruitless,’’* His body is said to have
been buried with great secrecy on an island in a pond in Winthrop.’
On Saturday night, June 8th, Judge Cony’s house, on the east
side of the river, was consumed by fire. The house was of wood,
built in 1797; the frame was raised on the 17th of October, the
anniversary of the capture of Burgoyne, a memorable day, always
observed by the Judge, who was an adjutant in the army at the
time of the capture. ~ The Judge immediately erected the present
brick mansion of two tenements upon the site of the old one.
The Traders’ Line of Packets, the ‘first line between Augusta
and Boston, was started this year. The new schooner “ Actress,”’
Capt. G. O. West, schooner ‘‘Sidney,” Capt. G. A. Dickman, and
schooner ‘‘ Emerald,’’ Capt. P. B. Lewis, formed the line. Their
accommodations were said o be such as/to ‘‘secure comfort and
convenience to passengers.’ i
-Cooking stoves were at this time'coming into use; ‘ Stanley’ 8
Patent Rotary ’’ was the most prominent. The top was round
and revolved over a fire box by means of acrank. The oven was
of tin and covered the entire top of the stove. Jt was an excel-
lent stove for all purposes except baking. They were sold by
B. Davis & Co., at Augusta. James Long advertised ‘‘ Conant’s
improved rotary with permanent oven,’’ which Stanley cautioned
the public against purchasing, as he claimed it to be an infringe-
-. ment of his patent.
Much attention was given to the subject of temperance at this
time. <A State society was in active operation, of which Gov.
Smith was president, and leading men in the State of all religious
denominations and every political party were members. It held
its annual meeting on the 5th of February of this year, in the
South Parish mocting-house in Augusta, and choso Prentiss Mel-
len, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, president, County
societies were organized, and town societies came in as euxiliarics
in the reformatory work. The friends of temperance in Augusta
met at the Methodist chapel on the 28th of October, of this year,
and adopted ‘‘a constitution predicated upon the principles of total
abstinence.’”? Dr. Enoch S. Tappan was chosen president of the
society, Oliver Beale vice president, and Charles Waterhouse sec-
1Kernebec Journal, Jar, 7, 1835. George Williams.
re
Sek Seen PGS A
Pe SR a Bes
Rete
RENT
Saks
ig PRY RAI IT
ADRS EL eR IRF IM EME, EE SPE ETT OES Ame a PI egy woh
‘ { ‘
“er
1834. ie i Currency Reaotutions.
retary, Benjamin Parker treasurer; Silas Curtis, Artemas Kimball,
Charles Williams, John Richards and Thomas Parker were ‘ap-
pointed an executive committee. This was thes beginning Of ar’
organized ‘temperance effort in Augusta. Sosalous: :
The controversy with the United States Bank which had arisen
and the removal of the public deposits from its vaults by Presi-
dent Jackson, with other financial measures of government, were
deranging the currency and prostrating the business of the
country already threatened with a monetary crisis from the effect ate
of excessive imports and other disturbing causes. Factories were
stopping, workmen were unemployed, and a general depression
and want of confidence pervaded the business community, which
gave birth to loud complaints uttered in the form of resolutions,
protests and memorials, particularly by those who were opposed
to the measures of the national administration. Some of these
measures were characterized as ‘‘acts of high-handed usurpation,’’
In this condition of affairs, at the annual mecting in Augusta in
April of this year, after the transaction of town business, Virgil
IH. Hewes introduced, agreeably to public notice previously given,
sundry resolutions condemning the ‘experiments’’ of the Presi-
dent with the currency. They were advocated by himself aad
Luther Severance, and passed with ‘‘ few dissenting votes,’
The town was now strongly whig in politics, and probably the
democrats did not remain to hear the discussion.
In May a memorial to Congress, headed by Hon. Daniel Cony
and Gen. Henry Sewall, and signed by four hundred and fifty legal
voters of the town, of whom ‘thirty were heretofore Jackson
men,” represented, ‘‘that in common with their fellow citizens they
are partakers of that general distress which at the present time
pervades the whole community,”’ and ‘‘ that in consequence of the
loss of public credit, our manufactories will cease to operate ; our
farmers will lose a market for their produce ;‘that the noise of the
workshop will cease, or be heard only at intervals ; that our mer
chants will become bankrupts ; that our lumber trade will no longer
be productive of profit; and that all classes of men PBteny: de-
pendent on-each other’s labor will sink into poverty and ruin,’
The memorialists believed ‘(an adequate cause for the present
calamity” exists ‘‘in the removal of the public moneys from their
legal and safe depository; in the sudden withdrawal of many mil-
lions of the circulating currency of the countrys - in the curtailment
36 |
dance deh
wa!
718 3597
1-2
ine,
Ma
«
a
Ry.
O°
A
hanged at Gard
YA
\
Gs
it
Bey wh
Joseph
s
R
SAGE
>“
90 F-epe
y
“gina for his wife
4
> discovered, as ‘well, 4 potent: potion «in
-spouse had preferred a warmer ‘draught:.
sin the arsenic, ot ieee talking. -
ey in ‘Augusta en which: exliooes
were erected, ao rine the county court! f
pei : 4 joe's ea (wa com 6
sperial terpnich ta The Sanday Wetogtaen.
Augusta; Jone 29—-On_ October: 5,7}
1824 Mrs, ‘Joseph’ J. Sagtr.: died a} AZ
qiick » death™ following the family)
heeakfast. October 5 was -a blustering;
grav Autumn {Bunday, A’ fine day for,
dock hunting or-for murder,
Snlicitous Mr; Sager poured a. Pinan 4
at the. breakfast.
able. To prepareher for the Jong old
Nee England. church? service. perhaps..j7
With a “sympathetic. hand “he > mixed)/«
sherry, (egg and’ sugar—and he sea-}>
roned the ceye-opener. with: an, ample rae
pinch of arsenic. © a
Wien officials investigated the death | was ehostes
of ‘Ipame Sager: they found the tell: it in the cellar, feb
itste ‘sediment. in the’ wine glass and
the tea~caddyin. case. Mr. Sager’s was built on. the square “at ne a
tion’ a ale wan a Winthron, Fustory |
Mtr. Sager\was_too thorough in’his de- actoes from: the Court :house. "Histo:
sive "1b Phecome =: ai widower: :" Hé-was has waxed symbolic‘ and ‘telis* us tha
‘Lieutehendedat- once’ and was ‘saved (to's day. also, was cold: and ‘stormy. A
tor the gallows and from his. fellow ce gid ted eure er eee a
toxrsmen only by great effort. stopped: to, tow e on their hands «as
Ir the ‘new fall™ at’ Augusta” Mr! Piety fitted the worn: trap to ‘the frame;
Sager 7 Saher his innocence, But to} onlookers” swung ager od arms ©
ni avail, He’ was convicted and sen-; stamped ‘their? fect: - g
rented ia the -“Stone. Court-” house." Early in’ the. day. stetghe : squeaked
fin ited no defense and. of tourse, the over’ the: froven. ice ‘ruts. and~pyngs
>ilina may have been justified, No ac- | sitaned.” in: fromthe countryside. The’
const of my lady Sager has been saved i court. house” Was’ filled: with. family
for posterity. Mr. Sager may. have been | partiles.: their.,coats “steaming, from the
cung his dutv* ax he saw it) but- he }-warmth,” their luneh, boxes: opened to
feniedorven that. His protestations were | display? _rich yiands® ‘from: full: cellars
In Vain. Justice: > was blind’ ita the; and. overflowing county larders, 2°"
prelestations and. very much») Awake) “Ihe elders. wete: grouped < near’ ‘the
aselders © do. of ‘the
; On’ Friday, January 2, 1835, a rallowy | prope, of those‘ speed boats built. in
i ew cater he genie
>
- LA Set he %
Summer Training
FOR AN EARLIER START (1 *
- Join the Clas ig July 2° e
Anvintensite course in Shorthand and Tr veeriline: wit reve . + vata
asset at College next: Fall. :
HA pe ine 4
Chapman Building -
SCHOOL, OF. BUE
ACCOUNTANCY AN
FALLS TERM BEGINS SEP
Znens. Forest ad
tite, ©
jaw. first rank power, eons th
x, rion | of: the: os i ‘
| protibition andihow the New fore wt
* y wi
E the’ manntacture ot shard: cider, *
Aloe ny. to run paar 10° to: sty
miles an hour, of -the proposed dam
onitite- Kenneber.
might curtail trade to: 95 a: a
‘ice 2octety hed tried’ to interfere
and how such a” a)
coud: be: vheard, above the ‘nomble of,
and pian.” ae ets
Between’ weight: ad twelve thousand |
people,” a rather. indefinite number. |
but..a* wititnde™ then “and. el
ain: unbelievs le. crowd » to” gather:
Augusta, filed “he: ute ‘when. sie
was ‘led. cut. The. Rev. Mr. Benjamin
Tappan: was the official ‘minister. ond
he delivered Sager’s last: words. “part-
ly, of narration’ and partly of: exhorta-
ton®-still protesting innocence; =:
“High © Sheriff “Georges W:* Stanley of
‘Augusta and” Deputy Sheriff Hiram .C,
Puller: of Hallowell were cheered by the.
throng -as* took® their ‘places /as
executioners. “They .were nervous and
they: looked worrted, as though ‘already
the vision “of a broken™ ‘neck’ and. a
a figure: ;Were® “haunting : their
theep.i
hts R tense’ “hush: and after two
feeble‘swipes ‘atithe fope, it severed and
Sage; ced‘ on: the air for 20 minutes
before riff. Stanley: pronouriced. him
dead:* As the crowd stirred and moved
toward ae; hitching: posts, friend< and
relatives of Sager» rushed | the, corpse
ta: Hallowell ‘where they tried to revive
him}<They: were apparently Sree is oe
ful tecause: it’ was -reported that “he
was secretly” buried on an. tsland in a
pond at: Winthrop.” There has-always
remained the aU, sie that he may
nave-lived and’ made his escape but the
possibility: 4# too slim for credence,
‘This’ gruesome winter | performance
marked the last‘of its kind in the State
of Maine.© Not so very. long ago, There’
are Many’ residents living today In -Au-
gusta. who . remember “Sherif(. Stanley.
who lived to:« robust old age. “Through
him the story of “turning off" Sager. be-
came: ba part of* the. memory* ,of
boys ‘an® young men.”
“The strap ;that dropped: from ‘under
Seger's tem was found, discarded in the
cellar’of the court, house. not long ago.
“justice Thangs, even as those of dress. ©
nw mute yeminder that the fashions of
eae. onc met obit ves
Sa
oR, . tl frig
Waa
each other that they are anxious to
break the coil about them and return
to a life which is again that of
themselves alone. :
Louis, whose one real weakness is
the love of women, has found in
Anethe the one woman who can
really stir him. Perhaps she has
promised to go away with him, Who
knows? Among these other hard-
working people who sleep like those
* who are drugged, it is quite possible
for the woman to slip out of the
. house. Perhaps the intrigue is a
harmless one. Perhaps not. It is a
serious thing: to Louis Wagner,
whatever its nature. It is easy for
him to take a boat from the many
tied up at the wharves; easy to re-
‘turn it before anyone comes for it.
It is on a night when he comes
. to see Anethe that he slips his head
- into the hangman’s noose. Anethe
does not know that he is coming. He
has ascertained from the men that
_ they will stay away and he thinks
this is a wonderfuul opportunity.
Ringe, the dog, knows Louis.. So
Wagner quietly slips into the kitchen
and goes softly upstairs. He cannot
find Anethe, and it then occurs. to
him that perhaps it is she who sleeps
in the kitchen. Downstairs, softly,
again, to lean. over, to peer at the .
dark mass in the corner under the
. clock.
Karen wakes up. She thinks it is
John Hontvet. '
Wagner knows that he is trapped.
His first thought is to make it seem
that he is a midnight intruder, a
prowler. Instinctively, his hand falls
_.to the woodbox and without saying a
word he makes a wide, sweeping ges-
ture with it, thinking to frighten
Karen and then open the door and
speed for his boat.
The blow knocks down the clock.
Karen springs out of bed and runs
over to the door, fumbles at it, pushes
the bar up and Maren and Anethe,
looking out, see a large man in the
kitchen. They drag Karen in, and
Maren tells Anethe to jump out of
the window and run for help.
Wagner heard that. Of course, he
does not want the hue and cry out -
‘after him. ‘Ingerbredsen will catch
him somewhere before he can get far
enough out. He runs around the cor-
ner of the house and peeps at Anethe,
' standing frozen by fear, outside the
window, and it is with fear sweep-_
ing all her caution away that she
cries the name of her lover:
“Why—it’s Louis—Louis—Lowis!”
Ah, you perceive, now, with me,
why it is that the story which Maren
Hontvet told had the ring of truth.
There is no doubt that up to that ’
point things happened just as she
told them. But, now turn back to |
her statement.
She stands beside the open win-
dow when the axe is brought down. -
on the head of Anethe and when it is
raised for other blows. . The inside
of that bedroom had no trace of
blood, whatever.
Then, said Maren, she got a skirt
for her shoulders and ran through
ae ee
the kitchen, getting out. of the win-
dow and ran away.
Do you get it? Not a single mo-
ment, according to her own story,
in which more than a few drops of
blood could have reached her, yet,
her fingernails are caked with it, her
body soaked with it.
Where did she get the cut on her
foot? Where did she get the wounds
in her hands? According to her own
story Wagner never had a chance to
approach her,
Well, then, let us make the con-
clusion of this tale for ourselves.
A little kick each mecittes
A little kick each night!
For this matter of Louis Wagner,
the waster, the idler, the woman
chaser, being here on this bleak
island, the insult of her Spartan
home, the sense of outrage at the
heavy burdens she carries for these
thriftless ones, the long months of
brooding, the nerves frayed to break-
ing point by the sense of injustice
—all this is the ‘stream which is to
carry Maren Montvet to terrible
deeds. :
The axe is in the kitchen. Scream-
ing. her denunciation of the man and.
the woman, she snatches it and goes
charging around the house to where
they stand, witless, petrified. .
Karen, screaming and moaning,
tries to stop the slaughter. The blood-
stained - figure comes running back
to the kitchen, dragging the dead
Anethe, and there attacks Karen, lit-
erally hacks her head off as she tries
to get out of the kitchen window.
Wagner is out among the out-
houses, running away from a red-
robed something with blazing eyes
and a dripping axe. He leaves his
footprints all around—footprints
that are to appear as _ witnesses
against him. The delirium is pass-
‘ing and the figure begins to waver.
It falls unconscious and Wagner,
coming’ out of his. hiding, considers
what he should do. He foresees that
it is he, who has crept out here to
see another man’s wife, who will be
suspected. He knows that there ig
money in the house and he knows
that he will have to have money. with
which to get away. So he forces
himself to go back to the kitchen. Be-
hind the clock there is about twenty
dollars, together with some of
‘the pocket pieces brought from Eu-
rope, and a button which someone
had dropped there, intending to sew
it on soon. He takes everything he
finds there, flees the awful place
and rows madly back to the main-
land, determined to go far away at
once, innocently thinking that merely
going to Boston and getting differ-
ent clothes will be a measure of
safety.
Maren, coming to herself, realizes
what she has done and in what peril
. She stands. She does not see Wag-
ner and is sure that he has rowed
away and will accuse her. She de-
termines to do it first and begins to
have an idea of what she will do.
She washes just enough of her
‘hands to get. the palms clean and
then she realizes that sometime in
the night, in fighting with Karen
she has cut her own hands and has
cut her foot badly. Good. This will
help, she thinks. Then she will turn
the house upside down, to. show that
he came for money. She finds the
money gone from behind the clock
and she knows that she has him—
the betraying coins and button.
She ransacks everything, careless
that blood drips from her. With
the bloody axe she breaks open the
trunk and scatters the contents.
When she comes to where the hun-
dred and thirty-five dollars are, she
hesitates. Her ruling passion of
thrift and care for her man denies
her the right to throw away this
money. She passes on. ;
_All this time the woman has been
in her nightdress, now stiff from
the cold and as red as though it
had been dipped in vermilion. She
wraps a skirt around her shoulders
and goes out, to crouch among the
rocks and to-wait for the Ingerbred-
sens to discover her, secure in her
mind, for she knows exactly what
she is going to tell.
Well, there you are.
When Wagner is arrested he is
still unable to think what to do..
After his conviction he begins to
hint, but it is only at the very last,
when ‘he is sure that he will hang,
and when the bitterness of this fate
Sweeps over him, that he comes out
in the open and flatly accuses Maren
Hontvet of having committed the
murders and charges John Hontvet
with having found this out and kept
it secret. ;
John and Mary Hontvet never
lived in that house again. They went
to Portsmouth and again took up
that quiet, thrifty life which had
been so strangely interrupted. Later
Maren died and John married again.
In 1903 in the: Portsmouth city di-
rectory there appeared the line:
; pl Annie, Widow of
ohn.”
Louis Wagner went to his grave,
grieving not so much at the going’
as at the manner, bitterly crying
that someone would arise to vindj-
cate him.
I have tried to do it.
“off through the March evening, into t)
‘town of Portsmouth.,***‘
Houses on’ " Smutty”: ni art
Ni one of the Isles” rics soho! Ports.
of S$ oals as they were ~ mouth, New Hamp-’
at the time ‘of the’//-ahire, and position to :
murders in | 1873,./ , the meinland of the
was in the third iaoei Oy “ales of Shoals, scene |
from ‘the left that thie, of one of New Eng-
awful crime’ was com-" Jand’s most historic -
mitted: shortly” ‘after’: “and | most ae’ dam
Burke, rowed his dory up to the
wharf ‘at the foot of Pickering Street.
He made fast the boat, and Nee
\ T half-past seven & ribaan: James
He was hardly out of sight before another . s
man slipped out of the shadow in which he* k
had been hiding; seated himself in Burke’s |”
boat, and silent: y rowed down ithe river | and: 4
away into the darkness, )).’ Syesy eh
ae had been, waiting: fc ‘this. it
vr i oer a ‘boat: and ‘go: Stor thee
Shoals,’”’ he » ST sould, wi m oa
enough.”
His name was Louis Wagner,’ Hi
been hard-up nearly all winter, ever Sneath
the sen, Poems ry ‘Addison Gilbert was,
wrecked. Even before that, while he was, ¢
drawing pay as a fisherman on the Gilbert,’
he thought he henge to have more money.
It was a pity that he should have to wear
torn shoes, and sometimes need ‘tobacco, |”
when he knew where there were hundreds of i
dollars stowed away in a trunk,» i). %
True, this mon belonged to, some No
wegian fisherpeople, but, ach, what’ were)
they? How would they ever spend it? Pee
Louis Wagner, wanted it for better clothes,
for an occasional drink, and for the girls who
liked him so well the girls in ‘the
"Wey, Rea Ghia bad 7 nae maT
creo
pn ' oo wh
- ee Pt.
VA Duek § f es
go OF SH
itr %s
Appeldore PS oes
“4 ay"
laces
‘politely galled... ,boarding-houses, ‘tong: “the” *water-front. i he, weeny Wagner, must’ not. ‘suffer,’ nor want for mon
“Look ‘at thesé’shoes of mine!” he told one of his mates'on’,’
When the Gilbert was
é
nv me or ~u Comteey Herpes wot
» it meant the loss of. their:
“the’schooiier, a “young fellow named Ingerbredsen: ..“‘Look at, _ jobs to Ingerbredsen, Lee, and others as well as Wagner. He
these shoes
money in three months, if I have to do murder for it.”
‘Thatwasin December. About’ the same time, while the.
‘schooner was.at/Rollins’'Wharf, he spoke to Jim Lee, another»;
he could only’ get a boat.....oJohn Hontvet, who lived on the
Shoals, and with whom he had fished, and to Charles Johnson
‘he said that his money was gone,,his. clothes were wearing out,
and thst ‘he® ‘was going to have money if. wi had 6 commit
mur: CS . x
They stared a ‘at’ ‘him, but “wald d nothing muohé they ‘knew
Louis _ Wagner; sometimes ‘sly’ and ‘silent,-sométimes loose-
mouthed and fond of telling what a wicked ‘devil he had been.
The were very fond of him, while men, he said, had to
fear Always,. one .idea was .uppermost.in. ‘his. mind:
34
ae hb. bial
ber (73 {
won’t do any longer. I am bound to have. did not waste time thinking of that. It did not matter. wd
ustice on earth, if he didn't
‘shipmate, and:said theré:was' money enough. at.the Shoals, if 3
F H= felt very, very
* Louis Wagner, were poor, then the world ide do
‘and somebody. had better’ get out oO Shecway ere was
pocket... heed veal
y for sen 80 sorry he ett oF
and sometimes did.” Bice most people who pity tudnenals
overmuch, he had no pity left for others, : He was twenty-eight}
muscles, For six or seven’
years, ever since he had been in America, he had lived along-!
shore; hauling trawls on a fishing-boat, or pulling the oars,
a dory, as he was doing now. There were no little motors
make the work easy, and to send the boat chugging slong
a powerful man with -developed
itself, for this was t e year 1873,.~--
If he,
have ves clothes le in
E
Gate ay — rocks»
that the tragic island which
gives to this one of the
4 fice of Shoals group its
Mame of Smutty Nose.
%, oh "Cote Herpers. pot Metastad|
ae he ‘might even jay his. landlady ‘the’
bi fifteen ‘dollars Sapte owed her for three weeks’:
4 i a - bic unreasonable of
. her to expect it, since he was so popula
,. at his. boarding- house at 25 Water Street,
It pleased Mary’ Johnson and her sister 80)
much, when he gave them a kiss—they were!
the landlady’s daughters—that for fier to
a ee roe was too)
ao ie Rts Mita AY {
? rs aftern salt o'clock, ‘iad come
is ian ‘o portunity; Loafing along the,
E over that money in the
f ‘seer out at the Shoals, he saw Clara,
Bella, # little fishin schooner belon g to
John: Hontvet. An Hontvet‘owned more
than that—his wore the six hundred dollars’
f in the trunk, Aboard the Clara Bella were’,
’ Hontvet’s Leper sy his By sa Matthew,
his brother-in-law,’
Here was something to be inquired into,"
The three men lived at the Talee of Shoals,
‘on. the one called Smutty Nose. ' With
ELEY ‘ ays
ee ee
buck § <P John’s wife and her sister, and the wife of
3 8 SHO Ivan, the family of six formed the entire
oer icy population of the island this winter, There,
F: > é, Ne | Were five other houses there, but they were,
bane: no all em
Maatanqer Cony cy" : Wagner Ce all these people, well, He
tonne 565 Ceres : _. knew their house and the island; only last
J VYstae # . year he had lived’ with the Hontwee for
Denes 4 ' geven months, He had been crippled with
;. rheumatism, and the women had taken care
~ of him... Their ways and habits were familiar
tohim. He had heard Hontvet—his former
* employer—talk about the profits of the
©” fishing schooner, and his distrust of banks.
‘Ih ti Wagner knew where the money was:kept.
GS ee t aera nena But he also knew that it was not usual for
ita Sa wis all the men to be away at night. Be walked:
Wi s slow, st stupid face could light up with a good: ides the wharf.
@atured smile, when he was pleased, or when the girls were “Hullo!” he said “How are you? You all right?’ * rou going)
kittenish with him. He could even look dreamy and almost back to de Shoals tonight?” vat
Tomantic, when he was being sorry for himself. And he could “No,” said John Hontvet. ‘‘We don’t go back tonighis “We
‘alo look look sulky, especially when he remembered how people got bait coming down from Boston, on the train at eleven! to-'
Pre wooing hin—by be keeping their money locked up. night. You want a yob?’ Come tos ; ppeon and: ‘help us
4 =
Hrghee
Seer cas
“Courtesy Herper's Bei
Rie Sid
I | i bait trawls, when our bait comes in.’
' ' Piperay. he had mrs man named Lars Neleon, and “What?” returned Wagner, “Ye : Packs going ‘ack, to de
sf Soucbed him for aloan. He had no tobacco, and nomoney— _ Shoals tonight?’’ gR a
80 fancy he could ery- said—to buy any. What kind of a hepa was this? “T told you, no,” said the skipper. “You come roxind and
ople who pity themse Sete) a fisherman, and not exactl y rolling in riches help bait trawls, yes?’
‘He'was twentyeig! felt sorry for mene, ' bi his Whining an blubbering, an “Goot; I be dere, I think,” said Wagner, slowly.
pe For six or gevi pI him thirty-five Then he talked to one of the other men a few main iee, and)
rica, he had lived along: ae it was tras the first St weailin March. | He had earned a little, Hontvet heard him ask, for the third time,
pe or ag the os odd jobs along the river-front of Portsmouth. fee's: perm, bees to de Shoals tonight?” ,
little motors scaly fs needs though. The three months he had e was told that all three men were going to ay
"boat ne slong’ ' ta abe were up. He knew where there were at least in Foner geich all night.
von ann ba ix hundred dollars... Wealth. Why, if he could get hold of Wagner spent the re of the afternoon in a few preparations.
35
make sure uf a boat. It was nearly
—no, six was too
he tide would be
ld take him down the river to Fort
and with no work at all. From
t miles; most every
had often rowed out there. It cou
like this, and with favoring wind
little unusual, perhaps, to row out
used to being on
This did not
All that he needed was to
high water now, at half past f
early, it was still light the
flowing out strong, and wou
Point in less than an hour,
Fort Point to the Shoals
fisherman in that vicinity
be done, in clear weather,
and tide, in two hours. A
at night, but nothing to terr
the water before dawn and
was seven or cigh
ify a fisherman
after nightfall.
Picture of the murderer taken
on his recapture at Farming-
ton, N. H., after his escape
from jail at Alfred, Maine
True Detective Mysteries
promise to be a dark night, and the course was plain. Once
he was off the mouth of the river, the light on the Shoals, on
White Island, marked a clear course.
He had his supper early, and put some food in his pocket.
At 7 o'clock he went up to a barroom on Congress Street, and
had a drink. It was dark now; the sun had set about six.
Shortly after seven he started on his prowl along the wharves,
until, half an hour later, he was rewarded by the sight of Burke
rowing up to the foot of Pickering Street. In a few minutes
Wagner was off in the stolen boat.
This expedition to sea is still discussed by old people who
recall that long-ago March night. Everything about it has a
peculiar horror. The cool deliberation with which it was
planned; the ruthless bestiality of it; the solitary man in the
boat; the dark miles of sea.
There was a glirhmer over the land, for the ground was
covered with a light snow. The stars were clear and sharp
on id 9 o’clock the moon, in its first quarter, was well up in
the sky.
At the river’s mouth he passed between the two lights, one
on Fort Point, and the lighthouse on Whale’s Back Ledge.
He could not see the shadowy forms of the eight rocky islands
ahead of him, but the light on White Island was as familiar as
his own hand.
On only four of the Isles of Shoals“were any people living
that night, but on ng re the largest island, lived Celia
‘Thaxter, poet, and also historian of this region. She knew most
of the people concerned in those events, and later was to write
the most somber and impressive account of an actual murder
yet composed by any ‘American author. Except for De
uincey’s description of the murders phenyl | by John
illiams, I know of nothing with which to compare it
Me: THAXTER was careful with details, and all later
investigators (including myself) who have questioned the
accuracy of any of her statements, have learned that she knew
her facts. As for ‘the effect of her narrative, her friend Lau-
rence Hutton once wrote:
“T have seen her auditors literally er to hysterics as she
related the story of the ‘Murder at nutty Nose’—which 1
consider one of the strongest pieces of prose in the English
language.”
She pictures Wagner moving across the dark water, and
passing, “first the tower at Fort Point, then the taller one at
though a danger more subtle, more deadly, than fog, or hurri-
cane, or pelting storm was passing swiftly beneath it.”
“Unchallenged by anything in earth or heaven, he kept on
his way and gained the great outer ocean. . . . Slowly he
makes his way; it scems to take an eternity of time. And now
he is midway between the islands and the coast. That little
toy of a boat with its one occupant in the midst of the awful,
black, heaving sea! The vast dim ocean whispers with a
thousand waves; against the boat’s side the ripples lightly
tap, and pass and are lost; the air is full of fine, mysterious
voices of winds and waters. Has he no fear, alone there on
the midnight sea with such a purpose in his heart? —The moon-
light sends a long golden track across the waves; it touches his
dark face and figure, it glitters on his dripping Oars. . . ”
“Steadily the oars click in the rowlocks; stroke after stroke
of the broad blades draws him away
from the lessening line of land, over
the wavering floor of the ocean,
nearer the lonely rocks. Slowly the
coast lights fade, and now the rote
of the sea among the lonely ledges
of the Shoals salutes his attentive
ear. . . . Between the islands he
passes; they are full of chilly gleams
and glooms. There is no scene more
weird than those snow-covered rocks
in winter, more shudderful and
strange: the moonlight touching
them with mystic glimmer, the
black water breaking about them,
apa \| and tho vast shadowy spaces of the
sea stretching to the horizon on
1 every side, full of vague sounds, of
Well on the island of Smutty
from his face
half lights and shadows, of fear, and
Nose, where the murderer washed the crimson stains of mystery. The island he secks
and hands after the brutal crime lies before him, lone and still; there
is no g!
which
Thu:
islands«
but [h
of-fact
He «
He row
exami!
island
I hav:
years.
article
two or
aroun:
eovere
little «
pears
Cedar
Wa:
had t!
now :
touch
point
murn
pite the mes-
menfolk had
head touched
i heavy blow
am from her
d.
ad rushed to
fastened on
cart pounded
ving to force
ream. “He's
ords. Maren
ks and blows
vard another
the door and
‘ped into the
ill thin form
1 window, a
air. Maren
‘ty. The tall
lerous blows,
her body to
hoved Karen
it and locked
the asszilant
‘d by Karen,
ilging panels,
Maren called
Climb out
voung bride
s a flash of
ther through
the opening. Anethe cried out as the ice-cold snow touched her
bare feet.
The pressure behind the door ceased. But Maren heard the
panting of the man as he stood there, waiting, listening. In
that brief respite, superhuman strength came to Maren, She
pulled out a heavy chest to further barricade the door, ‘Then
she ran to the window, calling softly to the shivering bride
unclad except for a thin bridal nightdress. Bright moonlight
outlined the alabaster whiteness of her shrinking shoulders and
the firmly moulded, jutting breasts.
“Scream for help,” Maren whispered staring down into the
girl's fear-filled eyes. “Somebody on Star Island will be sure
to hear you.”
“T can’t, Maren,” Ancthe answered. ‘My voice would never
carry.”
From Karen came a desperate, warning cry.
“He's going around,” she shrieked.
“Run and hide,” Maren gasped to the shivering girl.
NETHE stood as one already dead. Maren pushed her
SL head through the window and shouted. Heavy footsteps
crunched through the snow. Anethe turned as the huge, evil
giant rounded a corner of the house and strode towards her.
Begging for mercy, Anethe Christensen ran close to the
sinister form. Maren’s blood turned icy-cold as she stood in
the window watching. She was unnoticed, The man had eyes
only for the bride who stood meek and imploring, the moonlight
touching her golden hair with glints of ghost-like light. Her
rounded body was fully revealed beneath the thin nightdress.
The man’s features contorted in sudden anger and he turned
swiftly away.
Maren screamed in terror as she saw him return with a plit-
tering axe, the axe she had left the day before beside the frozen
well.
Anethe stood pitcously still,
“Please,” she said gently. “Have mercy!”
In reply, the monster raised his shining weapon. The blade
gleamed in a flashing are in the moonlight. The sharp edge
cut deep into the girl's unprotected head. Anethe moaned softly
and slumped forward in a crimson pool which widened in the
virgin snow. As though infuriated at the sight of freshly
nl \ Ma
|
i!
|
{thy
spreading blood, the fiend struck again and again. Maren fell
back sick and faint. She crept through the darkness to
Karen's side.
“Come, Karen,” she whispered. “You and I must run away.”
The woman clung to the bedspread, moaning as Maren sought
to drag her away. Maren shook her by the shoulder urging
speed, realizing every passing second cut off possibility of
escape,
“Never mind me.” Karen said at last. “I cannot walk.
Leave me here.”
But Maren refused to leave her side. Fresh hammering on
the door aroused her as the wooden button gave way under the
fierce onslaught and flew across the floor. One panel splin-
tered; the dresser began to move.”
“Go on,” shrieked Karen. “Leave me I tell you. Save
yourself !”
Maren reluctantly obeyed. Grabbing a skirt from a pile of
clothing, she threw it across her shoulders and climbed through
the open window. Anethe’s body lay just beyond; her bare
feet slipped in the warm blood. Maren stumbled and almost
fell. Regaining her balance she fled over the snow through
the night into shadows cast by the setting moon now almost out
of sight beneath the dim horizon of a winter sea.
BEND her in the darkness came the patter of following
feet. Maren tried to hurry but her feet clung to the ice
tearing away the flesh. The trailing form caught up with her.
It was her small dog, Ringe. Frantically she sought to drive
the animal away before its presence betrayed her. But the
whining animal cowered and crept closer.
Maren ran to the nearby cove hoping to find the boat in which
the killer had come to the island. Once in that boat
she could leave him trapped while she spread the
alarm among the other small islands. As she paused
hia its rocky brink, new terror clutched her swelling
eart.
No boat was in sight. Try as she would, she
could not find it.
Crazed with fear, apprehensive lest her where-
abouts at any moment might be discovered, Maren
limped over the outer fringe of ice-bound rocks
towards some empty fish houses. Ringe followed
closely. Maren realized if she hid in one of these
[Continued on page 61]
st) 1) Maeahiens
1") '
Maren Hontvet, who escaped the blood
(lust of the monster, hid in ee rocky.
Rif nce daylight when ber ciatale betes
y’ en her ‘
3 help, te Island light on the Isles of
Ny
SER
A may
lives
certainly sa
Japanese 1
Elliott Bay.
Police dh:
former Ca:
Forsythe, “
to plant th:
It sank to
was later r
suitcase co:
mite, enous
destroy tw
Maru.
During t)
discovery «
water leak
stopped the
plosion a s
the firing ;
The plot
army ot
scene and a
said the |
who swan
towing the
sank takin
him.
The bor
every respec
device pre
vestigators
tioned.
The thorou
dynamite, a
bay at Seat
Japanese rv
failed. The
plosive to
ind’s diplomatic
‘Rage contained
‘latives in Cal-
y friends I con-
tks and valises.
nothing about
sht differently.
‘© Suitcase had
ctly connected
ents of a huge
igher-ups were
mbers. Corre-
runks and cases
cach was to go.
covered some-
'y cinched the
n. She was to
‘erself. A neat
ices with the
She admitted
trips bringing
o her arrest,
s believed to be
sted when his
cal him. He
He had been
for a greater
Francisco,
in Chinatown,
in America by
rowned upon
advancement.
it had enacted
muggling to
ry broke on
‘pers the Kuo
“CO passed a
the unlucky
>» lose face be
for violation
de!
re happening
dor, Dr, Wu,
es, called on
uss the case.
the United
s case called
x. The men
ain declared
tly courtesy.
‘friends” she
if they have
cht take my
is the trio
deportation
y knew the
severe. If
it-even face
tioner,
1! when the
hinese min-
‘ence, The
on for trial
‘se criminal
confidently
Tenyo Maru
vard bound
y with her
efore pros-
n race, On
photostats
labels to-
Y and other
v all were
y fines and
Sa cnc etme
Murder On The Isles of Shoals
[Continued from page 12]
cellars the dog would be certain to make
her place of hiding known.
She looked back toward her home. A
light shone from one of the uncurtained
kitchen windows, a light which moved
and finally appeared in the yard of death.
Maren’s heart renewed its fluttering.
Already the murderer had commenced
his search for her. Maren spoke to Ringe
sharply and the dog, sensing danger,
slunk to her side, tail between his legs.
The moving lamp vanished inside the
house. She watched its rays illuminate
first one darkened room and then another
while the killer pursued his relentless
search. A shrill scream suddenly pierced
the silence of the night. Maren knew
he had found her sister, Karen.
Another piercing scream died away.
A horrible silence shut down about her.
Maren started shuddering. So great was
her fright, she scarcely felt her physical
discomfort as she staggered over more
ice-bound ledges and through deep snow
to that part of the island furthest from her
home.
Once more she gained courage to look
back, The lamp was again moving about
the yard. Maren ran on and reached the
water’s edge. Climbing down, she
crawled between two sheltering rocks.
Directly south, the Isles of Shoals light-
house on nearby White Island flashed
its long slender finger of moving light.
Maren burrowed deep into the snow,
fearful that every moment would be her
last. Her mind had not fully plumbed
the full depths of horror. She was
stunned, shocked by the terror of the
past half hour. Like a hunted animal,
her life depended upon her ability to keep
safely hidden. It all seemed like a terrible
nightmare from which she would speedily
awake.
Five years before, she had come with
her husband, Capt. John Hontvet, from
their home in Laurvig near Christiania
(now Oslo), Norway. They had made
their new home in the little cottage facing
Appledore island. ‘Two years later her
sister Karen had joined them, followed
by Ivan Christensen and his_ bride,
Anethe, after a Christmas wedding in
far-off Norway. Mathew Hontvet, her
husband's brother, then came and their
family circle had been completed. Pros-
pering, they bought the small fishing
schooner, the Clara Bella. In the house
now was $700 put safely away for the
purchase of a new and larger boat. All
had been happiness in America until this
horrible March night.
Maren shuddered, recalled to her pre-
carious situation by the wash of an icy
wave. The fighting blood of the Vikings
flowed through the veins of this 28-year-
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Wuern ANSWERING ADVERTISEMENTS, PLease Mention Apri, Darinc DErKcrive 61
old woman but she wondered as she lay
there how long she could remain without
succumbing to exposure. She raised her
head cautiously and looked around. A
Jamp still burned in the house. The moon
had set. It must be near 2 o’clock. She
sank back out of sight. The menfolks
would not return before daybreak. Prob-
ably not then.
She pressed her slender body against
the chill rocks, holding Ringe tightly
clasped against her aching breast. ‘There
they remained during the entire night.
Finally blood-red streamers in the east
announced the dawn of Thursday, March
6, 1873, a dawn forever stained with scar-
let in New England crime annals. Maren
did not dare break cover, fearful lest the
killer be lurking near. So she waited
until the sun rose high. Again her bleed-
ing feet carried her back over the rocks
to a place where she could look across
the water to Star Island. Carpenters
were hard at work on a new summer
hotel.
She shouted and waved to attract their
attention, The sound of hammers ceaned
as the men stopped work and turned to
observe her. ;
The workmen watched her in silence
for a few minutes and then returned to
their work. Maren stood unbelieving.
Blue with cold, she finally turned from the
beach and stumbled towards the side of
the island which faced Smutty Nose.
White Island and the light were too far
away. Passing the house, she saw
Anethe’s body had vanished but the crim-
son pool of blood and tracks still re-
mained. The door stood open and the
window shades, left undrawn the night
before, now were pulled close to the
window’s edge. She cut through the deep
snow, treading on forgotten graves as
she ran to the outmost edge of Malaga,
the small rock island joined to Smutty
Nose by an ancient crumbling wall.
Appledore now lay no more than
a quarter of a mile away; looking
across she could see children playing in
c KIDNAPED MAIL MESSENGER
Guy Askew, Guthrie, Ky., postal employe, above right, was kidnaped by three
masked bandits after they shot a negro post office messenger and Police Chief
C. M. Sherrod and escaped with a mail bag containing $25,000. Askew was
forced into the thugs’ automobile and finally dropped near Hopkinsville, Ky.
Behind him is T. Ivey, a postal inspector, who is investigating the case.
62
the yard of her nearest island neighbor,
Jorge Edvardt Ingebertaen, She shouted
and waved her skirt. One of the children
waved back as the others ran into the
house, Presently old Jorge hobbled into
the yard. He hurried to his dory and
pushed off. Nearing Malaga, he stared
in astonishment as he saw Maren stand-
ing barefooted in her nightgown, eyeing
him with glittering eyes, blood oozing
from the wound on her face. He lifted
her into the boat and she slumped upon
a seat, dog still held tight against her.
NETHE and my sister, Karen, are
dead,” she said dully in reply to old
Jorge’s excited questioning. ‘Murdered
while I stood by helpless.”
“I don’t understand,” old Jorge
mumbled, unable to comprehend, “Who
would want to do such a terrible thing?”
Maren did not reply. Safe at last she
had lapsed into unconsciousness.
Jorge hurriedly beached the boat before
his home. Gathering the frail, scantily
clad woman in his arms, he bore her
quickly into the house. His women folks
hustled her into bed and ran outside for
snow to rub out the frost from the frozen
limbs and bleeding feet.
Making certain he could do no more,
Jorge hobbled up to the big house on
Appledore then occupied by the family of
the celebrated poet, Celia Thaxter, her
mother and several brothers, A great bell
spread the alarm. Men hurried to the big
house. Then they returned for loaded
shot guns. A few rushed to warn in-
habitants of the other sparsely settled
islands.
Down in the home of Jorge Ingebert-
sen, grim-faced men gathered as the story
of the killings came slowly from Maren’s
hysterical lips. Other lips became grim,
too, as Maren came to the murder of the
unfortunate Anethe,
“The poor child stood in the snow. She
was too frightened to move,” she said.
“The murderer heard us talking and ran
around the house to cut us off. He saw
Anethe, turned back and returned with
that dreadful axe. She stood there begging
for mercy and—he killed her.”
“Did you see him?” Jorge asked thickly,
“A big hat shielded his face from the
moonlight,” she answered nervously, “but
he looked familiar. Sometimes I think he
looked like Louis Wagner!”
A low cry of rage burst from the throats
of the listeners. All knew the whining
Wagner. He was a young foreign-born
German who had lived by himself the
previous winter on Star Island, fishing
alone from his wherry. The Hontvets
took pity on him and fed him. During
the last summer, Wagner had _ been
stricken with rheumatism, John Hontvet
carried the crippled man to his house,
nursed him back to health, and gave him
a job upon his schooner. He kept it as
long as he had kept other jobs. Wagner
did not like to work. He felt the world
owed him a living. Not one man in this
angry group ever had liked this romantic,
weak, good-looking German. He was too
free with his tongue about feminine con-
quests; too free with his fists when
crossed.
Yet even those who disliked him most
found it beyond belief that he would
turn upon his benefactors in such macabre
fashion, Mistakes could happen. The
moonlight might have played tricks upon
the witness, Thave were men working on
Star Island, strangers from the mainland.
“Are you sure you're not mistaken?”
Jorge asked gently, “Could it not have
been someone c¢!
like him.”
“T may have b:
certain,” Maren
“T saw him u
afternoon,” one «
was whining ab:
gave him 35 cent
“Tf you saw h:
could he be ou
“Tt's a ten-mile 1
cially for a man
sides he has no
“Perhaps he's
islands.”
“Then whoeve
fisherman cried ;
Ingebertsen’s he
upon the shore.
Jorge suddenly s
A small schoo
towards the Islc
mouth. It was
boat came about
Nose, Jorge ra:
signalled them
Dropping anch«
shore, Capt.
Mathew and the
Christensen, ca:
group moved slo
words failed as
smiling faces. Fi:
a few curt phras
for Smutty Nose
wildly about hi:
Jorge's house an
“Anethe!” he «
are you?” he tt
eyes upon Mare
demanded.
Maren could 1
Vv
Patrolman Ar
where he lies
The patrolma:
transfusion v
72
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WEARING APPAREL
The Bride
continued from page 69
No Man Could Fo
rget
similar insignia. When Louis Wagner was
led back to his cell it was noted by all that
he appeared to be a considerably worried
prisoner.
Still the talk in the town that night was
that he could never be convicted. He could’
not. have rowed the required distance and
spent the time in murder and robbery and
rowed back in five hours. He would, con-
sensus opined, be acquitted on the morrow.
They could not hang a man on circumstantial -
evidence to. begin with; certainly not without
proving he was there when the murders were
committed. But Louis Wagner did not hear
this cheerful talk. In the loneliness of the cell
the little worries of the daytime grew, as they
always do, until he was nearly frantic. He
could almost see the gallows, feel the rough
hemp tighten abdut his throat .as his feet
danced on the light, summer air. and the
sunshine turned to everlasting blackness. Nor
did he know that even the prosecution ‘at-
torney had given the case up, since he could
not place Wagner on Smutty Nose at the time
the Hontvet kitchen clock stopped at 12:19.
Wagner, desperate and afraid, but mightily
ingenious, picked the locks on his jail door
with a wooden piece from his bunk and
escaped! His jailors, at dawn, found only
a well-made dummy in the narrow bed!
The alarm went out at once, but it was too
late.. He was not in Alfred nor its vicinity,
Being a seaman, they sought him towards the
coast 15 miles away‘ and by the end of the
second day their diligence was rewarded. He
had worked for a meal ata farmhouse on
the outskirts of the tiny village of Wells,
within ‘hearing distance of the Atlantic’s roar.
He had been seen in. town in the late after-
noon heading for the beach. Officers arriving
just before sundown rushed to the beach and
they saw Louis Wagner. But they couldn’t
, catch him. He had managed to secure a small
dory and as they came to the shore he had
already passed safely through the ‘surf and
was rowing with great speed out into. the
darkness,, They could discern his features,
even the prison clothes he wore, but: they
couldn’t touch him. ; (
- was, they noted, exactly’ 7:30 p.s. While
one of them sought another boat the others
returned to Wells to send out a frantic mes-
sage up and down the coastal area to be on
the watch for him and for all fishing vessels
to apprehend a man in‘a rowboat if they
should sight him, although to beware, since
he might be armed and was dangerous.
At 12:30 p.m. a’ fisherman directly off Cape
Elizabeth almost collided in the dark with a
small dory. Slumped’ over the oars, tired
but wide-eyed,:a man attempted to row away
into the darkness, The fisherman, sensing his
exhaustion, soon’ caught up with him, Wagner
jumped to his feet, nearly upsetting the small
craft, waving a pistol. He fired a single shot
at his would-be rescuer, then hurled the
weapon into the sea and allowed himself to
be taken aboard.
He was held on simple suspicion. It wasn’t
until the next morning that word that he was
wanted reached the town. Police from Alfred
and Portsmouth arrived that afternoon to
identify him, and carefully questioned the
fisherman, It was found that Louis Wagner,
in his effort to escape, had rowed 25 miles in
‘four*and a half hours! Wouldn't the jury.
believe now that he could row the same dis-
tance, in the same length of time, to commit
murder?
They did. He was found guilty of both
murders in a short trial, and sentenced to hang
on, January 29, 1875. Once he had given
“himself up for lost, he admitted in’ court that
in Prussia he had held three championships
for rowing. He no longer denied that he had
murdered Anethe and Karen Christensen but
he refused to discuss his motives or the actual
killing. At 10:20. A.24., on the morning of
his execution, on a gallows set up in the prison
yard, Louis Wagner met the fate that he had
sought, by a desperate dory ride, to escape,
a ride that pinned the murder on him as
irrevocably as though the whole jury had been
on Smutty Nose the night of the double
murder,
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It was late in the afternoon. The three fishermen from
Smutty Nose were waiting for the Boston train, which
was to bring them a certain kind of bait. They had de-
termined to return to the island that night, or that at least
one of them should go back, as they had agreed never to
leave the three women alone overnight.
It was not that they were afraid of harm coming to
them from an outside source. The possibility of this they
would have considered ridiculous. It was rather the fear
that one of them might suddenly be taken ill, which would
necessitate going for help in their little schooner, the
Clara Belle, SS
Now, however, they learned that the train from Boston,
due to a storm, would not arrive until around midnight.
They decided, therefore, to take a chance and remain in
Portsmouth until the morning.
They recalled afterwards that Louis Wagner had seemed
particularly interested in this decision, although they
deemed it of no importance at the time. They were glad
they did not have to go back. It had started to snow,
and the white flakes, driven here and there by sharp gusts
of wind, gave out suspicious signs of a rising nor’easter.
The ten miles to the Shoals would not be a pleasant trip.
Wagner hung around his three companions until about
7:30 or 8 o’clock at night, when he bade them goodbye
and departed. They did not see him again for approxi-
mately 24 hours—a relentless interval of. time in which
the three young fishermen and the three women who were
everything in the world to them were destined to have
their lives destroyed and their happiness and hopes thor-
oughly crushed.
Sure now that John, Matthew and Ivan would remain in
Th SIDE PIPL OM TUE
bea ed ake do oe Nad abe alle
Portsmouth overnight as they had said they would, Wagner
‘proceeded to put into execution the fiendish plans which
had been twisting and turning in his apparently simple
mind for a long period of time—possibly even while he ~
was living with the Hontvets, sharing their simple meals
and apparently happy in their friendly, unselfish hospitality.
He wandered along the extensive waterfront looking for
a dory which he might “borrow.” He found one. at last. a ° -
staunch, high-sided, well-built craft. It had to be. For
what this potential assassin intended to do, incredible as
it may sound, was to row the 20 miles over. the ocean to
Smutty Nose and back, despite the risthg gale, the blind-
ing snow, and the rolling waves now increasing in height
with each blast of wind out of the northeast.
He left Portsmouth at about 9 o’clock at night. For
almost four hours he pulled with powerful strokes against
the adverse current and the pounding waves which leaped
over the little craft and spat with biting force into his face.
Because of the falling snow he was not able to see
the islands or even the beacon which flashed intermittently
from White until he was within a half mile of them. But
he had made the trip so often in the Clara Belle that he
knew his way instinctively. It was about 1 o’clock in the
morning when he pulled into one of the numerous coves
around Smutty Nose. after carefully observing the small
dock and satisfying himself that no boats were tied up
there. Had there been, he would have known that some-
one from one of the other Shoals was visiting there. What
he wanted, and what he had been waiting for for many
weeks, was to find the three women alone.
But still he took no chances. The weather seemed to
favor him, The incipient nor’easter was beginning to
ye Fie e
P3005
Ve Fier
* eget Po
WACKER, Nanged Maine O-ci= toro.
HE OLD? SUPPOSEDLY HUMOROUS expression,
“It’s a lovely spot for a murder,” ‘would have seemed
ridiculous if applied to the Isles of Shoals, lying in
the storm-battered Atlantic about ten miles southeast of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Nowhere in the world was there a place which seemed
more unlikely for that kind of bloody deed. In the first
place, there could scarcely be a motive for doing away with
any of the 30 or 40 people who inhabited the Isles in the
year 1873. And in the second, if such a crime were to be
committed, the chance of the killer’s getting safely away
was so remote as to be practically non-existent.
Yet, on this most unlikely spot was committed a crime
of such outstanding strangeness and savagery that even
today, almost three-quarters of a century later, it is still
regarded by criminologists as the pinnacle of what they
term “classic crimes” in this country.
The “Shoals,” as the seafaring folk of New Hampshire
know them, consist of seven or eight strips of land digni-
hed by the name “islands” which are in reality but small
deposits of rock jutting out from the water. They are
so tiny that, even after a lighthouse was built on one of
them, it was a common occurrence for ships, caught in the
fog so prevalent in this area, to pile up on their projecting
ledges and be poured to splinters by. the destructive
breakers. :
The largest of the islands is known as Appledore. But
even this is only a half mile long and about a third of
a mile wide. The next largest is Smutty Nose, which is
about as long as Appledore, but considerably narrower. It
was this minute strip of the earth’s surface which a Prus-
sian emigrant chose as the scene for a drama of death as
a a
a5, Avie as ® «
By JOSEPH FULLING FISHMAN
‘stirring as any ever dreamed of by the most ambitious
writer of fiction. :
Scattered over the various islands on March 5, 1873,
were not more than two score people. Every one of the
men, with the exception of the keeper of the light on
White Island, was a fisherman.
On Smutty Nose were just six people. They were John
Hontvet; Maren Hontvet, his wife; Matthew Hontvet,
John’s brother; Ivan Christensen, Maren’s brother; Karen
Christensen, Maren’s sister; and Anethe Christensen,
Ivan’s wife. —
There had been a seventh on the island until a few
months before. This was Louis Wagner, who had helped
the three other men in their fishing and had lived at.
their house like one of the family. He was about 30 years
of age, a tall, powerfully-built Prussian, rather quiet, with
a round pinkish face and good-natured, mild eyes. Al-
though he had been in the country for some years, he
still spoke with very much of an accent. He had remained
on the island for about half a year and then, feeling that
he was not making enough money, had gone to Portsmouth
to work at odd jobs around the docks.
John, Matthew and Ivan saw him frequently in Ports-
mouth, as they went there almost daily to sell their catch.
He was always as friendly and pleasant as he had been
when he had lived with them, and occasionally assisted
them in baiting their trawls for the next day’s fishing.. Had
the brothers been told that this simple-minded, easy-going
and rather stupid giant was to bring into their lives an
almost unbearable grief and misery, they would have
thought their informant out of his mind. - :
They saw him again on this fateful day of March 5, 1873.
i
TENSELY the ‘ghivering- girl crouched
professional: models.) :
be
holding ‘the dog's mouth to keep him from bark~
ing. Then ‘the killer, not’seeing her, lowered’
his. lantern, and went on,.- (Photo is posed by
he
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5
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break and snatches of moonlight to appear
through the parting clouds. It shone on
the thick blanket of snow which cov-
ered the ground and made the Hontvet
house, the only one on the island, stand
out in silhouette against the still turbulent
HE PROWLING intruder, in his
storm boots, padded silently through
the soft snow until he reached the two-
story wooden structure. Cautiously he
circled the house, peering first in one
window and then another. When his eyes
became used to the dark interior, he
saw the sleeping Karen on a cot in the
kitchen. In the bedroom next to it were
- the other two, Maren and her sister-
in-law, the young and_ beautiful Anethe, ©
married just a short time to the husband
who worshipped her as though she were
e some inconceivably valuable angel handed
to him for safekeeping directly from
heaven. ;
For a few seconds Wagner remained
. outside, his devilishly devious mind plan-
ning a course of action as a general
plans a battle.
He knew the kitchen door would be
unlocked. It always was. There was
nothing to fear on this lonely outpost,
no enemy of the simple folks who worked
so hard to pry a livelihood from the re-
sisting sea. For more than 150 years the
dwellers on the Shoals had used neither
locks nor keys, and nothing untoward
had occurred, .
Softly the human personification of
Death pushed the kitchen door open. He
stood for a moment in the blackness lis-
tening to the soft breathing of the slum-
bering Karen. Then he crept noiselessly
across the room to the door leading to
that in which Maren and Anethe were
sleeping. With a stout piece of wood,
which he had picked up just outside the
house, he secured the semi-circular handle
into a socket in the jamb, so that the door
could not be opened from the inside. He
was taking no chances of interference
with the bloody work which he contem-
plated. :
But the forcing of the stick made a
scraping noise which aroused Karen.
In that startled semi-panic which af-
fects those awakened by an unusual
sound, Karen sat upright on the cot.
Half conscious and hazy, she saw the
dark outlines of a man’s figure against
the door of her sister’s room.
“John! John! Is that you?”
Her voice awakened Maren. She called
. from behind the barred door: “Is that
you, Karen? Have you been dreaming ?”
“No, it’s John,” Karen replied, still
- thinking it was her brother-in-law. “He
awakened me suddenly and frightened
me.”
But the supposed John said nothing.
He turned from the door, picked up a
heavy kitchen chair and slid softly across
the floor to Karen’s cot. He raised the
brutal weapon and, in a sweeping arc,
brought it down on the head of the just-
awakened woman.
The blow glanced off, due to the fact
that the chair had first struck a heavy
clock on the mantel and sent it in pieces
to the floor.
Karen, still unaware that her attacker
32 was not John, but another motivated
-
only by hate and greed, screamed in
agony: is ‘
“Don’t, John, don’t! Please—don’t!”
The crashing clock and the heavy chair
striking against the cot brought both
Maren and Anethe to a realization of
‘something terribly wrong in the adjoin-
ing room. Maren, in her nightgown and
bare feet, sprang from bed, rushed to the
door and tried to pull it open. She
could not budge it.
“What is it, Karen, what: is it?” she
shouted through the wooden barrier.
“It’s John,” came’ the agonized voice
of her sister. “He’s killing me!”
Maren beat on the secured door wit
her fists, and then pulled with all her
strength on the handle. Still the door
did not open. Karen meanwhile, scream-
ing at the top of her voice, had managed
to get off the cot and stagger across the
room toward the door on which Maren
was pounding. Instinctively she dodged
another blow aimed at her by the man
she thought was her brother-in-law. Be-
fore the intruder had recovered his bal-
ance she had reached the barred portal
behind which she thought help lay.
Then the interloper struck her again.
The blow sent her body crashing against
the stick which held the door.
The stick clattered to the ground. The
door swung open with the weight of her
body. Maren saw her lying on the
‘threshold. She stooped and lifted her up
and started to drag her into her own
room.
In the dim murk she discerned the
‘figure of an unusually large man outlined
against the window. Still the man had
not spoken. Now, like an enraged tiger,
he leaped toward the two women and
struck at them again and again with
the now broken and twisted chair. His
very frenzy, however, and the speed with
which he rained his blows, interfered
with his aim, so that he only suc-
ceeded in wounding the sisters instead
of killing them. :
- paralyzed with despair.
Both, however, were temporarily’
stunned. Wagner, evidently thinking that =
he had killed them, for some reason went
outside. He ignored the quivering Anethe’™ 4
who was standing in the middle of the
floor paralyzed with a soul-harrowing a
terror. Not a sound had come from her
lips. Her vocal cords had stiffened into
uselessness. All she could do was stare
with a transfixed incredulousness at the ;
dreadful spectacle which had transformed
this peaceful little house on a remote”
island into a literal chamber of horrors
Maren recovered consciousness as her
assailant reached the outside. Her senses
extraordinarily alert because of the dread-
ful danger in which -they all stood, ‘sh
called to Anethe: ok
“Hurry! Get out of the window! Go
to the shore! Yell for help !” 8
_But still Anethe stood immovable, weak,
g
Maren sensed the trouble. She forced
herself to her feet, . weaved her way
weakly across the room, grasped hold |
of the stricken girl and shook her
“Out the window!” she gasped.
Her sister-in-law did not move. Realiz
ing that more energetic measures were ‘
necessary, Maren placed her arms about ”
Anethe, propelled her to the .window,
lifted it and pushed the girl through. A.
gust of biting wind swept into the room_
as the sash went up, chilling the two |
nightgown-clad women. But neither paid
any attention. They were even more 5
frozen with the deadly aura of fear”
which hung over what had a minute>
before been the peaceful home of three
sleeping and innocent: women.
The cold air had the effect of shaking =
Anethe out of her immobility. Power Tex
turned to her muscles. She started ovefs
the snow toward the farthest point OF
Smutty Nose, which was nearest to Apple- |
dore, and over the narrow channel
which she intended to call for help.
She had. not gone two steps before’
Wagner came around the corner of the
a meni
a iidintl sailed
a aiimmnniadidl
NEW ENGLAND CRIME CLASSIC
(Editor’s note: In the foll
lowing account, author-historian |
Curt Norris, a frequent contributor to this magazine, uses the
original notebooks of the late renowned detective, James Wood,
and for the most part, lets Wood himself tell the story of the
tracking down and capture of
Wilkinson. The author acquire
the infamous murderer, Daniel
d the notes upon the death of his
father, who was also a respected mystery writer and Boston news-
paperman.)
by CURT NORRIS |
Lite has never been easy fora rookie cop. This was as true
in 1883 as itis today. If something goes wrong onarookie’s
beat, first suspicion falls on
that officer’s inexperience.
Guilty or not, evidence and bias are immediately stacked
against him.
It was after midnightin Bath, Maine, and the gas lamps of
which the town was SO proud had been extinguished.
Rookie officer John Kingsley paused as he reached the
corner of downtown Commercial Street. It was so dark he
could not see a foot ahead and acold sea breeze and alight
September rain made the night all the more miserable. The
officer was thankful for his knee-length uniform coat and
upturned collar. Shivering, Kingsley strode ahead, check-
ing doors on the block of unlighted stores that stretched
before him.
He was halfway down the street before
he became aware of something amiss. Of-
ficer Kingsley stood listening, trying to
locate a rasping sound. Looming directly
before him was the entrance of the D.C.
Gould Ship Chandlery and Provision
Store. He heard the sound of splintering
wood.
‘“‘What’s going on there?” Kingsley
shouted.
A metallic object struck the pavement. _
Forms appeared briefly in the dark and
disappeared with the diminishing sound
of running feet.
“Stop or I'll shoot,”’ the officer threa-
tened. The unseen footsteps moved fas-
ter, so he pulled the trigger of his service
revolver. Kingsley saw a flaming reply
and ducked for shelter just as a bullet
struck the wall behind him. He ran
forward, firing his revolver and sounding
his alarm whistle. Suddenly he heard a
voice hailing someone sharply. There
was the crack of a revolver from an alley
across the way, the sound of escaping
feet, and silence.
Shortly after, Kingsley stumbled into
police headquarters, his drawn gun still in
his hand. ‘‘Burglars just tried to break
into the Gould store,’’ he reported
breathlessly. 4
“How many were there?’’ the desk
sergeant asked.
The rookie was uncertain. He thought
at first there were two. Then possibly
three, perhaps four... but he really didn’t
know. He had shouted a warning a ©
fired into the air when the bandits i
his orders to halt.
“I only wanted to stop them, so I ps
fired into the air,’’ he explained. to his
sergeant. ‘It was so dark I couldn't se
anything. I sounded the ‘stop alarm’ OF ©
my whistle and tried to cut them off
The sergeant detailed two officers ®
accompany Kingsley back to Commer
cial Street. ‘Funny Uncle Billy hasat
been heard from,’’ one of the officers
marked,as the group- approached
Gould store. “‘His beat is next to this 0%
With all that noise and shooting, he’
have been the first to run over from Front
Street to give you a hand.”
“He didn’t show up,” the rookie offi-
cet replied.
_ The officers now stood in front of the
store and the rays of their lantern fell
®pon the front door of the chandlery.
Part of your story seems true, anyway,”
one of the accompanying officers observ-
ed. “They had this door halfway off its
hinges. Where did you say they ran to?”
“I couldn't see,’ came the uneasy re-
ply. “‘They fired at me from all directions.
Some of them ran down this alley.” He
pointed across the street. ‘‘l know that
because I heard someone cry out some-
thing 1 couldn’t understand. Then there
was another shot.” ao
One of the rookie’s companions ijlumi-
nated the narrow passage directly oppo-
site them on the other side of the street.
“‘Let’s search this first,"” he said, leading
the way. As he reached Front Streyt, the
light vanished. Suddenly his excited
voice broke through the dripping stillness
of the seacoast town.
“Come here quick.”
The man’s colleague ran after him,
drawing his revolver. He found the first
man standing beside the body of a bare-
City Marshall James ‘Tigh’ Bailey
headed the Bath, Maine, police ©
department and is photographed :
here (front center) with members
of his force. The murder of Uncle
. Billy deeply affected him.
headed man lying face down on the side-
walk.
“You got one of them,”’ one of the
officers told Kingsley, who had ap-~
proached warily. ‘Not bad.”"
“TL couldn't have shot him,” the rookie
insisted. ‘‘I shot into the air.”
“Turn him over,’’ one of the officers
ordered, as he knelt by the body and held
the lantern close. The light caught on
brass buttons and rested on the face,
which was burnt and blackened with
powder. There was a shocked silence and
Kingsley was the first to recover.
“It’s Uncle Billy Lawrence,” he said.
‘Is he dead?”
“1 don’t know,”’ the other answered
and turned to his kneeling companion.
“Get a doctor.’ The burley form disap-
peared and the speaker studied the ner-
vous rookie.
“There’s something queer about all
this,” he observed. ‘‘When you heard
someone call out, why didn’t you investi-
gate? It must have been Uncle Billy cal-
ling for help.”
There was a moment's hesitation. Fi-
nally, Kingsley replied he didn’t know
that Uncle Billy Lawrence was there.
After a physician pronounced
Lawrence dead, the officers carried the
dead man to police headquarters and noti-
fied City Marshal James Bailey, who
rushed to the station. The murder affec-
ted Bailey deeply, for William Lawrence,
known as ‘Uncle Billy” to the entire city
of Bath, was, at age 60, the oldest and
most respected member of the police
force. In his younger days, he had gone to
sea for a number of years as a first officer.
Although Bailey questioned Kingsley
closely and persistently, he was unable to
obtain new information from the shaken
rookie officer. 5
At daybreak the City Marshal went to
(continued on next page)
PACN WesTIg o7e4g eUTeW pesuey *¢¢ SeqTUM fyatue
d-“NOSNE
brown beard and a narrow forehead.
The detective joined this rumor to the
shadowy framework that supported a
definite theory slowly formulating in his
mind. Already he had established a logi-
cal link between the two crimes, con-
firmed by the faultless fit of the broken
chisel. Not by the widest stretch of co-
incidence could two tools have been
broken with such exactitude.
Now he added the unsubstantiated story
of the two mysterious strangers, the for-
eign looking matches and the torn sheet
of newspaper plugging the powder can.
The total made him feel certain he would
find his men ‘in Portland. It was the only
large city within easy distance of both
Brunswick and Bath, where sailors with
strange matches from foreign lands might
gather; vet it was small enough, and resi-
dents were sufficiently curious about their
neighbors, to make investigation possible.
He felt certain that proprietors of cheap
hotels and lodging houses would be more
or less informed as to the movements of
their guests.
CTING on this theory and sustained
only by a faint hope of ultimate suc-
cess, the detective took the next train for
Portland. His optimism faded as a day
among the cheaper hotels brought no
promising leads. Dogged determination
held him to his self-appointed — task.
Toward noon on September 12th, after an
unsuccessful morning spent in visiting
some of the lodging houses, he stopped
at one maintained by Mary Walsh at 471
Commercial Street, opposite the Eastern
Depot.
In reply to the detective’s questioning,
she stated she had a lodger fitting the
description of the mystery man in the
red sweater. His name was Daniel Wil-
kinson and he had rented a room with
another man about three weeks before.
They told her they were working with
the railroad.
“Neither of them is here now,” she
said. “They came back a week ago Sun-
day morning after being away all Satur-
day and I haven't seen them since. They
should return any time. Their clothes
are still here,”
“Have they been away before this?”
“Only once,” the landlady replied. “Let
me think a minute and I'll tell you when.”
She paused, deep in thought; her expres-
sion brightened. “It was two weeks ago’
Wednesday. I am sure, because I remem-
ber they asked for clean sheets and I told
them I never changed for regular guests
until the end of the week.”
“You are positive of this?” Mrs. Walsh
nodded. If this were true, the trail was
again growing warm. The Lord Drug
Store at Brunswick had been robbed on
Wednesday and the murder in Bath had
taken place the next Sunday morning.
Wood identified himself and asked if he
might examine the clothing these men left
behind.
She took him to their room. After a
thorough scarch, the detective unlaced the
fastenings of a large sailor’s kit-bag
fashioned from waterproof sailcloth. He
pulled out a pair of oilskins, some woolen
trousers and brown socks. <A_ letter
dropped to the floor. He picked it up,
noting that it was addressed to “John
Elliott.”
“That isn't the man who owns this
bag.” Mrs. Walsh explained. ‘“That’s the
voung foreigner who is staying with Mr.
Wilkinson.”
Wood emptied the rest of the clothing
on the floor. At the bottom of the bag
he found two tin boxes, each roughly
marked with the initials “D. W.” One con-
tained needles and thread and other sew-
ing articles such as sailors carry to sea.
He set this down and opened the second.
62
What he saw inside almost caused him
to let both box and contents drop to the
floor.
_It was filled to the brim with the cu-
per i matches Dr. Lord had found near his
safe.
He compared them with the burnt
stubs in his pocket and found them to be
identical. Slipping the tin match box
into his coat, he returned the other articles
to the canvas bag. After cautioning the
landlady not to say anything about this
visit, he told her he would remain in
the neighborhood until the men either re-
turned or gave some indications of their
whereabouts.
Wood continued his investigation. From
one of Wilkinson’s former acquaintances,
he discovered that this man and his friend,
Elliott, had discussed some business in
Bath a week before the murder. Elliott
suggested that they choose some other
place, as his companion was wanted in that
city for breaking jail. But Wilkinson
shrugged his shoulders and said if any
one dared to.interfere he’d pull “Charley”
on them. As he spoke he patted his hip
pocket suggestively.
The Boston detective made other visits
about the city, stopping at several hard-
ware stores. In one of them he gained
some interesting information. Then he
went to the railroad employment offices.
Neither Wilkinson nor Elliott was on their
payroll. The two men did not return to
the lodging house; but early the next
afternoon a very excited Mrs. Walsh
awaited ‘Wood's coming.
“T’ve just heard from Mr. Wilkinson,”
she explained. “He says his partner has
gone to Boston to ship to sea, and he’s
working with a logging company in Ban-
gor taking lumber from rafts. He wants
me to send his clothing up there right
away.”
“Did he give any address?”
“HE just told me to send it to the ex-
press office and he would pick it up.”
The detective ordered her to put the
clothing under lock and key and not to
surrender it to either man. He then took
the night train to Bangor. Arriving there
the following morning, he went to Police
Headquarters, contacting City Marshal
Reed and acquainting him with his errand.
The two officers at once drove out to the
river where the crew was at work, but
could not find any one answering Wil-
kinson’s description.
Reed finally made a suggestion as they
stood by the edge of the steep river
bank.
“Tf we stand up near the top of the
path, everybody leaving the river at quit-
ting time will have to go by us. In that
way we'll know definitely whether the man
you want is here.”
The officers waited as the logging crew
stopped work and slowly began to file
past. It was not until the last stragglers
started to climb the steep incline that
Wood turned quickly to Reed.
“There’s our man!” he exclaimed. They
stood watching as the brown-bearded
stranger came closer. Then. as arranged,
the two officers followed him back into
town and through the door of a lodging
house. .
Once inside. the man turned as though
seeing them for the first time. He asked
what they wanted.
“T want you. Daniel Wilkinson,” the
City Marshal said.
“My name is not Wilkinson; it's Ward,”
the’ thick-set lumberjack replied.
“Whatever it is, you’re under arrest,”
Reed retorted.
“Then just let me get a few things in
my room and I'll come along without any
trouble.” the suspect temporized.
Despite his weight, the man sprang up
the stairs with the lithe grace of an ath-
lete. The two policemen followed. Wil-
kinson reached the door, fumbled with
the knob and slipped inside, slamming it
shut in the officers’ faces.
Wood pushed it open. He saw the man
moving swiftly toward a bureau.
The detective leaped forward. His body
struck Wilkinson as the latter reached for
a half-closed drawer. The blow threw the
suspect off balance; he fell to the floor.
Reed stepped in with drawn. gun as
Wood pulled the drawer open. Lying in-
side, cocked and where it could be reached
at a moment’s notice, was a loaded .32
caliber, long-barreled revolver.
Search of the room revealed a canvas
extension case. The Boston investigator
lifted the lid and peered inside. A cryptic
gleam shone from his eyes as he lowered
the cover.
Wilkinson, with his baggage, was taken
to Bangor Police Headquarters, where he
still refused to talk.
“Then you can tell your story in Bath,”
Wood informed him.
Reed and the detective rushed the
handcuffed prisoner and his canvas bag
down to the waiting train. They had just
seated the captive in the smoking car
when it began to move from the station.
Wilkinson, alias $Vard, remained silent.
Neither official essed him further,
leaving him alone h his thoughts. As
the train left Bangor, Wood reached into
his pocket and pulled out several cigars.
One of these he genially offered to the
City Marshal, a second to the sullen
prisoner, and put the third in his own
mouth. Miles clicked away, but the
cigars remained unlighted.
Manik but I haven’t a match,” Reed
said.
“Nor I,” added the handcuffed man.
Wood’s hand dropped slowly to his coat
pocket. With a sudden movement he
pulled out the tin box of matches he had
obtained from the ‘prisoner’s kit-bag in
Portland.. He lifted the lid and handed
the initialed box around, taking one match
himself.
Reed stared at them with interest.
“Never saw any like these before,” he re-
marked. “Where did you get them?”
The detective made no reply as he
struck a match and slowly lighted his
cigar. But his eyes never left the face
of the prisoner, which had gone ashen-
gray.
“Recognize the matches, do you, Wil-
kinson?” he asked.
“T don’t know what you mean,” the
bearded man retorted.
THESE are some of the matches you
left behind when you murdered Wil-
liam Lawrence,” he volunteered casually.
“T don’t know what you are talking
about,” the prisoner answered. Although
his tone was bold and arrogant, his un-
fettered hand trembled as he struck the
match and lit his cigar.
“Then perhaps you would like to know
what I have learned,” the detective con-
tinued, conversationally. “In the first place
I have discovered the hardware store in
Portland where you bought the chisel you
used to jimmy the store doors in Bruns-
wick and Bath. I don’t need to discuss
the matches, but I also know you are
carrying a gun which fires the same cali-
ber bullets as the one that killed Uncle
Billy.”
“Do you think this is getting you any-
where?” Wilkinson sneered.
“T’ve made another discovery even more
incriminating,” Wood went on. “I looked
through that canvas bag you’ve got in
the luggage rack before taking you to the °
police station. Inside, as you know, there
is a can of gunpowder similar to a can
picked up near the Gould store in Bath.”
MASTER DETECTIVE
“That doesn’t pre
“T noticed that y«
paper to cover this
used was the Portla
the date lines were
the Argus stopping
can. Unless I’m
both cover wads :
paper.”
Beads of sweat
cused man’s forehe:
“You know ever)
taking off his hat «
“WJOT necessarily.
staring at him
ing him for the firs!
victed yourself as d
of unexplainable ©:
ways arise to con{
the law. You sh
Wilkinson, for alth«
ber you until you
recall now that I
ago in New Bedfor
Wilkinson was |
eager to talk.
Admitting the ro!
said he had come
night, September 1+
prepared to blow
store. No deposits
Monday and he ki
rich haul. While |!
side door, they ha
Kingsly, who sound
shot at them. Elli
and escaped. W
officer’s fire and hic
ran through to Fro
liam Lawrence. wl
Mu.
slapped the desk |
couldn’t, at that!”
Reynolds smile
more marks on thx
“Now that we'v
look at this: Lewi
right side. Two b
side; only one eme
Mrs. Whitchurch s:
right running-boa
knocked him dow
door, had fired at
toward the hill. H
was found, head 1
feet south and sli
chine.”
“Ves, that’s corr
“Well, if Lewis
direction, his left
the gunman. H:
shot through the 1
Richards looked
you’ve upset what
fect? murder. Th
directions blew the
“Those circular
ear where the br
made me curious
nolds. “You see,
those curving ma)
road where the «
bankment. we mi:
alongside Lewis’ |
Richards looked
“The car is to th:
just a foot or two
side toward Lewis.
“That’s right.”
“Dr. Thurman
almost instantly w
Lewis could not h
MaRCH, 1941
ace of an ath-
followed. Wil-
fumbled with
ie, slamming it
fe saw the man
yureau,.
vard. His body
ter reached for
blow threw the
to the floor.
drawn gun as
pen. Lying in-
ould be reached
s a loaded 32
ver.
ealed a canvas
on investigator
side. A cryptic
~ as he lowered
gage, was taken
irters, where he
story in Bath,”
ive rushed the
his canvas bag
They had just
he smoking car
rom the station.
remained silent.
d him further,
is thoughts. As
vod reached into
it several cigars.
offered to the
to the sullen
urd in his own
away. but the
\.
a match,” Reed
ideuffed man.
lowly to his coat
1 movement he
matches he had
mer’s kit-bag in
lid and handed
taking one match
1 with interest.
se before,” he re-
tu get them?”
no reply as he
owly lighted his
ver left the face
had gone ashen-
es, do you, Wil-
you mean,” the
the matches you
su murdered Wil-
unteered casually.
you are talking
iswered. Although
arrogant, his un-
as he struck the
ould like to know
the detective con-
“In the first place
hardware store in
ght the chisel you
e doors in Bruns-
t need to discuss
so know you are
res the same cali-
that killed Uncle
< getting you any-
red.
scovery even more
ent on. “I looked
mag you've got in
taking you to the °
is you know, there
similar to a can
iid store in Bath.”
MASTER DETECTIVE
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“T noticed that you used a wad of news-
paper to cover this can. The paper you
used was the Portland Eastern Argus and
the date lines were the same as those of
the Argus stopping the top of the first
can. Unless I’m_ very much mistaken,
both cover wads are part of the same
paper.” ;
Beads of sweat broke out on the ac-
cused man’s forehead.
“You know everything!” he exclaimed,
taking off his hat and wiping his face.
“RIOT necessarily,” the detective replied,
staring at him as though he were see-
ing him for the first time. “You have con-
victed yourself as do all criminals because
of unexplainable circumstances which al-
ways arise to confront those who break
the law. You should know that well,
Wilkinson, for although I did not remem-
ber you until you took off that hat, I
recall now that I arrested you ten years
ago in New Bedford for safe blowing.”
Wilkinson was thoroughly cowed, an
eager to talk.
Admitting the robbery in Brunswick, he
said he had come to Bath late Saturday
night, September 1st, with his pal, Elliott,
prepared to blow the safe in the Gould
store. No deposits yagre ever made until
Monday and he kni he would make a
rich haul. While breaking open the out-
side door, they had been discovered by
Kingsly, who sounded the alarm and then
shot at them. Elliott ran down the street
and escaped. Wilkinson returned the
officer’s fire and hid in the alley. He then
ran through to Front Street, meeting Wil-
liam Lawrence, who had sought to place
Murder Trail—the Case of the
Dancing Hands
(Continued from page 27)
slapped the desk top. “By George! He
couldn’t, at that!”
Reynolds smiled and began making
more marks on the paper.
“Now that we've got that established,
look at this: Lewis was shot through the
right side. Two bullets entered the right
side; only one emerged and was lost. Now
Mrs. Whitchurch said that the man on the
right running-board, after Lewis had
knocked him down by kicking open the
door, had fired at the boy as he ran back
toward the hill. Here’s where Lewis’ body
was found, head toward the road, fifteen
feet south and slightly west of the ma-
chine.”
“Yes, that’s correct,” agreed Richards.
“Well, if Lewis was running in that
direction, his left side would be toward
the gunman. He couldn’t have been
shot through the right side.”
Richards looked up, eyes wide. “Arch,
you've upset what might have been a ‘per-
fect? murder. That one little mix-up in
directions blew the plan sky-high.”
“Those circular tire marks behind the
car where the brakes had been put on
made me curious at first,” went on Rey-
nolds. “You see, by drawing a line from
those curving marks to the spot on the
road where the car went over the em-
bankment, we move the machine right
alongside Lewis’ body.”
Richards looked down and nodded.
“The car is to the right of the body, now,
just a foot or two away, with the driver’s
side toward Lewis.”
“That’s right.”
“Dr, Thurman said a man would die
almost instantly with a bullet in his heart.
Lewis could not have done much running.
marcH, 1941
him under arrest. The robber raised his
gun and shot him dead.
“JT had to do it,” he stated. “It was in
self-defense—my life or his.”
This Wood knew to be a lie. There
was no evidence that good-natured Uncle
Billy had even reached for his gun. Be-
sides, the detective remembered that wit-
nesses in Portland were ready to swear |
they had overheard Wilkinson boast he |
was going to shoot his way out of any
trouble he might encounter in Bath.
The prisoner entirely exonerated Elliott
as far as the murder was concerned. Al-
though refusing to tell his whereabouts,
he said that he was an Englishman 0
good family, who had fallen into evil
ways through bad company.
The detective followed Elliott’s trail to
Boston, only to Jearn he had sailed for
Liverpool the previous Thursday. Under
the Ashburton Treaty then in force, the |
man could not be extradited.
Wilkinson went on trial in Augusta.
Maine, on Thursday, January 3rd, 1884.
The trial lasted four days and the jury
without much deliberation found him
guilty of murder in the first degree.
He was hanged in the State Prison at
Thomaston at high noon on Saturday, No-
vember 2lst, 1885, the last prisoner to be
executed in that state.
Today nobody knows the true identity
of this last man to ascend the gallows.
The prisoner admitted the name he used
was not his real one.
“My own name is never going to be-
come public,” he told Warden Bean.
“That is my secret and I intend to
keep it.”
It died with him.
He died immediately. He died as soon as
he was shot. And he was sitting in the
car behind the steering wheel when that
happened.”
“T see what you mean.” agreed Richards.
“Jt could not be any other way.”
“One of the bullets passed through
Lewis’ body, but it had lost force and
merely thudded against the left door, be-
low the arm rest, at a spot exactly where
the single wound was located. The killer
saw that slight dent and, to confuse us,
smeared automobile grease over it to
hide it.
“FHE minute Lewis was shot, he either
fell or was shoved out of the machine.
to the ground. He had halted the car at
that point on the hill. It was a simple mat-
ter for the killer to release the brake, allow
the machine to coast almost to the trees,
then yank up the brake and pull the auto
to the right. This was to help carry out
the story that Lewis had leaped from
pe: right side of the car and run up the
bill.
“One more little thing that oceurred to
me,’ concluded Reynolds, “was the car
being in high gear. It could not have
climbed up the hill and over the em-
bankment in high. Only somebody ex-
cited and new to driving would have left
it where we found it in high gear. It was
one of the first things that made me sus-
picious.”
“A Jot of small details,” agreed Richards,
rising. “But it_all adds up to one thing:
I’m charging Rebecca Whitchurch with
murder.” .
x oe x
The surprised restaurant owner at first
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63
‘v word be-
ty he ad-
Wakefield's
1ot inclined
ig along the
esn't sound
ch and see
‘Folks who
Bailey are
£ vou the
sing. Wood
d. Twelve
e was still
pled church
le to stand
covers and
hotel he
irters and
kie patrol-
o'clock, he
nust be in
withdrew.
sunding on
hted home.
a.
and a wo-
sly,” Wood
»ypened the
the living-
Iman came
nervously,
detective’s
hour.
it thev
a chair
a that he
til he had
. from the
he spoke
) Boston's
asv it was
= head and
words, he
{ of shoot-
of Bath;
so closely
with those
certain to
ere to trv
Vood said,
as a cat's
ital shoot-
bility that
this is so,
Did you
wy
he detec-
iswer. His
he con-
stened in-
he at last
» is noth-
going out
and I do
days. In
ving soul
ven your
r, the de-
lv; “dur-
{, did you
the same
et out for
Before
a day
' miles
rought
a corner
isked for
DETECTIVE
the proprietor. A man slid from a stool
behind the prescription desk and came
forward, introducing himself as Dr. Lord.
“Just happened to be passing through,”
Wood said carelessly. ‘I heard that your
store had been robbed by burglars a day
or two before the shooting in Bath. Is
that so?”
“Reckon it is,’ Lord admitted, “but they
didn’t get much.” He chuckled. “A few
fancy articles from a case, some cigars
and what money I had left in the till for
change the next morning.”
“Nevertheless, I’m interested,” the de-
tective returned. “Do you mind showing
me how they got in?”
The druggist led the visitor to the front
door.
“Broke off the hinges with a wedge,” he
explained.
Wood saw along the outer edge of the
side panel the familiar indentations that
marked the soft pine door of the Gould
ship chandlery in Bath. He pulled out
the chisel and fitted it in one of the sev-
eral two-inch depressions.
“Fits perfectly—even to that triangular
break,” said Lord.
“Too perfect to be a coincidence,” the
detective agreed.
“And now who* might you be?” the
druggist inquired.
OOD identifi himself and asked
more questions. Had the burglars left
any clues behind? Had Dr. Lord noticed
anything unusual on entering the store
the morning after the robbery?
“They left behind some matches,” the
druggist answered. “They’re the strangest
matches I’ve ever seen. Used a lot of
them trying to open my safe and left the
burnt ones on the floor. Got some in the
safe now’—he chuckled—“for safe-keep-
ing. Want to see them?”
At Wood’s eager nod, Lord reached in-
side the steel door, opened a steel com-
partment and drew them out. Never in
Wood’s long experience had he seen a
match that differed so essentially from
those in common use. Larger than a Port-
land match, they were triangular in shape
and neatly sandpapered to a smooth
finish.
“Foreign looking things, aren’t they?”
the druggist observed. “There’s never been
a match like that in this town before.”
“Do you mind if I take a few with me?”
the Boston investigator inquired. When
Lord acquiesced, he put them carefully
away in an inside pocket.
In an effort to make certain that these
robberies were not the work of local men,
Wood stepped across the street where
some wooden buildings were under con-
struction. The work required the services
of almost every carpenter in town. Seek-
ing out the foreman, he showed him the
chisel picked up in Bath and asked if it
were the property of any man on the job.
The foreman didn’t give it a second glance.
“It wasn’t lost by any one here,” he
declared positively. ‘Every chisel we've
got has a home-made handle.”
Wood made other inquiries about town,
talking with the police and other officials
before checking with the ticket agent at
the railroad station. He could lay his
hands on no actualities. He did hear an
oft-repeated story, which police had dis-
missed as gossip. The story concerned
two strangers, one a stout-waisted man
wearing a red sweater. The two had been
seen about town the day of the robbery
and later glimpsed at the railroad station.
The detective could not locate any wit-
ness who had personally seen thes» two
men, but the story in and around b-uns-
wick seemed consistently known and the
stout-waisted man was said to be about
five feet, seven inches tall with a silky
MARCH, 1941
SS
PRIVATE KELLY’S PIPE WAS SMELLY
—but he’s out of the dog house now!
Pra
Dp
ay
ky
“NO BLANKETY-BLANK rookie
whosmokessuchblankety-blankety-
blank tobacco can ever marry my
daughter! Phew! Get out and stay
out, before I lose my temper!”
“THE OLD WALRUS sure told me
off!” gloomed Kelly. ‘Wonder what
dollar-a-pound mixture he smokes?
Fat chance I could afford such-like
on the slim pay J get around here.”
“LOVE HIM, DO YOU?” growled
the Colonel. “Tell him the Army’s
favorite pipe tobacco is Sir Walter
Raleigh. Men ought to be ordered to
smoke this mild blend of burleys!”
yyy] soorar tape
* around lid seals
flavor in, brings
you tobacco 100%
factory-fresh!
UNION MADE
sg eee
,, UNCLE WALTER’
KELLY GOT DECORATED for fra-
grance under fire! You can, too!
You puff Sir Walter in your pipeand
every nose agrees it’s the brand of
grand aroma! Two full ounces, 15¢.
Sg A
5 DOG HOUSE
_ EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT & NBC & PRIZES FOR YOUR “DOG HOUSE” EXPERIENCE
61
"| conscription, snd
| capied all the-moraing in reading his Bible:
‘When asied if-he would like some food» “om the
Warden's table, be said “‘yes,”” and on Its, being
: Hlarris eeys in his
‘ACI04 o'clock Rev. Mr. Emery,
M¢:*Mason, Congregations!
Bibiei ‘ In'reply to an
‘go and rob Mrs. Kins-
“Marder wasn’t thought of.”* He ‘agreed “to
iquor white at Lew-
“he drank
49 whether, in view of the fact that he was aboist |:
to appeir before his God, he had any change to
"make in the writtes confession which he made to
‘pis spiritaal advisers én Monday; Harris solemn-
ly replied that he had none; that what he teati-
fied to id court was the truth; and: that: if he
“ed strength to speak, he should so declare on
the gallows. He ssid he was réady to die, ‘bat
dresiled the approach of the hour.
all ordered to
‘Jeave' the
‘potification with great calmness,
ly engaged in’prayer with Re
Deputy then offered fohelp the
put Harria said he could dress unaided. “He thes
jail by ®
that be would
‘Thomaston: by
aid to him,:he es;
‘When he came to reflect he: changed agai and
told his former story, which: is true. “This he
says as'a dying man, having no motive, for false.
hood can, he says, only add to guilt. hata agtt
~ In conclusion Harris says fa: his confession
“Believing that though I am thé greatest of sin-
ners; yet. God will forgive me, £ could have no
hope if E abould dis with: = lie’ on my ‘tongue.
‘The truth is E ams mordererand suffer justly,
the penalty of death. Lather J-Vorrill is alee a
ine participated in the same,
j somlics only say - tl
dressed: himself in the ugasl-dress ‘of one ‘aboat| 4
“to pass the gatlows—white \
‘frock, conics! black cap, and ‘shoes. “2
TAPIL2S Warden Rico appeared abiag door
Mi
Harris® cell, and announced ras wendy.
*>} On this announcement Harris? countenance ga
Lk-1 indications of the intense
t) ‘vaded” bits. “AP .11,88 Sheriff Gro
county, and: Deputies Brown oe
id- | peared at the coll, oad at oped formed the pep=
‘| -cension to the sosffold, “At 11,48 the pata
1 merell, the Deputies and Depuly Warden edcort-
the buread@H] ing) and Harris walking by the side of ihe Bher-
e 2. |i, while his spiritual adviser; Chaplain Emery,
Cameron, #
vote for his
nomination of Ger. Longstreet a9 Surveyor.
Port of New Orieaus is received with & div 2rsity
of sentiment. “Many ‘of the Repoblicans are
eased with }t, and it wae ¢ndoreed by the New
rieans Republican ‘editors the ex-
Union soldiers denounce it in severe: tePns, but
phads conceded tion bility
Soak saaeetaasleneRENREaa i
bee TF
by
*
NECHO, George, Indian, hanged at York, Maine,august 7t§, 1840,
The hitherto unconfirmed case of Edmund Browne at York, Maine, in
1740. I succeeded in locating the origional trial documents as well
as the origional Minutes Book of the Superior Court of Judicature,
Assize and General Gaol Delivery for the County of York, (Massachusetts
jurisdiction). The case is meticulously documented. Moreover, the
man was indeed executed.
Now for an even bigger bombshell: (Minutes of June 18th 1740)
In the very same Minutes Book and in the very same Court session, is
noted, (also in meticulous detail), the case of an Indian man named
GEORGE NECHO -- on trial for his life at York ME for the sexual
battery of a child. The exact words: "George Necho an Indtan man
being indicted for ravishing Susanna Kimball, an infant about three
years of age, pleaded 'not gutlty'." The case is a fascinating
legal oddity. Necho was found guilty. However the court went to the
almost unheard of extreme of offering him, (An Indian!) the Benefit
of Clergy! Now get this -- "Moved on his behalf that he might have
Benefit of Clergy and the Court agreed to respite judgement. However
when he was brought to the bar and tt was demanded of him whetner he
had reason why the judgement of the court should not be passed upon
him, he, at the erttical moment, stood stlent. And the court accord-
tngly passed sentence of Death upon him."
Death Warrants for both Edmund Browne and George Necho were issued on
July 12th 1740. And they were both hanged in a double execution at
York on August 7th.
As you can see, George Necho literally threw his life away = not
pleading the Benefit of Clergy, (which the court would've granted),
when the question was put to him why he should not be sentenced to
death. An Indian, he was probably illiterate and didn't know any
better. And lo and behold! -- He is a brand new one out of Maine!
I had sought to weed out Edmund Browne and came up with a bonus!
You've no idea how ASTOUNDED I was to come up with this! The Boston
newspaper which origionally put me onto Browne's trail made no mention
of a second condemnation at the same court.
we Mtl Le LSI LISS fer
Hau ny Mex ey
teas Wer dor! Ky
Lyell , a.
pe GUE
on oe re ee
before sad would do
2 it) Beto emt oa Sar i
®
'fdnd, priot to July *20s)
Portiand thought the ress
-#ige -money for Bower
there iva wide spread: fee
f the institution that the
pa state of wild excite}
delle till officers. arrest ‘the wane, The.
“took them before Jadge Nei=} Res, Mr. Eco8 Of Auze
{them on theic promising: cription.for $200, . fullo
udge Walsh to-morrowto answer a Portland wit
aye!
v. Mr2Ash ;
remarks were wade from
fally responds
follows:—
ing with bim, | :
Beecher which were false and:
C husband knew.(o be fa
asbeod
iy
Kast Mu’
Revo Wm. Yoraythy Primary,
Free Wii Baptist Year!y
Woodbury, Primary; Kev. J
> Advisory Committee to rep
‘the College and’ ¥ducati.n:
Charitable . Bocietics—Rev.
er, Belfast.
wie Rey. J.T, Eco
L. Park; Gur] ine,r alternate.
Committce on Nonsination
ALN. Jones, Io3
f Dea. Simeon Page.
-Imthe Py M., after ci
were returned: ag esaal
fe. Lord's Sapper, was th
Lyes Caatine, qd fa
a apes ti Moss Ee
Trish Moss, which ut
- Toute Strack ig
5 Lancs
The toued a WE. Tewett i
*f strack J ‘by lightniog, and bute
the outbaildings and barn.
ongregatioual State Beg
Thursday, A. M.—The Co
Conference, in cession at Av
“with devotional services, ; JA '
pointed to obtaia statistical ig
‘to the churches.
“The report of the” Treas
Wheel wright, was. read. © Th
S) year were $481,543" expen
The report was @dopted,
= A’short recesé. was taken’
“meeting of the Maine Mission
Dr. Fiske; the President,
reported that the tristees' ap
nominee for office of Correspo
ing Secretary for the consite-
‘bad fiiled to agree upon a nay
made by Rev, Algssrs. Ives cf
of Bangor; and S&. P. Fay,
election cf the pres sent’. iceu
seemed to be to: re-elect him
i} and in the meantime. the fie!
-p-over for another candidate,
and Rey. Stephen Thurstoa w
old Board’ef Trustees, Treas
were unanimously re-electe:
P-appointed to consider the su
ty the-next meeting of the saci
Aand; also reported Ray. G.
and Prof. SLL.) Paine, of: thd
cai Seminary,. second pres
made afew practicil’ remar
‘peed of fostering | the feeble ¢
Adjoarned, e
~ The ‘Confereaes went into
Palmer of Branseick bret
ef the endowment cf Bowds'
that the codownient which
“the war) was not eufficieng” (
after the war. He refig@tc'!
5
‘studies ia the college agyone §
} Beecher chatted gaily’ wi Ja of reed creased financial requjtea.enk
“ers and spoke of sbis® being his 624- birthday. gregationalists of Maine m\
at te got off sone capfiat thing?, and “declared he aid the institution it would
ivcerely, hoped the jury was rot goiig to dis Mons J. We Bradbury
smo wag hammered “on the door at 6} resolution to the estat ibe
: ghly itatinctive and
a ie milleg of a
follows tite :
ath Schiele — Row. th
be are At Magiates sf
PAB ago Beta or,
vial Ranger Thects ico Te
Mas, Canbectaud, J Bee
Tae Se steps Bevan
mere, Bean 9), Sewali, Ten
Nye, Keaneiec; Reve, Moser
7 4 ] A, Hie i hel esac tie
Fp as D 1G tie BOE p= Me Ss tS : a8 at i eiions, Jones: atte.
eg 2G; heed PARDEE ‘g ; yo fe founded, ‘04 | too; aud Woo. B, Uaies, Yo
paper ‘ Sah wi : nal: } be false; “sod: E-de- De Oh to Aoprespon:
pend voluntatily snd ape Fingal
sa ) OO: tere: of M
¥rée Wil Baption Yeart
‘oodhury, Primary; Ker)
and|- Ad¢isory Cot lites ta re
: = tired: the. College and. Yancatiut
di ye ® ! 4 v ‘Charitable Borletica—R+7.
ed about Hiss erat, I Rev.4}. F, Uarier, Beltast.
: Serk EAE 5 Preachers—B-z, d. UL: Be
procetded to make their ; ep 0. i “L, Park, Gard inet alteraat4
The doors “cf-the prison wher Iga) See En He 5. ; : ,f (: Committee od Nomiont e
sting permits to enter at}, a pees _ S MAINE. AND GOSSI ee é: J. Baling,
In the P
és é.of Count ¥
‘bthe Kammergorciht, 7
“fed of sbsteacling with
the character of pobligt
and he wes sentenced ty
cluding one month th
e court declares the
“gach a8 cakes, pies,’ p
}rof custards, “jellies,
Presi-} blanc mange, etc. >
: pondent (T.): writest| Wister's Balsem 6
r ‘weeks past we have had at Sarry,[ 4
heavy raing, making By6-lnches ( x} and $1 2 botile, larg
gms
“Amusements.
ARRIS, Clifton, black, hanged Maine State Prison (Auburn) on March 12, 1869.
"Lewiston, Me., Jan. 21, 1867-An awful tragedy has been enacted in Auburn, this State,
during the past week, Two old ladies named Kinsley and Caswell, respectively 60 and
70 years of age, were found murdered in their own house, about 2 miles from town,
at a place called Young's Corner. It is supposed that the deed was committed either
on Wednesday or Thursday night during the storm, The two ladies lieved alone in the
house, and were employed in binding shoes for the firm of Keith Berry & Co. of Au-
burn, Owing to the storm no one had entered the house for 3 or days, On Saturday
night Mr, Keith went to the house, and found the body of Mrs, Caswell lying in a pool
of blood across the threshold, between the sitting-room and the kitchen, and the
younger one, Mrs, Kinsley, lying inbed, Yesterday a coroner's inquest was held and
the bodies examined, It is evident the murderer's motive wes rape as there were
marks of a violent struggle on the body of Mrs, Kinsley. A sum of money in Govern-
ment bonds was found in the room untouched, A man by the name of Johnson has been
arrested on suspicion and is now in Auburn jail," TIMES, New York, N, Y., January
22, 1867 (8/2.)
"Nathaniel Johnson, who was arrested on suspicion of having committed the double
murder near Lewistown, Me., last week, has proved an alibi, and there seems Little
reason to doubt that the crime was committed by an unknown man, who attempted to
enter a house near the scene on the same night, Efforts are being made to solve
the mystery and discover the assassin," TIMES, New York, N, Y., 1-2-1867 (h-2.)
"Boston, Jan, 26, 1867-Intelligence from Auburn, Me., says that a Frenchman was
arrested at New Gloucester, Me., on Thursday evening by Officer Reeve of, Mechanics!
Hall, who is believed to be the murderer of the two old women at Auburn last week.
The evidence is of a circumstantial nature, but points strongly to the accused as
the guilty man, The principal circumstances are these: On the day after the murder
a man called at a house in West Minot St., about 6 miles from the scene of the tra-
gedy.and asked for supper. The woman of the house noticed that his shirt-bosom and
waistbands were bloody, and that there were spots of blood on portions of his panta=
loons and clothing, This man, at the time of his arrest, had the bosom of his shirt
torn out and his wristbands were gone, and the lin&hg of his coat had also been re-
moved, He had on a soft felt hat which bore the marks of having been scraped with a
knife, as if to remove stains, Spots, which the physician declared to be blood, were
found on his clothing, He gives a clear account of his whereabouts except during the
time between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, when the murder was committed, and
admits having called at Libby's house in West Auburn abouts mile from the residence
of the murdered women, About 3 o'clock Thursday morning Mr, Libby saw the person
who thus called moving off in the direction of the scene of the mrder, Another
circumstance is the fact that tracks about the house after the murder showed that
some p: rson had been there who wore a boot without a heel, The prisoner has such a boot
and it fits the tracks mentioned, The supposed murderer is a small man, about S'1o" |
ball and about 0 years old, He says he came from Montreal and that he has been
working at wood-choppigg for various parties in Maine this Winter, but does not give i
their names, He is represented as a man of very vicious appearance,.,"TIMES, New :
York, Jan, 27, 1867 (8/3.) ip
"Lewiston, Me., Sate, Feb. 2, 1867-In reference to the Auburn murder, the negro
asserts that he did not think the murder contemplate, and consecuently he went to
the house unarmed while his accomplice first seized Mrs, Kinsley, and demanded where
the money was, when she screamed for Mrs, Caswell, The accomplice then struck Mrs,
Kinstey with a chair, Mrs, Caswell, on coming out of the room, was struck by the
accomplice on the head with‘’a hatchet, and he left her fordead, when both the mur-
derers returned to Mrs, Kinsley's bedroom and searched for:money where she indicated
but found none, Miss Caswell had returned to consciousness and was attempting to
reach her room, when the negro followed her and killed her with a chair, In the
meantime the accomplice had finished Mrs, Kinsley, They then tried to light a lamp,
but failed, and after further search, gave up all hopes of finding any money and
left, Verrill, whom the negro charges with being the instigator of, and accomplice |
in} the crime, is in jail, Detectives are understood to be at work on the case."
TIMES, New York, NY, February 10, 1867 (1/6.
DEANF’S DIARY.
1798.
January 9. I visited Pote.*
February 3. At funeral of Adams, Stroudwater. 16. I went to
mill., 23. Cumming’s funeral,?
Kellogg’s eA | _ March 1. Mrs. Ross died, (Elizabeth, vidoe of Alexander Ross,
Be aged 77.)
pgemeeting. . 9 May 10. I rode to Standish—exhibition there.
houses in July 5. Pote’s trial. August 27. Capt. Pote died.
September 9. Mr. Gregg, P. M. (Rev. Wm. Gregg preached for
him, afterwards settled in Cape Elizabeth.)
1. Jeremiah Potg. imprisoned for the murder of his wife, of which he was
convicted at the Supreme Court in July, and sentenced to be hung in August; he
was reprieved to September on account of his sickness, and died in prison before
the day appointed for his execution arrived. He killed his wife with a shovel in a
fit of intoxication, and as was supposed from jealousy. He was son of Gamaliel,
and grandson of William Pote, the ancestor of all the name here, who came from
is mother was ek: Ol Marblehead; he was admitted an inhabitant in 1728, and built the wooden house
} the farm at. ! at Wovdford’s Corner, in Westbrook, where Rev. Mr. Browne afterwards lived
ie y,a i and died, now standing. He had seven sons, viz: Wm., Samuel, Jeremiah,
yho had mee} Se Gamaliel, Elisha, Thomas and Greenfield. Jeremiah was a respectable merchant
Wim. Lowell, a on the neck at the time of the conflagration of the town ; he became’ a Loyalist,
arson Jones, aa and was proscribed. . After the peace he settled at St. Andrews, N. B., where he
mS, After Mr. ; died Nov. 28, 1796, aged 71. His son Robert died without issue. One of his
puilt in 1804 a daughters married Robert Pagan, 1775, the other, Thomas Wyer. William, the
es. : a eldest son, died unmarried ; Samuel died in Marblehead without issue. Elisha died
: first settled i os 7 | young and unmarried. Gamaliel married Mary Irish, of Gorham; he had several
mot Durham, : children, and died in New Casco. Thomas married: Sarah Merrill, 1757, and had
a: ae nine children; he, and all the family but one, joined the Shakers at New Glouces-
ter, where Elisha, one of them, born in 1764, and for a while a sailor, became an
Elder. Thomas died there in 1816, aged 83. Greenfield married Jane Grant in
1758, and lived in.New Casco; he had eight or nine children; one of his daughters
married Bucknam, of Falmouth.
lent, in both
stile feeling 2. Mr. Thomas Cumming, who died Febery 20 aged 63. He came here
thers, at the é from Scotland in 1773, and opened a store in King street, where he fred; his
} the pastors house and store were destroyed, with much of their contents, in the destruction of
, He wo the town in 1775. But on the restoration of peace he rebuilt his house on the
ade ' Thom as i same spot, which is still standing, fronting the éntrance of Middle street. Here he
a: oe : continued business until his death. His eldest daughter, Margaret, died young in
Dhan . ey 4 1792 ; his other daughter, Eleonora, married Charles Bradbury, a son of Judge
May He be | Bradbury, in 1810, and is now living in Boston, in the midst of a large family.
’ His only son, Robert, was lost at sea in 1791.
3.
, Stroudwater
f Falmouth,
otice of Mr.
yetmetep "Tlod
07-21-1798 PORTLAND, MAINE. Saturday last the Supreme Judicial Court
closed its annual session in this town
during which time the trial of the unfortunate CAPT. POTE for
the murder of his wife came on and occupied the whole of
cf Thursday till eleven o'clock in the evening. The evidence was
“face” very full and clear that on the 11th of November last at about
, eight o'clock in the evening after many reproaches for her un-
faithfulness to his bed, (for which not the least foundation
existed), and attempting to strangle her with a handkerchief,
he killed her with repeated strokes of a fire-shovel upon the
head and neck. There being some evidence that gave colour to
Suppose that Capt. Pote might be insane at the time, the same
was fully and ingeniously argued in his favor by his counsel,
Messrs Symmes and Davis, but without effect as was anticipated.
For the jury was out but a few minutes agreeing to the fatal
verdict. The unfortunate offender was on Saturday sentenced
to DEATH by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court
in a very pathetic address amid a large concourse of spectators
whose deep attention and unavailing regret did homage to the
umpire of the law.
*uostad ut petq
pares
ite, hanced Gardiner, Maine, January 2, 1835 oe ee
.
“HISTORY OF AUGUSTA, |
ne oe
ee Bhai? 4. Ase y saree: _ FROM THE we hee. aes see ie
EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME: | 3 |
ag mai
pit P eee ,
; with : ea
- NOTICES OF THE PLYMOUTH COMPANY,
; of AND : '
4 SETTLEMENTS ON THE KENNEBEC3; =
: i : TOGETHER WITH tae Mees ede
ne BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. —
Cee “4 JAMES W. NORTH. 1
: stars ah Wig Soa eis: Nee
2 re on __the Lord hath done great things for us already;
oe whereof we rejoice."—Ps.P. BV. © dat OS Secheat a
% } bt Ho y ; 4 Malis. fp . ARE
gleege. AUGUSTA: © que
_ CLAPP AND NORTH.
F MS aif as 1870. ¢ Se :
.
Pim
now holds that office.
Sager’s Trial. | | 1884.
tributed and forced in warm and fresh currents to all parts of the
building.
In 1862 a wharf was constructed on the shore of the river, to
which the hospital lot reaches, for the convenience of landing coal
and other freight, by which a large saving is made in cartage and
other expenses.
In 1869 the ‘‘ Tobey farm,” adjoining the hospital peouada on
the south, was purchased ; this added sixty-five acres of land to
: the lot, which, with other enlargements made since 1854, now
* makes a farm of symmetrical shape containing four hundred acres
of valuable land, the most-of which is arable.
A new wing has been erected to complete the hospital build-
ings according to the original design and provide for the press-
ing wants of increasing patients. On this work William M. Clark
of Augusta was master mason and Alvan Fogg of Augusta mas-
ter carpenter. Under their direction the work in each of their
branches has been satisfactorily performed. This season the wing
will be completed, when the building will accommodate three
hundred and fifty patients, as many as may be proptably supported
under one management.
Rev. John Young of Augusta succeeded Rev. J. H..Ingra-
ham as chaplain, Ie continued until his death in 1866, when
Rev. C. F. Penney was appointed, and still holds that office. Dr.
B. T. Sanborn succeeded Dr. Smith as assistant physician, and
_ Jefferson Parsons succeeded Mr. Allan as
steward and treasurer in 1864, and has since held those offices. _
The wife of Joseph J. Sager of Gardiner, died suddenly on Sunday,
October 5th, 1834, under circumstances which induced his arrest for
murder. He was confined in jail at Augusta, and the grand jury,
in attendance upon the Supreme Court then in session, found a true
bill of indictment against him for_murdering his wife by poison.
When arraigned he pleaded ‘‘not guilty,’ and Tuesday, October
23d, was assigned for his trial. At the trial, Judges Weston and
. Parris presided; Nathan Clifford, attorney general, and James -W.
' Bradbury, county attorney, appeared as counsel for government;
and Peleg Sprague, Frederic Allen-and.George W. Bachelder for
the accused. A jury was impanneled after twenty-seven persons,
who were called, were challenged peremptorily and for cause. Of
this jury Oliver Bean of Readfield was foreman. It appeared from
the testimony that Sager did not live happily with his wife, who
~ would be successful.
, the drop fell.
1834. ef at aie Sager Hung ee eee
was much older than himself, and that on the morning of her death,
at breakfast, he gave her somo wine to drink in which was an egg
with white sugar.
found a white sediment,
cream pitcher, on the breakfast table, which was set away by a
witness who was present.
ze
In the tumbler containing it was afterwards Di
The same white powder appeared in the a :
Mrs. Sager, shortly after taking the
wine and egg, was in great distress and commenced vomiting. ©
The family physician was called, who failed to impart relief, andin
a short time she died. The contents of the stomach and pitcher ~
were sent to Professor Cleaveland for examination.
arsenic in the contents of the stomach.
of the jury Saturday night.
in the evening. When it met, at that time, the jury had not settled
the question of guilt or innocence; but they sent word to the court
that. they should probably agree. The court then adjourned to
Monday morning, when the jury came in with a verdict of ‘guilty.’
Judge Weston in very appropriate language and in a fecling
“manner addressed the prisoner, and passed sentence of death
upon him.
The sentence was executed on Friday, January 2, 1835, on a
gallows erected on Winthrop street, near the southwest corner of
the jail. The day was cold and stormy. The inclemency of the
weather, however, did not prevent the assembling of a vast multi-
tude, packed in dense masses in the streets radiating from the
jail and in the neighboring buildings and yards ; the number waa
‘variously estimated ut from eight to twelve thousaod,’’ many of
whom were women; some had come a long distance the night
before. Sager asserted his innocence to the last, and prepared a
manuscript, ‘‘partly of narrative, and partly of exhortation,”’
which was read by Rev. Benjamin Tappan, the clergyman in at-
tendance on the prisoner. It had no influence ‘‘to change the
' public sentiment as to his guilt.” His mother was interceding
with Gov. Dunlap and his Council, who were in the court house,
-for a reprieve; and he had hopes to the last moment that sho
When the appointed time came for execu- ~
tion, George W. Stanley, sheriff of Kennebec, cut the rope, and
After hanging about twenty minutes, Dr. Franklin
Gage pronounced Sager to be dead, ‘‘when he was cut down, and
He found ~
abundance of arsenic in the pitcher, and one test showed traces of tes
| The remainder of the ~
week was consumed in the trial, which ended with the retirement —
The court adjourned to ten o’clock —
liverssry at O12 AS M :
Rew. >A. Drioksater, the}
rere @Ppointed, ‘and ‘the
t the annusi report of. the
’ This gave. the amount :
ho and: | missionary shies \ wo
had occarted duridig'the this
ke
to the promuases OS
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ven $500 towards fain
Fhe called | after bia « bona: f
than elected as followa i}:
sof: “Bavgor,, President; we
arren, Vice” President; inst
of Lewiston, Se
The 1 Zz
Rev. S. G. Sarg
' the Society. i Dai. fal-
the whole 5-17 vhe gare. a}
wy and:
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hat the Teceipte: ‘for’ the! fe
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of the 2d Baptist
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; ;} minutes, ‘the physicians examined it ehd er
ad nounced that all evidences ef: lite ad ces
'| whereupon at 8 few minutes: befors.1 0’
rgent,. the it wae. cut down and placed ia.
"| of the’ chief officer of the’ prison.” when |
: The Rockland: company of State Gaards, w Ege?
y of the . eociety: Bow bag sbinionet, the officers of the 4
civilians inglading reported of the Press,
; balance in! hand, “had! were the only. y- persons : present, The gallo
ireacbed “by Rev. | schooner bound from’ Polat
pe io ree
‘ehareh ees -raieed No!
subscriptionssig. exiable | - uke
ing. We may ‘as: well ie
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"Pa ptiat ‘Homel Fok
P. Mathews; W. ‘Reed, réporta ‘no
Sargent and G, ‘Miller, this’ A. a
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§ GREAT WOURK.—A: ‘book for every
ried happy |
obtaining the
Ea en gepmdbwedeee
-OSPITAL,.
5 Bearer: Street, Alneayy Re yy,
23
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mafest as well us the latest remedies for
inducements to the uniortanste of a
tpg and. ye. fsteen ptecy ate gece tcee ered ge
control ofthe Doctor's medicines, and
‘Bera cola plete work on midwifery.
<| of secrets never before oublishead. — Warranted to’
“| three times the amount agked for tt;. 25 Cents in specie. of
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of Dr. - “Vicheits Senet Fe-
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NCAUTION. Married Lates a. certain‘ delicate situa-
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same tr for the guidance of pa-
{ibe price per box) these pills
te elle to any part of the’ world
ae) isteasdtds br canta oe home, by
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from
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maridawly
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wonitita :
Sttugh our
Kea ate edse
No, & Beaver 8t., Albany, New Yorg- aor
to this one particular branch oj: chat. :
© perform cures as no other phy s- 12 vat
in. cofresponid-4-pE5-p 1
the most celebrated physiolans of dheOnt World}
p+ Baraat :
ja
charge for | *
bli pe”
ah your
gee
| pees
Wit! open a 4
Tuesday..May
Lisbon Block,
The ladies o
fxnmitie our
Mourning i
PANE aah
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Problem to Test Your Detective Ability
WAS THE
FIEND OF
SMUT TY NOSE?
By IRENE DUNLAP
of the household and her infatuated young husband
paid something extra that she might be free to take
her ease.
John Hontvet owned a small fishing schooner named
the Clara Belle, a sailboat of course, but a good, re-
liable little craft, and John and his brother Matthew
and his wife’s brother Ivan, went away in the Clara
Belle in the sharp chill of that March morning. Later
in the day the three women at home on Smutty Nose
received word from a fisherman living on Star that
their men would stay in: Portsmouth Harbor that night.
The three got into Portsmouth Harbor, tied up to
one of the fishing wharves and lingered to talk with
aman they knew, lounging there. His name was Louis
Wagner, a kindly, inefficient, warm-hearted and rather
vain fellow who had been hanging around Portsmouth
and the vicinity for several years.
He was an indifferent seaman and a poor fisherman.
He had boarded with them for seven months, stay-
ing until December of the year before and was
well liked by them all. He had left Smutty
Nose because John Hontvet had at last
Muren Hontvet ran breath-
lessly in her effort to summon
the neighbors to her aid,
decided that he could never make a good fisherman
out of him. Since then Wagner had been: making
a rather precarious living in the town. They asked
him if he would come to a house where they could
hire the use of the kitchen—help them bait their
trawls, after the freight train from Boston arrived
sl the bait on board. Louis promised and then he
said:
‘ then you ain’t going back to the Island tonight,
ey?” : ; .
They said that they had sent word to the women
that they would not.be back, but they might still go
if the freight were not too late. Wagner insisted that
he’d like to know whether they were really going back
RAS SER HE
pedi
4 wit “A 8 5.
WAGNER, Louis, white, hanged Maine June 25, 15875
A Woman Psychologist Offers a Startling
pr”. ee ic
He had the axe in his hand. What did
he intend to do with it?
trance to Portsmouth Harbor, about seven
and a half miles out at sea, there lie the
Isles of Shoals.
Next to the largest, which is called Appledore, and
separated by only a narrow ribbon of water, often low
enough to be waded through, is Smutty Nose, named
for the long black snout of rock which projects far out
into the water. Malaga, Cedar and Star, on which the
hotel and the church are, finish the rocky, treeless group
with the exception of an island two miles away from
the main group, called White Island. It is there that
the lighthouse stands, the lighthouse where one of the
early American poets lived for many years of her quiet
life. Celia Thaxter and her family were the lighthouse
keepers on White Island on the morning of March 5th,
1873, when one of the greatest murder mysteries ever
known on the North or South American continents
was under way. :
The islands then, as now, were very sparsely popu-
lated. On Smutty Nose at that time there were half
a dozen houses all untenanted except for one rude, un-
painted house in which lived a fisherman, John Hont-
Ae from Whales Back Light, at the en-
FF WHO
Students of Mystery
Have Debated the Mur-
ders at Smutty Nose for’
More Than Fifty Years.
Now a Modern Inves-
tigator Brings New
Light to Bear on This
Fascinating Case. When
Louis Wagner Was Sen-
tenced to Death, Was
Justice Served?
vet and his wife, Maren, and some relatives:
John’s brother, Matthew; Maren’s sister,
Karen; and their young brother, Ivan
Christensen ‘and his young and beau-
tiful wife, Anethe. The three wom-
en were studies in character.
Karen, a large, inefficient, mel-
ancholy woman, had just then
lost a domestic position
which she had held ‘in
the house of the min-
ister on Star
because of her
straction; and was i j
again, as she had been een ae Maes
in the house of her brother- a IN
in-law; a brooding, idle woman, i
sister Maren crazy with nervousness ‘
and dislike. |
those women who are foes to their own sex and against
whom a woman’s hand is instinctively raised. She had
of cream, a wild rose in the cheek, eyes “like a bit of
heaven dropped down.” She had firm white hands,
moodiness and ab-
a number of times, back
enough to drive her hard-working
Anethe, on the other hand, was one of
golden hair of great length and thickness, skin the color
which she declined to discolor with the rougher jobs
hetieline Mea gastut
i ,
Uihy, / IAL
a Hips &
SS SaaS
Three Women Were Alone jn the Solitary House
and finally John Hontvet, thus pressed, said no. The
bait wouldn’t arrive before midnight and the trawls
would have to be baited—it would be late. Waener
seemed satisfied and said that now he was sure that
they would stay, he would be up to help them, and
with that they parted.
The three men from Smutty Nose were alone
throughout the night. A man named Lowd, whom they
knew slightly, met them as they lingered about the
railroad station inquiring for the bait train, and they
asked him to come and help them, having little confi-
dence in) Wagner’s willingness to work hard and
swiftly. From that time on the four men were to-
gether. They hired the Johnson kitchen, got the bait,
worked on the trawls, ate some breakfast at lamp
light, paid off Lowd, and got away without seeing
Wagner. But they were not surprised. Louis was as
likely as not to go home and to bed, deciding that it
iy sete
was too cold to work or that he would help some other
time.
A family of Icelanders lived over on Appledore Is-
land, quite close to the ribbon of water running be-
tween rocks, which separated that island and Smutty
Nose. There were children in that family to whom the
nip of the March air was nothing, but they ran back
in a few minutes, crying that there was something
dreadful on Smutty Nose. ~ .
The man of the family, Ingerbredsen by name, fol-
lowed them out, took one look at what they pointed,
and dashed down to the water. He sprang into the
boat which rocked there, and rowed over to a nightmare
figure standing on the rocky shore.
fey Wakes
If was Maren Hontvet, in a flannel nightgown which
was literally plastered with blood. Her hair, stream-
ing over her shoulders, was red. Her feet were bare,
blue, and bleeding, one very badly. There were deep
wounds in her palms. Her little dog, Ringe, stiff all
over with dried blood, shivered, pressing close to her
and whimpering. Wild eyed, moaning and inarticulate,
Ingerbredsen got her into the boat and shouted for his
wife to come. Together, they got her into their house
on Appledore, where she sank into unconsciousness,
and then he and the few men at hand got into boats
and went back to the too silent house, where the front
door stood open to the cold wind of the winter morning.
Steady, hardened men of the sea as they were, they
looked slowly in at that quiet room and recoiled, for
the sight which met their eyes was a terrible one.
Anethe, the beautiful, her golden hair spattered with
red, nude but for a coat thrown carelessly over her, lay
on the floor, Karen, a knitted scarf about her neck,
lay near the window, her head almost cut from the
body. A window frame beside the door had a deep
gash in it. A bloody axe, mute but eloquent, lay beside
the door. ‘
The floor, the walls, the ceiling, revealed with what
64
a furious hand the repeated, the useless, the savage
blows had been struck. Karen had been killed by direct
blows which had struck her neck, but the body of Anethe
was mutilated and her lovely face unrecognizable. Her
long hair had then been drawn like a curtain to shut
out the horror which had been her bright beauty.
About ten o'clock, with Maren still] incoherent, the
watchers on Appledore saw the Clara Belle head in for
smutty Nose. They hailed her and got the boat to turn
in to the larger island, but when the men came off
her, their tongues refused their offices and they could
only stammer that something was very wrong “at your
home, Hontvet.”
John and Matthew, with slow-moving minds, could
not understand, but Ivan, his love stirring his intelli-
gence, rushed in Ingerbredsen’s house, where Maren
was tended by Mrs. Ingerbredsen, shouting:
‘“Anethe—-Maren, Anethe! Where is Anethe?”
lor the first time Maren seemed to hear what was
sild to her, Ter vacant eyes focused on Ivan, Slowly
she replied:
“Anethe—is at home—Over there—Anethe—is at
home.” ,
Ivan dashed: for Ingerbredsen’s boat. Several more
boats were in the narrow slip by this time. John and
Matthew Hontvet and Ivan rushed up the steep path
to their home. The open door, the smokeless chimney,
halted them. They looked around at the neighbor men
who crowded up silently to sustain them, and then they,
too, went up and looked into the house.
Celia Thaxter who wrote the story just after it hap-
pened—as much as she then knew of it—describes this
moment.
“Ivan is the first to enter.... There upon the floor,
naked, stiff and stark, is the woman he idolizes, for
whose dear feet he could not. make life’s ways smooth
and pleasant enough—stone dead! Dead. Horribly
butchered. Her bright hair stiff with blood, the fair
head that had so often rested on his breast, crushed,
with the brutal axe. Their eyes are blasted by the in-
tolerable sight. John and Ivan stagger out and fall
senseless on the snow.”
John was the first to recover. He left Ivan to be
taken care of by the neighbors and eventually to be
soothed to stupor by the physician who was sent for
from the mainland; and he and his brother went to
Maren. By this time, Mrs. Ingerbredsen and the women
of Appledore had washed away some of the blood that
had caked on her; and they had coaxed broth down
her throat. She was still a terrible looking object.
It would be days before the blood could be entirely
gotten out of her fingernails and from her hair, but
she had regained her senses. The story which she
told, propped up in the Ingerbredsen bed, was the same
story which she was to tell again and again:
“When we heard that the men would not be home,
we three went to bed, for it was cold. Karen slept in
the kitchen on the cot and Anethe slept with me. She
would always do that when Ivan was away, for she was
afraid to sleep alone upstairs. Ringe was in the kitchen,
“About midnight I heard Ringe bark. He does not
bark at night, not unless some of us walk.
“I thought the men had come kome and I sat up in
bed. I heard Karen move on the cot, too. She said:
“John, is that you?’ ‘
“No one spoke and Karen got out of bed. I heard her.
I called out:
“Karen, what is the matter?’
“Then I heard a man’s ‘step in the kitchen, and Karen
sort of laughed and said:
“Nothing is the matter. John scared me.’
“I woke Anethe and said the men were back go she
should go to her own bed, and she sat up. Then we sat
with the moon shining on us and looking at each other
frightened, for it sounded like a fight in the kitchen,
Something heavy fell and I heard the clock fall a
minu
“y
unde
Was.
faste
bar.
Kare
“ay
neve!
time.
door
I sas
moo
A
LE 754
eee oa led pe oer ene I re a
ee a
t' eae if
“ ay ont ind ull
yaiaioannonrmereng
a‘
8 tok? aed OM ¢
/ Tha he oi
t evan yan)
ower cue eo RP gi
i rm A ip hg
Ni dial
¥
VE Maren Hontvet sat
fiddenly in. bed and stared
ed ‘with startled eyes. She
ragecertain= she’ had heard. stealthy,
Perunchirig footsteps in the snow outside,
‘Her frightened gaze fell upon Anethe ,
er Christensen, her brather’s beautiful)»
flaxen-haired bride, lying in bed besides4y
het.’ The sounds had not awakened this:
19-year-old girl, nor had they disturbed:
Maren’s -sister, Karen Christensen,
asleep in the kitchen beyond. geese
Apprehensively, Maren Hontvet’™
looked out the ape window across the
snow-covered island of Smutty Nose,
one of the famous Isles of Shoals off
Portsmouth, N. H.
Capt. John Hontvet, Maren’s husband
and commander of the schooner Clara
Bella, together with his brother Mathew
and the young bridegroom, Ivan Chris-
tensen, were out fishing. The three
women were alone on this island far out
to sea and without protection,
The stealthy crunching came again,
Ringe, Maren’s little dog, barked furi-,.»\ gm
ously as a hinge on the outside door?” iia
squeaked noisily, Karen awakened and sh
spoke sleepily from her temporary bed
near the kitchen stove, ‘ ait
“Is that you, John?”
ack reassured, thinking despite the mes-
arlier that evening, the menfolk had
returned. Hardly had her head touched
jw.when there came the thud of a heavy blow
‘the closed chamber door and a scream from her
WWhat’s the matter?” Maren called.
Mijohn frightened me,” her sister answered.
Puzzled, Maren sprang from her bed and rushed to
the door leading into the kitchen. It was fastened on
‘the other side and would not budge. Her heart pounded
4with newborn fear as she shook the door trying to force
jt open.
“John is killing me!” she heard Karen scream, “He's
killing me!”
-’ Another heavy crash drowned out more words. Maren
threw herself against the door as the shrieks and blows
‘continued. The fastening held. She heard another
‘heavy blow. A falling body brushed against the door and
knocked away the fastening. Maren stepped into the
kitchen. Karen was groaning on the floor.
; IN THE gloom she caught sight of a tall thin form
sharply silhouetted against the southern window, a
sinister figure with threatening upraised chair. Maren
stooped and sought to drag her sister to safety. The tall
menacing figure leaped forward raining murderous blows.
One laid open the side of her face. Using her body to
shield her sister from further harm, Maren shoved Karen
inside the threshold, slammed the door shut and locked
it with the wooden button bolt. ‘Thwarted, the assailant
fought to batter down the barrier, Assisted by Karen,
Maren braced her slender body against the bulging panels.
In bed the bride sat paralyzed with fright. Maren called
to her.
“Run, Anethe, while there is yet time. Climb out
the window and hide.”
Throwing back the bedclothes, the young bride
stumbled towards the window. There was a flash of
white shapely legs as she lifted one then the other through
. . .v> ‘
<s
the opening.
bare teet.
The pressut
panting of the
that brief res;
pulled out a!
she ran to tt
unclad except
outlined the a
the firmly mou
“Seream f
girl's fear-fl!
to hear you.”
“Tecan't, M
carry.”
From Kar
“He's goin:
“Run and
NETHE
* head th:
crunched thr
giant round
Begging ¢
sinister forn
the window
only for the
touching he:
rounded boc
The man’:
swiftly away
Maren se:
tering axe, !
well.
Anethe st
“Please,”
In reply.
vleamed in
cut deep int
and slumpe:
virgin sno
108
motive to falsify, testified to this. - And
that, in Boston, on the sworn testimony
of other witnesses, he boasted of a crime
he had just committed. When arrested,
he showed no great surprise; plainly, he
expected it.
After he had three or four months to
think it over, after he knew exactly the
evidence against him, after his courage
had returned and he had conferred with
counsel, he managed to concoct what he
out forward as an alibi. It was as full of
en Be us a colander, and was utterly re-
jected by all who heard it. The story
was as follows: '
He had not been at the Shoals since
December (three months before the
murders); he had no ill-will toward the
folk there; they were his only friends. As
to the events of the 5th to 6th of March,
he explained his questions to the crew
of the Clara Bella, about going back to
the Shoals, on the ground that he was
trying to get passage for a woman named
“Johannah.” He said that what he really
usked Hontvet was if he didn’t need a
bigger vessel. Hontvet said he did; but,
having a house full of women, he had to
use all his money “for grub.”
HIS was the beginning of Wagner's
contention that Hontvet and Maren,
one or both of them, plunned the massacre
in ‘order to save money which was being
spent for food! :
On the night of March 5th, according
to Wagner’s story, he went, soon after
supper, to Pier Wharf, near Caswell &
Randall’s store. A man came to ask his
help in putting some boxes of fish in a
cart. In doing this, he bruised his
knuckles—the. wounds observed by Mary
Johnson. Then he went up to Congress
Street and had a glass of nlo—the only
event of the night to which he could pro-
duce’ a witness. Again he went down to
a wharf. A man came to him and asked
him to bait trawls. He was pnid in ad-
vance for the work, which occupied him
until ten o’clock. Then he went again to
Congress Street, where he had two glasses
of ale. On his way home he was sick; so
very sick that he had to stop at the
corner of Court Street for half an hour.
Atenteie to walk, he slipped on the
ice and fell. Tere he lay helpless and in-
sensible until three in the morning. It
was beside a little pump, on the side-
walk, that this stalwart man abso-
lutely passed out, and Iny dead to the
world for nearly five hours, as the
result’ of drinking two glasses of ale!
When he revived, at 3 a. mM. he went
home, entered a lower room at Johnson’s
and fell asleep on a sofa. This was in
the room next to the oné in which
Hontvet and his crew were working at
their trawls. At 5 a. m., he arose and
walked down to the wharves again—to
shake off the terrible effects of the two
drinks. This walk and his return to the
house at 7 o’clock, represented his version
of the return from Neweastle,
He also gave an account of his expedi-
tion to Boston, without explaining why
he, who was so hard up, should suddenly
have taken this trip. He disputed all the
Boston witnesses. They were all of them,
Todtman, the shoemaker, Emma Miller,
und Mrs. Brown, liars and perjurers—
that is, if you believed Wagner. So were
all the Portsmouth witnesses. He disputed
them all. He was the only truthful person
in. Court—or so he and his lawyers had
to ask the jury to believe.
data a as to this story he was
USKOEd >
Who was this “Johannah” whose pas-
sage he wanted to secure on the Clara
Bella? What was her other name? Where
did she come from and where had she
gone,
True Detective Mysteries
He did not know.
Who was the man who asked his help
in loading fish on the cart?
He did not know.
Who was the man who asked him to
bait trawls?
Again, he did not know.
Wagner, a stranger, was paid by this
man, in advance for the work?
Yes.
On what wharf was this?
He did not know.
The name of the schooner?
He did not know.
In whose saloon did he have the two
drinks at 10 o'clock?
This he did not know.
As for the pump on the sidewalk where
he lay insensible for five hours in the
bright moonlight, the Government. pro-
duced three policemen who constantly
passed by that pump. They testified that
nobody was there at that time. They
would have noticed and roused a drunken
man.
Why did he not go upstairs to bed at
Johnson’s, as he usually did, instead of
dropping on the couch downstairs?
He could give no reason.
Four witnesses, Hontvet, Ivan Christen-
son, and two mon named Lowd and
Kenniston, swore to the falsity of the
statement about the couch. Lowd, him-
self, was sleeping there most of that
time, and Kenniston confirmed the fact.
The women of the house testified that
the door by which Wagner said he
entered at 3 a. M. was locked all night.
Silver coins were scarce and noticeable
in 1873. Karen had had a half dollar, a
silver five-cent piece, a silver three-cent
eng (they used to have them), a num-
rer of coppers and that white agate
button in her purse, Three such silver
pieces, thirteen coppers, and the identical
agate button were found in Wagner’s
pocket when he was arrested, David
3urke testified about missing his dory;
and Charles Place described picking up
the same dory adrift on the Newcastle
shore, not far from the present site of
the Hotel Wentworth,
AREN HONTVET told, on oath,
her story of the events of that
night on the island, and everyone who
saw and heard her, everyone who knew
her, knew that she told the truth. As
Jong as she lived and as long as they
lived, no doubt of it. was ever raised. The
fact that she ndmitted that Karen, at
first, mistook the intruder for John,
showed Maren to be truthful. If she had
been guilty, cither as principal or as ac-
cessory, she would not have invented
that incident.
Some people, who were unfamiliar with
the region, the times, and the fishermen
of that region, have felt doubts as to
the possibility of Wagner rowing so far
in one night. If there is any strength in
this objection, then the place to look for
it is in the case for the defense. Did
Wagner’s lawyers even raise the point,
and thus try to put a doubt in the minds
of the jury? Not a word of it appears
in the record. The State showed, by
several witnesses, speaking from ex-
perience, that the feat was not incredible,
and nothing more was heard about it.
Wagner’s lawyers spent a great amount
of time arguing two technical points: that
Smutty Nose was not in the jurisdiction
of Maine, and that Anethe’s name was
misspelled in the indictment. This does
not indicate that they had a very high
opinion. of the merits of their case as
touching the innocence of their client.
As to Wagner’s contention that the
murders had been done by the Hontvets,
this remained entirely in the realm of
cheap gossip. Neither he nor his lawyers
had the effrontery to suggest it in Court:
no one living at the time would have
paid any attention to a charge at once
so silly und so cruel. Hontvet’s presence
all night in Portsmouth was clearly
established by three members of the
Johnson family, and by the three fisher-
men with whom he was working.
Wagner’s final accusation, that frail
Maren Hontvet had carried out this
ghastly slaughter of her own sister and
sister-in-law, for no reason whatever, re-
mained for many years a matter of back-
stairs tattle. It did not get into print,
even in a sensational newspaper. It was
an old wives’ tale, and coupled with
that mouldy fake: the story of “a
death-bed confession.” Wherever it is re-
peated or revived it is born of only one
thing: ignorance. The people who give
it credence are those who despise authen-
tic records and legal evidence, and put
their faith in something they heard some-
body tell, somewhere, some time or other.
O seek to clear Louis Wagner at the
expense of Maren Hontvet is to en-
gauge in a second hunting of that wretched
woman; it is only a little less despicable
than the pursuit which took place over
the rocks of the island on that) wintry
night.
Wagner’s trial was at Alfred, Maine.
in June, 1873, Attorney General Plaisted
ee while the prisoner was de-
ended by Judge Rufus Tapley, an able
lawyer, assisted by an attorney of the
prisoner’s own nationality, Max Fischa-
cher, of Boston. The hearing lasted nine
days and Wagner himself testified at great
length.
The jury found him guilty in less than
an hour, ‘The higher courts sustained the
verdict, No person competent to judge,
who has dealt with fact rather’ than
rumor, has ever doubted the justice of
the verdict. The Law’s delays protracted
Wugner’s career for two years after the
trial. During this time’ he gave the
people of Maine some excitement by
escaping from jail and wandering about.
the country for a week, before he was re-
captured at Farmington, New Hampshire.
n June, 1875, together with another
brutal) murderer—one Gordon, who had
slain three persons, with an axe—
Wagner was brought to the gallows in the
State Prison at Thomaston. Wagner had
by this time perfected his manner of
speech, and rehearsed his pious utterances
so long us to impress a few of those who
saw him in his last days. It was only
his demeanor that affected them, how-
ever; they did not doubt the facts which
had been brought out in Court. From
time immemorial, the most brutal mur-
derers have often had the strange ability
to appear sweet, gentle and forgiving in
their dying moments.
Out of 430 murderers, observed by n
prison doctor, only three disclosed ‘the
slightest remorse for their crime. So we
need not feel that Wagner’s protestations
of innocence have any power to remove
the weight of proof against him.
On the island of Smutty Nose, now, all
the houses are gone but one. It is, in
summer, a beautiful and desolate spot.
“But to the weirdness of the winter
midnight,” wrote Celia Thaxter, “some-
thing is added, a vision of two dim, re-
proachful shades who watch while an
agonized ghost prowls eternally about
the dilapidated houses at the beach's
edge, close by the black, whispering
water, seeking for the woman who has
escaped him—escaped to bring upon him
the death he deserves, whom he never,
never, never can find, though his dis-
tracted spirit may search till) man. shall
vanish off the face of the earth, and
time shall be no more.”
passing of the
stone and Nev
had rumbled «
un old squeak
going down t!
of her cornfie
Running ov
her mule, Jen:
tion of the co
“By the tin
told Totten,
alarmed at. sé
the cart leave
DeRussey's L
to follow it :
was the man ]
I got into
braved. I did
him because }
IT kept fifty f
to Euston Avi
The wagon
Brunswick th:
p
mri she woes
round toward
automobile cc
ried two peo;
colored man.
but the peop!
She had a gi
rode back up
T was quite
about to
she knew in °
nothing, and {
probably hear
scared off, sh:
and did some
thought struc)
nuguin the thie
down th
went un
Jenny ia
dismounted it
had lost a mos
to go back.
house and sat
“I got to tl
other things «
Was so nervo
wouldn't be al
to bed. Sol
saw the moon
barn and mou:
over to DeRu:
moccasin,
“It was brig!
I looked care:
recalled that I
some underbr
and IT guessed
fallen off ther:
the stumps,
Was the scree:
think much of
heard it again
all my might.
“Somebody
‘Something is
then I listenc
voice of a man
of a cedar tre:
saw a big
something wit
that. was lying
a colored man
nized them as
Lane earlier in
I to myself,
‘round with co
they get,” and
Totten assin
story was very
if she had any
ig O’Connor.
ted worriedly
ted her, con-
he navy.” He
ag to disclose
-h that what
his mother he
Together with
the neighbor-
having heard
a Minneapolis
‘m authorities,
e. Sam White-
ed to still an-
3; Hospital at
, at 2:20 P.M.,
murder. The
t manager had
nsciousness.
nessage flashed
‘Connor’s trail
inneapolis em-
ad sent him to.
D., bakery.
explaining the
Nelson. Three
-k. “Come an’
ll yours.”
ad been taken
o the prisoner’s
ven him a lift
ind invited him
ent had begun
»oker and bat-
{ have engaged
sleep, the con-
And he was
ed about the
and automatic
his report with
er’s fingerprints.
igle prints taken
ian’s home and
view mirror of
was drawn and
pers signed by
rgeant Stewart
fford E. Spencer
he good looking,
been trapped by
ce of paper was
ndo Valley and
-o await trial.
ad visit from his
ficiently for him
olen his victim’s
enied taking the
tossed into a
Nhiteman’s flash
Where had he
the camera and
blank. “What
1g about photog-
» open his camera
; Julia Crane and
-tual names of the
articipants in the
ticle. These names
ment to those in-
,
‘The Bride No Man
Could Forget
continued from page 41
those alive today, though feeble and old, who
heard the shrieks of fear and pain from
‘beautiful. Anethe Christensen as her crazed
killer hacked her to death in the yard of the
.old John Hontvet house. The next morning
they saw. the bloodied, trampled. snow -and
‘ the red-crusted axe and the horribly mutilated
corpse of the young bride. While it is doubt-
- ful that her dying screams have lasted nearly
80 years, her murder was fact. It was shortly
after midnight, on March 5,.1873 ...
The Isles of Shoals lie ten miles off the
coast of Maine, :southeastwardly from Ports-
_ mouth, ten miles of treacherous, turbulent
seas that toss even the tough fishing schooners
about like a new cork.
At the time of the story there. was a light-
house on White Island, attended by an elderly
keeper. On Star a group of boisterous
workmen from .the mainland. were putting
up a small summer hotel. Old Jorge Inger-
bredsen, a Norwegian fisherman, lived in a
shack on Appledore, within sight of the
Hontvet house on Smutty Nose. John Hontvet
and his comely wife, Maren, lived in’ the
square, drab, two-story frame building; there
were other houses nearby but they were
deserted, with glassless windows and sagging
doors and occasional boards peeling from the
old pine studs. John and Maren had come
from Larvik, Norway, five years before, and
With the patient sturdiness of their race settled
in “Smutty Nose’s loneliness to wrest their
living from the surrounding sea. John owned
the small fishing schooner, the Clara Belle.
Three years later they were joined by Maren’s
sister, Karen Christensen, a pretty, wistful
woman who had lost her sweetheart on the
eve of their marriage 20 years before. In 1872
John’s brother Matthew joined them, followed
shortly by Maren’s brother, Ivan Christensen,
and his beautiful young bride, Anethe.. In
March, 1873, they were living together in the
big Hontvet house.
ie WAS a hard, but happy life. The men set
off before dawn to draw their trawls from
the’ fishing waters a few miles southeast of
Smutty Nose, sailing their catch in to the
markets at Portsmouth. Passing their home
on the way, they always dropped one man to
stay with the women. The workers, building
the hotel on Star, were a rough lot and often
called across the narrow channel to Anethe
when she came out in the yard to hang a wash
or dry her long, yellow hair. The year before
John Hontvet had hired Louis Wagner, 2
wanderer from Uckermiinde, in northern Prus-
sia, to help handle the catch. He was avbig,
round-faced, blond youth, who voiced his
scanty supply of English words with a strong
German accent. He was moody at times and
at other times irrepressibly gay, seemingly un-
able to maintain a normal, even disposition. But
he was’an excellent worker, a good seaman,
and he lived for,a ‘while with the Honvets
and their relatives. He had a fine voice and
sang occasionally in the evenings, queer, stilted
love songs of proud. Prussia and he was wise
enough not to glance too peony at Anethe
as he sang. _
At dawn-on the morning of March 5, 1873,
John and Matthew and Ivan and Louis hauled
‘catch and purchase moré bait and be back at
"tell their womenfolk they would be delayed,
_ looking so hard at the doors and windows
‘John, with ‘a hoarse cry, plunged through the
~
in their nets ‘and prepared to take their cate |
to: the Portsmouth markets. A heavy sea was
running, with strong headwinds back to |
Smutty ‘Nose, so they reluctantly decided to
head directly for the coast without putting in
at their home island to leave one of them
with the women. They hoped to sell* their
Smutty Nose by dark. But they found, at
Portsmouth, that the train from Boston bring-
ing their bait was delayed and would not
arrive until perhaps 11 o’clock that night.
Rather than waste a whole day they decided. to
wait. They sent word with old Jorge Inger-
bredsen, who had sailed over for supplies, to
AGNER went off on some business of his
own, returning at 10 p.m. At that time
a further report said that the train would not
arrive until after midnight, so. he departed
again. Old John Hontvet checked the time
carefully; waiting for bait was tedious busi-
ness and he worried, now, about the women
back on Smutty Nose. When it arrived shortly
after 1 A.M. the three men set to work baiting
their trawls. They grumbled that Louis had
not returned to help them, but at 3 a.m. he
appeared, unsteady from strong drink, but
cheerfully able to take his share of the work.
When they finished, he grinned in modest em-
barrassment. and asked old John if he might
stay. ashore for this day; he would meet
them the next morning when they came in,
but he—well, he had a very comely lass
waiting for him whom he was reluctant to
leave. Hontvet agreed.
The three men left for their fishing grounds
and shortly after 10 am. they sailed into
their cove at Smutty Nose.
The first thing they noticed was Jorge
Ingerbredsen’s boat moored at their dock and
as they made the Clara Belle fast and climbed
the steep rocks they noticed a gathering of
men around their house. Ivan, breaking into
a run, was the first to reach it; he’d been
for Anethe’s wave and her bright yellow hair
that he didn’t see the crumpled form lying in
the bloodstained snow by a corner of the
house. A few men from Star and Appledore
watched him in fearful uncertainty and pity.
“Anethe!” he shouted. A man pointed. He
saw her, then, the beautiful girl so shortly his
bride, her long; blonde hair matted with gore
through which the white, broken bones of her
skull gleamed brightly. Her small hands had
scratched at the snow in her death agony so
that the black earth was exposed and though
they tried to stop he brashed them aside and
knelt by her and took her up in his arms. and
turned her so that he might look into the
face he loved. At the sight of the horrible
mutilation, he fainted. ;
John and Matthew came up, and after a
moment of shocked understanding the old
fisherman burst into the ‘house, calling for
Maren. :
“She’s all right, John,” Jorge told him,
following him in... The kitchen was havoc.
Broken furniture lay about and blood was
everywhere. By the window, near an old
sofa where she slept, was the body of Maren’s
sister, Karen. The same terrible blows of an
axe had made her nearly unrecognizable. Old
rest of the house, not stopping until Jorge
held him forcibly and shook the daze from
his eyes.
“Maren” he choked.
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“She is all right,” Jorge said calmly. “She
is at my house. She escaped. She is suffering
_from shock but she is all right’ ‘
Old John walked out of his house. He went
down to the landing and took Jorge’s boat
and rowed across the narrow channel to
Appledore. They. watched him enter the Inger-
bredsen shack and from the yard where they
stood they heard his great cry when he saw
Maren was unharmed. i
MORDER was uncommon 80 years ago;
the slaying received great prominence
on the front pages of the newspapers all over
the country and every development uncovered —
by the Portsmouth police was closely watched
and discussed. Three suspects were * quickly
arrested by the astute investigators. One was
a fisherman from a village on the coast above
Portsmouth. Old Jorge said he had put in
first at Smutty Nose to obtain some wire or
stout hemp to wind around a crack in his>
boom; finding the men gone from Smutty Nose
he had sailed over to Ingerbredsen’s, arriving
about 9 p.m. He had accepted both a piece
of wire to secure his boom and a jug‘of rum
to warm him, and departed. His boat, Jorge
said, was the Little Urchin, and two policemen
were sent to pick him up at his home town.
A workman on Star was arrested. ' His name _—
was Hans Hagensen, whose companions vowed
he had sworn one day to swim the channel to
Smutty Nose for the chance to run his hands
through the beautiful blonde girl’s hair. Out
of all the workmen, he was the only one
who helped the Ingerbredsens with their nets.
six, feet six, with broad, powerful shoulders
and the muscles and ability to fight his way
through the swiftly rushing current to the
opposite shore. He seemed to enjoy frequent
plunges into the icy water; his skin must have
been thick to repel the extreme cold. The
third suspect was a big, crippled Canadian
who helped the Ingerbredsens with their nets.
Jorge told the police that shortly after the
Little Urchin sailed away, he had heard the
oars bang in his own boat and he had gone
out to the dock with a lantern. The man,
whose name was Henri Bouquard, had been
in the act of: fastening the painter: to the
mooring post. But he had insisted that he had
missed his knife as he undressed for bed and
come down to see if he had left it in the
boat. He held it up for old Jorge .to, see.
It had been lying under ‘the. bow deck.
A search of the house by the Portsmouth
police revealed that the intent; or at least one
of the purposes of the killer’s visit, had been
robbery. A cash box had been found and
its contents of nearly $40 taken, drawers were
pulled from the home-made bureaus and the
mattresses overturned from every . bed in
the old frame house. A kitchen: clock, lying
shattered on the floor by Karen’s body, had
stopped at 12:17. °
The axe that had been used was one old John
had brought over from Norway; he wouldn't
even allow his own brother to wield it, it
was of such excellent craftsmanship and fine
steel, and he’d kept it hidden in the closet
of his bedroom. .
"THE following day, when Maren recovered
a little from her shock and grief, the story
she told substantiated the mute evidence un-
covered by the police. Her sister Karen, she
sobbed, had been asleep on the couch in the
kitchen, while Anethe slept with her in an-
other bedroom nearby. Sometime during the
night she was awakened.
At that moment there was the rush of heavy
footsteps in the kitchen, the start of a terri-
fied scream, then the crunch of a blow, as
though someone had broken a chair. Maren
leaped from her bed and opened the door. She
saw her sister staggering towards her, blood
streaming from a gash in her forehead. The
tall, dark figure of.a man was outlined for a
moment against the window, then he picked
up a chair and rushed towards them. He
struck several more blows,. knocking Karen
to the floor.. Bravely Maren ‘managed to
drag her into the bedroom, and closed and
locked the door. She heard the pound of the
man’s feet as he rushed up the stairs. Anethe,
awakened by the tumult, sat up in bed and
screamed, Maren pulled her to her feet.
“Get out of the window,” she said. “Go
nd help,” though where it would have come
from on Smutty Nose she didn’t know. She
pushed the terrified girl out of the window
as the intruder came down the stairs. Then,
horrified, she heard him Jeave the house and
a moment later he appeared in the yard a
short distance from Anethe.
- It. was not John, she saw instantly, and
though she thought the set of the man’s
shoulders and his build were familiar she
could. not, in the semi-darkness, be sure. Poor
Anethe, standing barefooted in the snow, saw
him too, and turned and ran. It was then |
that Maren saw her. husband’s axe in the
killer’s hands. He raised it high as he passed
the window and he struck the first blow as
‘Anethe sought to round the corner of the
house.
She heard him come back into the kitchen
then, and in sudden fright she half-slipped,
half-fell out of the window. He came into
the bedroom and grasped the unconscious
Karen by the heels and dragged her into the
kitchen. There the same sounds that accom-
panied the attack on Anethe were repeated;
the guttural grunts, the dull thwack of a
sharp axe biting into flesh and bone. She
heard ‘him start into the bedroom, probably
in search of her, and she began crawling to-
wards the shore. She reached the rocks, where
she would make no trail, then ran as fast
and faras she could, falling at last into a tiny
cove, gasping and half-frozen with fright and
the cold.
GHE must have fainted, she said. When she
next remembered, she was still in the little
hideaway in the rocks. The house was dark
and silent. She climbed out and noticed then
that a man’s footprints had Passed within a
few feet of her; he had, then, tried to find her
to murder her, too. She made her way back
to the house, fearful that he might be waiting
for her but knowing that she would die if she
remained out in the winter’s air in her night-
robe. At the sight of her sister, lying in
blood on the kitchen floor, she had fainted
‘again. When she opened her eyes it was dawn.
She ran out to the point across from the
Ingerbredsen’s shack on Appledore. There,
waving a piece torn from her nightdress, she
caught the attention of old Jorge and he
immediately rowed over.
Henri Bouquard, living close, was the first .
of the three suspects to be arrested. He stuck
to his claim the he had only gone down to
the landing to look for, his knife. The painter
had come unfastened, at which statement
fisherman Jorge sniffed; he had tied the knot;
and he was retying it when he was discovered
by his employer. But the fact that the Hont-
vet clock had stopped at 12:17 made police
positive that it d
on Karen: Henr
boat around 9.
The skipper of
on his boat, tied
block from the
he had stopped a
girl had come. to
‘him not to lan
to the Ingerbred:
repairs, tossed di
sail immediately
“But,” he add
five miles from t!
near ran over a
There was a kc
off and disappea
high swells and t
given to this st:
Hans Hagenser
he had admired
girl from a dist:
marks about her
his felow workr
Panions told: the
swum to the hal{
proving he could
lent current if
stated that short
night of the murd
as the camp bully
in disgust, taken
whisky bottle he
tied, and left tt
not heard him
morning he had re
of them and one
to awaken him,
damp.
HEN confron
dinavian bri
mitted, been so c
that he had tak
channel hoping to
from his brain. I
heard screams co:
Nose, he said, but
be a part. of the co)
He was not bel!
It was old John
actual filing of the
the police, did the
‘the cash box he h
neath a loose plan
How was he able
fully hidden behin
No one knew thos
of his household, e
his hoary old he
But the police, n:
guilt, jumped to
credulity. Pressed,
talked with a deci
Hagensen say he hz
mingled with the sc
vet had been mixec
old man said, and h
Wagner’s time was
the hours of 10 2
with their own. wa
medallion of Frede
century Prussian ki
from the tightly cle
tensen as she was |
John Hontvet refus:
could have possibly
tified the medallion
about his throat, a:
most incriminating
FRONT P
\GE DETECTIVE,
uis, wh, hanged Maine June 25, 1875
October, 19
She was a beautiful woman among lonely men—a doomed
prisoner on an island lashed by storms and passions
M™@ THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS GHOSTS.
The thin, eerie wail heard by some visitors
to the lonely Isles of Shoals could be the
northeast wind whining through crevices
in the misshapen rocks, the slender, white-
clad figure of a girl wandering in the twi-
light along the désolate .beaches ‘only a
bit of spume flung from a white-crested
comber to dance for a moment in the’
moonlight. The. throaty buccaneers’
chanteys and the clink of glasses heard on
quiet, summer. evenings doesn’t prove that
pirates died that their souls might guard
buried treasure.’It could be the boom of the
surf and the tinkle of shells disturbed by
the rush of the water. And the shrill screams
of agony and terror that rise from the ruins
of the old Hontvet house during the spring
storms—aren’t they the shriek of sea gulls
futilely voicing their wrath against the
fury of the gale?
A few very: old residents of the Isles
still cross themselves and tremble when
’ they hear these sounds. That thin, anguished
cry, they say, comes from ‘the lips of a
beautiful Spanish girl abandoned by Black-
beard, the pirate, to die in loneliness and
terror. The ribald songs and the rattle of
rum cups must be echoes of the crews of
the skull-and-crossboned ships that put into
the Isles’ hidden harbors. Old sovereigns.
and pieces-of-eight have been found along
its shores. But so much for hearsay. —
There may be (Continued on page 67)
the rush of heavy
start of a terri-
h of a blow, as
a chair. Maren
aed the door. She
wards her, blood
er forehead.. The
‘as outlined for a
, then he picked
wards them. He
knocking Karen
ren managed to
, and closed and
the pound of the
the stairs. Anethe,
it up in bed and
to her feet.
,” she said. “Go
would have come
didn’t know. She
it of the window
the stairs. Then,
ive the house and
ed in the yard a
aw instantly, and
set of the man’s
were familiar she
1ess, be sure. Poor
in the snow, saw
ran. It was then
vand’s axe in the
high as he passed
the first blow as
the corner of the
k into the kitchen
t she half-slipped,
w. He came into
i the unconscious
agged her into the
ounds that accom-
the were repeated;
dull thwack of a
sh and bone. She
bedroom, probably
began crawling to-
ed the rocks, where
then ran as fast
z at last into a tiny
cen with fright and
she said. When she
vas still in the little
he house was dark
it and noticed then
ad passed within a
en, tried to find her
made her way back
he might be waiting
she would die if she
r’s air in her night-
rer sister, lying in
or, she had fainted
er eyes it was dawn.
int across from the
Appledore. There,
her nightdress, she
old Jorge and he
close, was the first .
e arrested. He stuck
only gone down to
s knife. The painter
it which statement
e had tied the knot;
on he was discovered
fact that the Hont-
t 12:17 made police
eat
on Karen: Henri had been discovered in i
boat. around. 9.
The skipper of the Little Urchin was found
on his boat, tied. at the Portsmouth docks a
block. from the police station. He admitted
* he'had stopped at Smutty Nose, but a blonde
girl had come-to the top of the cliff and told
‘him ‘not to land; he had then sailed..over
to the Ingerbredsen shack. He had made: the
repairs, tossed down his tot of rum, and set
sail immediately for Portsmouth.
“But,” he added, “half-way back, a good
five miles from the White Island light, I damn
near ran over a rowboat.”
There was a lone man in it; he had’ sienred?
off and disappeared in an instant among the
high swells and the night. Little credence was _
given to this story.
Hans Hagensen, the third suspect, admitted
he had admired the slim, blonde Norwegian
girl from a distance, but he insisted his re-
marks about her were josh for the benefit of
his fellow workmen. But several of his com-
panions told: the police that Hans often had
swum to the half-way point to Smutty Nose,
proving he could make it through the turbu-
lent current if he wanted to. They: also
stated that shortly before midnight on the
night of the murders Hans,.who was regarded
as the camp bully, had thrown his cards down
in disgust, taken a copious drink .from a
whisky bottle he already had nearly emp-
tied, and left the bunk house. They had
not heard him return, but the following
morning he had refused. to get up with the rest
of them and one of them, upon attempting
to awaken him, noticed that his hair was
damp.
HEN confronted with this, the big Scan-
dinavian broke down. He had, he ad-
mitted, been so completely befogged by rum
that he had taken a short swim in the
channel hoping to drive the: fumes of alcohol
from his brain. It had not helped. He had
heard screams coming from nearby Smutty
Nose, he said, but he had thought them to
be a part.of the confusion in his head.
He was not believed.
It was old John Hontvet: who ‘stopped the
actual filing of the accusation. How, he asked
the police, did the killer know where to find
‘the cash. box he had so carefully hidden be-
neath a loose planking in his bedroom floor?
How was he able to: find the axe, also care-
fully hidden behind some boxes in the closet?
No one knew those things except the members
of his household, except—he paused to scratch
his hoary old head—except Louis Wagner.
But the police, not too certain of Hagensen’s
guilt, jumped to the lead with immediate
credulity. Pressed,;Hontvet said that Wagner
talked with a decided German accent. Didn’t
Hagensen say he had heard such a voice infer-
mingled with the screams? Perhaps old Hont-
vet had been mixed up in his time— No, the
old man said, and his brother and Ivan agreed.
Wagner’s time was unaccounted for between
the hours of 10 and 3; they had checked
with their own. watches. Even when a tiny
medallion of Frederick the Great, the 18th
century Prussian king, was forcibly removed
from the tightly clenched. fist of Karen Chris-
tensen as she was being prepared for burial,
John Hontvet refused to. believe that Wagner
could have possibly been the killer.: He iden-
tified the medallion as one his employe wore
about his throat, admitted, too, that it was
most incriminating that it shouldbe found
‘in his: dead ‘sister-in-law’s pith but—Louis
was a nice, boy, he said..:
The. police set. out to prove. thet Wagner
was at least a-. logical. suspect. .. Fishermen:
in the neighborhood were. crying for the blood
of the. guilty person.and they checked. along -
the docks in Portsmouth to see if perhaps a
fast sailing boat might-not have been stolen |
on the night of the murder; in it Wagner
_might have left the dock a little. after. 10,
sailed to Smutty Nose, committed the murder
and been back to talk to Hontvet “by 3° a.m.
All such .craft, however, were accounted for.
* One man stated that a small’ dory had been
missing on that night, but that he had found:
it later in the morning floating in the shallows |.
of the river half-a-mile away. ‘In the mean-
time Louis Wagner appeared at the funeral |
_of Anethe Christensen and Karen in Ports-
mouth and, upon the strength of the medallion,
_was immediately” arrested.
T° SHOW the weakness in which they held
their case against him, they also arrested
Hans Hagensen, although the public charge was
of being a material witness. Wagner was given
a preliminary examination before a lower
court at. South Berwick and in May indicted
for the murder of Anethe. His trial was set
for June 9, 1873, in Alfred. Fi
Wagner, himself, was crushed that the guilt
had ‘fallen on. him. He faced John and Mafen
Hontvet with tears in-his eyes when they came
to visit him in his cell at Alfred, and‘dropped
to his knees before Ivan, crying out that he-
had loved Anethe like a sister and’ begging
that the young man tell him immediately
that he did not beliéve that he, Louis, could
have committed so foul-a murder to repay
those whom he loved dearly and who had
‘been so kind to him. Ivan nodded, his face
. tight, his eyes filling with tears, too. But old
John’ Hontvet, with unaccustomed sternness,
turned on his heel. and walked away with-
out giving the German youth any consolation.
It was as if-hé had’ suddenly remembered some- |.
thing.
iw CAME out at the trial’ From the beginning
the prosecution’s ‘case looked weak. How
could a man’ commit a murder when it was
impossible for him to have been there? John
Hontvet stood, before the court and swore that
he now recalled that he had seen the medallion
found in his’ sister-in-law’s hand, the one
snatched from the killer, seen it around Louis.
Wagner’s neck at 10 p.m. the night before
the murder. It could not, then, have been
left at the house on Smutty Nose, as: Wagner
had insisted it. must have been, when they
had left there to go pick up their trawls!
The jury was obviously impressed, The
defending attorneys were stunned, but rallied
when several witnesses offered the information
that it: would have been virtually physically
impossible for a man to row from. Portsmouth,
three miles down’ the Piscataqua River, ten
miles to Smutty. Nose, spend at least- 30
minutes committing the murders and the
ransacking of the house and then row the
ten plus three miles back—not in the five
hours between the times John Hontvet had
seen and talked to Louis Wagner. But in
the last testimony of. the third day the cap-
tain of the Little Urchin recalled that the
dory he had encountered in the open sea
between Portsmouth and Smutty Nose had a
red dolphin painted on its bow—and the dory
stolen from the ‘Portsmouth docks had a
(Continued on page 72)
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Ivan ‘sank to the ground, his knees
buried in the snow, and his. arms ten-
derly went around the body of his dead
wife. It was only then, as he lifted her
face to the pale dawn light, that he
saw the wide, blood-encrusted gash in
what had once been her perfectly formed
skull. Eyes ‘wide with horror, he gasped
and lost consciousness.
Matthew rushed to lift him from the
snow, casting his eyes briefly on the
exposed, splintered bones of Anethe’s
head. Fighting down nausea, he lifted
his friend in his arms and headed for
the Hontvet house.
JOHN Hontvet had rushed ahead,
screaming his wife’s name, into the
kitchen. He stopped by the sofa and
shuddered as he lifted the blanket and
saw Karen Christensen’s now unrecog-
nizable face and her bloody: skull that
had been smashed by the same axe
blows that had felled Anethe. Karen
still wore the brown wool. dress she'd
had on the previous morning, when she’d
helped prepare breakfast for the de-
parting men.
The room was a shambles, furniture
-wildly strewn over the floor, broken
glass mixing with the splintered wood
of a chair. Blood was everywhere; it
spread from the kitchen, a scene of
chaos, into the living room and spotted
the hook rug and sofa.
“Maren! Maren!” John cried out, wild
with fear.
“She’s all right,” Jorge said, putting
his arms across the shoulders of his
friend. “She’s at my house. She escaped,
but is suffering from shock. But she’s
all right.”
John Hontvet didn’t waste a minute
on words. Running from that house of
carnage, he reached the landing and
quickly .rowed the short distance be--
tween the two islands and landed on
Appledore. The men on Smuttynose
could see him rush into Jorge’s house
and then heard the wild, hysterical _
sobbing of John’s wife as she collapsed
in her husband’s arms.
Maren did not recover her composure
until the following day, when, still drawn
and shaken, she talked with the police
assigned to the case. Sobbing and clutch-
ing at her husband’s hand, she told of
how her-sister Karen had been sleeping
on the couch in the kitchen, waiting for
the men to return. One of the women
always stayed up to offer them a hot
bowl of soup or some refreshment when
they returned home, Maren said. Anethe
was asleep in another bed nearby.
Sometime during the night, Maren
said, she had been awakened by some
‘noise, then, the next moment, there was
the sound of footsteps in the kitchen,
followed by a dull thud and a piercing
. Shriek. At first, groggy with sleep, Maren
thought Karen had bumped into a chair,
or was having a nightmare. She rushed
to the door and opened it to find her
sister staggering toward her, blood gush-
ing from a deep wound on her head.
The vague figure of a tall, dark man
loomed behind Karen for a moment,
then he again swung the axe he held in
his hand. Karen fell to the floor under
the rain of blows as Maren, retching,
grabbed her and dragged her into the
bedroom, locking their door behind them.
Anethe, awakened by the commotion,
took one look at the bleeding woman
and began screaming. Maren hushed her
and whispered, “Get out the window!
Go find help, quick!”
Anethe, although wild-eyed and con-
fused, obeyed. She climbed out the
ground floor window and ran from the
house. Moments later, her flight was
interrupted as two strong arms seized
her and forced her to the ground. Terror-
stricken, she viewed her assailant only
briefly and felt his mouth crush down
on her own. Then ensued long fearful
minutes of struggle, as- the man, en-
flamed by the sight of the beautiful girl
clad only in a flimsy nightgown, tried
to-force his body on hers. Anethe felt
his hands beneath her nightgown, paw-
ing and tearing at her body.
Fighting with all her strength and
driven by sheer fright-sparked force, the
girl managed to free herself from the
man intent on raping her. Thwarted and
outraged, her attacker continued to pur-
sue her and, when he caught up with
her again, dealt her a death blow with
his axe. The lovely Anethe slumped to
the ground, blood flowing over the
nightgown. and staining the snow.
Turning from his victim, the killer
again headed for the house, where he
forced his way into the bedroom and
dragged the unconscious Karen into the
kitchen, where he completed his brutal,
lust-inspired attack.
Meanwhile, Maren, the only survivor
of the beast’s foray, had managed to
escape from the same bedroom window
used by Anethe. She fled, terrified, to
the shore and found refuge amid the
rocky cliffs; taking shelter in a tiny cove
where she huddled, body shaking with
fear and cold, until, finally, she lost con-
sciousness.
“I must have fainted,” Maren con-
tinued, trying to recall every event of
the tragic night. “When I came to, the
house was dark and quiet.”
Climbing fearfully out of her hiding
place, she noticed that a man’s foot-
prints had passed close to the cove. The
killer had been within yards c‘ his. third
intended victim; only luck had saved
Maren’s life. She returned to the house,
terrified that the fiend still might be
lurking in the darkness, but knowing
that she must seek shelter for she surely
would die if she remained too long in
the below freezing temperature, with
- only a thin flannel nightgown to protect
her from the winter cold.
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‘boro, and recovered
spot where Uphold
le reportedly had
days, Starting on
Larry Uphold was
r in the death of
trick. He was ar-
‘ontown Alderman
1 put in a cell at
Jail in Uniontown.
kup order was put
Voodward, 22, and
onnection with the
old reporters that
1 New York City
net them in Cleve-
ng to police, they
‘veled together to
by bus to Wash-
vas revealed that
1 that the Wood-
x Los Angeles.
‘e, they'll be like
4
£
:
Sd pieiseqe
an officer said. ~
‘Sunset Boulevard
ning the sidewalk
i Woodward and
westward, with
**. Los Angeles’
. general de-
_ , us the nota-
sed like a hippie
with a limp.
arged with bring-
into the state. He
Justice Margaret
», then faced an-
lerman Ruben on
eing an accessory
eath of Thomas
dered held with-
' after Uphold’s
om the west on
m Friday, Octo-
Nev., officer was
ich included a
i to look for sus-
'etype messages
ountry. Wanted
Yew England to
icific Northwest
ight in the web
ver.
’s attention was
with long hair
ing hippie garb.
% woman who
: some observa-
a call to head-
© arrested.
insylvania state
it Ronald and
in jail in Las
an, believed to
them, also was
lay, Judge
OV ree Span whe Seine
'
é
t
4
5
“<
x
rk County RS
is issued formal. :
sndlabe for the extradition of the Wood-
+ wards and their companion to Pennsyl-
vania. ;
Friday, October 31, the trio got to
Uniontown and were arraigned before
Alderman Ruben, who ordered them held
in the county jail, The Woodwards were
held on murder charges; the other young
man was held on ‘an accessory charge.
It was reported that authorities had
been told that Warrick had met the
Woodwards and Uphold on the night
of July 29, struck up what he thought
was a friendship with them and agreed
to drive them to Brownsville. At East
Millsboro, the station wagon had stopped
by the river after an argument started.
Warrick was stabbed and, while he tried
to crawl for help, the others drove off
in his car.
The youth picked up with the Wood-
wards in Las Vegas reportedly entered
the case after the slaying and was not
directly connected with the crime. On
Friday, November 7, the Woodwards
were before Alderman Ruben again for
a preliminary hearing on the murder
charge. During the session, more of the
details of the state’s case were revealed,
The young man, who had been with
the couple when they were arrested in
Las Vegas, testified that the victim had
requested Mrs. Woodward “to go along
with him to LSDville,” prior to the slay-
ing. While it was not established def-
initely that an argument over the possible
use of drugs was the motive for the mur-
der, newsmen theorized that there was
the possibility such was the case,
The witness was freed of the “acces-
sory after the fact” charge on grounds
of insufficierit evidence, However, he was
ordered held in the Fayette County jail
as a material witness.
Ronald and Ruth Woodward formally
were charged with murder and ordered -
held for grand jury action and committed
to the same jail with no bond. Larry V.
Uphold already had been ordered held
for trial in the slaying. a
TERROR STALKS THE LONELY LOVELIES OF SMUTTYNOSE ISLAND
continued from page 29
smile her lost love, who had died
on the eve of their wedding day, years
before, but her eager hands did much
_to lighten Maren’s burdens in the house.
John Hontvet’s brother, Matthew, . was
the next to arrive, followed shortly by
Maren’s brother, Ivan Christensen, and
his wife, the lovely Anethe.
By March, 1873, they all were living
in the Hontvet house on Smuttynose;
the men fishing the sea for a living,
the women involved in the various do-
mestic chores that were so necessary to
make their winter living comfortable.
The family’s day unvaringly began
well before dawn, when the men donned
their oilskins and headed for the boat.
Long hours were spent trawling for the
fish that then would be taken to Ports-
mouth, ‘where the merchants waited for
the catches of the day. Time and again
the men would hoist the steadying sails
and pick a new spot to cast their nets.
The decks soon became slippery with
the scales of fish banging out their death
throes amidst similarly expiring brothers.
By the end of the day, the men were
exhausted, ‘their hands chapped and
bleeding, their throats hoarse from the
shouting that accompanied every catch.
The men made it a habit, after the
day’s catch was in, to drop off at least
one of their company to protect the
women; alone and defenseless on Smut-
tynose, while they went on to Ports-
mouth. Three such striking females were
bound to attract attention, particularly
among the crew of rough workmen oc-
cupied in building the new Star Hotel
on the next island.
Just a narrow channel of water di-
vided the two islands and the construc-
we
tion men toiling in the noon sun had
a clear view of the delicate, porcelain
beauty of Anethe as she seemingly float-
ed wondrously about her chores, hang-
ing out long lines of wash, or digging
up the fresh produce from the family’s
carefully nurtured garden.
Wiping a strand of almost silver blond
hair from her face, Anethe would squint
into the sunlight and smile secretly to
herself. She loved her husband dearly,
but the days were long and the work
hard. A bit of complimentary shouting
from the approving men across the way
did much to boost her spirits. Her icy-
blue eyes would gleam in amusement
and her golden lashes flutter as she
hastily gathered her skirts to keep them
from billowing too high in the breeze.
But, entering the house, she always was
careful to express her distaste of the
laborers across the channel to her fe-
male companions.
“The men probably won’t be back
this afternoon,” Maren one day decided,
looking out from the kitchen window |
to the sea, chumed to high-crested,
foamy waves by the winter wind.
“Headwinds for them if they try to
stop here now,” Karen agreed, think-
ing what a pity it would be for the
men to risk the stormy water just to
make a stop at home.
At that moment, John Hontvet was
discussing that very thing with Matthew,
Ivan and his young hired hand, Louis
Wagner. Wagner, a traveler who had
made his way from his home in North-
ern Prussia, through Europe and, final-
ly, to America, was a great help to the
men hauling in the day’s catch. He
lived with the family and entertained
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them in the evening by singing sea
chanties and sad love songs. His bari-
tone voice was full and rich and the
blonde, blue-eyed vagabond, although
moody at times, blended well with the
family.
“We should go straight to Ports-
mouth,” John Hontvet decided unhap-
pily, eyeing the building seas and the
effect the howling wind had on them.
“I don’t like leaving the women
alone,” Ivan Christensen muttered, his
thoughts on the fragile beauty of Anethe.
“We should be able to sell our catch,
buy some bait and be back at Smutty-
nose by dark,” Matthew reassured him
and, swayed by that logic, they headed
for the mainland, the little schooner
bending against the wind’s force.
Things didn’t work out the way the
fishermen intended. When they arrived
in Portsmouth, they were greeted with
the news that the train bringing their
bait from Boston was delayed and would
not arrive until at least 11 o'clock that
night.
“Better wait and not lose a whole day
just sitting around for bait,” Louis Wag-
her suggested. The other men agreed,
unhappily thinking of their womenfolk,
“Let’s send word with Jorge Inger-
bredson. He can tell the:women we will
be delayed,” one of. them suggested.
Ingredbredsen agreed to call on the
_| women when he returned to the islands,
then, gathering his supplies, left the men
to a long evening wait,
Wagner announced that he had some
business in town and disappeared on his
errand, not returning until 10 o’clock
that night.
“We've just had word that the bait
won’t be here until after midnight,”
Hontvet told him, eyeing the youth
questioningly,
“Well then,” Wagner said immediate-
ly, “I think I'll see what’s going on
around the town.” He left again and
was not back when the bait finally did
arrive, around 1 o’clock in the morning.
The three remaining men spent a
busy two hours’ baiting their trawls and,
when Wagner again made an appear-
ance, it was around 3 a.m. They grum-
bled a greeting, but old John Hontvet
was somewhat mollified when the youth,
who obviously had been drinking, asked
if he could stay on the mainland and
rejoin them the following morning. He
hastened to explain, stammering and
blushing:
“There’s a girl waiting for me and
I'd like to go back to her.”
The men smiled good naturedly and
shook their heads chidingly. They didn’t .
object to a little romance and _enter-
tained themselves with stories of past
female conquests as they sailed the ten
miles home to Smuttynose cove. The
wind had died somewhat and the pre-
dawn darkness was clear and frosty,
In some parts of the country March
is a month of spring and budding flow-
ers, but, in New England, winter is long
and March is a bitter time.
As the fishing boat approached the
dock, the men aboard noticed that orge
Ingerbredson’s trawler was tied up there
and they wondered why he still should
be on their island. Ivan Christensen es-
pecially felt a mounting uneasiness as
he stepped out of the boat and helped to
tie up the Clara Belle,
“Look, John!” Matthew Hontvet sud-
denly shook his older brother. “There’s
a bunch of men standing outside our
house. Something must have happened
to the women.”
Breaking into a run, the three men
quickly covered the distance to the frame
house and were met by a tight knot of
horrified fishermen,
“Anethe,” Ivan shouted her name, his
heart pounding painfully in his chest,
“Anethe!” ,
Arms grabbed him, then the crowd
parted to let him through. The sight
that confronted him brought a scream
to his lips.
Anethe lay sprawled in a snow drift,
her pale, moon-gold hair spread in a
flaming halo to frame her oval face,
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Ivan sai
buried in
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wife. It w:
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saw the w
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and lost co
Matthew
snow, cCasti
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head. Figh
his friend ;
the Hontvei
JOHN Ho
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kitchen. He
shuddered 2
saw Karen
nizable face
had been ;
blows that
still wore tl
had on the p
helped prep
parting men.
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Pk wildly strew
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spread from
chaos, into tl
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“Maren! M.
with fear.
“She’s all ;
his arms ac:
friend. “She’s
but is sufferi:
all right.”
\ John Honty
on: words. Ru
carnage, he
quickly _ rowec
‘tween the tw
Appledore. T
could see hir
and then he:
sobbing of Jol
in her husband
Maren did +
until the follow
and shaken, s|
assigned to the
ing at her hus
how her sister
on the couch i:
the men to rei
always stayed
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was asleep in 2
Sometime di
said, she had |
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the sound of f.
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thought Karen h
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/
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74
Karen lay in a pool of blood on the
kitchen floor. The sight, along with ex-
haustion and fright, caused Maren to
faint again. When she once more re-
covered consciousness, it was dawn. Ris-
ing stiffly from the kitchen floor, Maren
ran to the point where the island faced
Appledore. Tearing a piece of material
from her nightgown, she waved it fran-
tically and, eventually, managed to at-
tract Jorge Ingerbredsen’s attention. He
immediately rowed over and, after seeing
the horrors, rowed Maren back to his
house, then went for help.
The news of the bestial double mur-
der spread through the fishing villages
all along the Eastern coast and many
men worried intently over their wives,
constantly left alone to wait their return
from the sea. The women clustered to-
gether, afraid to stay alone on the nights
when their husbands were delayed by
storms or high winds. Men were left
to guard the women and children when
a long fishing’ expedition was planned
and the peace and security of the out-
bounds islands was shattered.
Three suspects immediately were
picked up and questioned. The first,
Hans Hansen, a workman on Star Is-
land, long had been enamoured of
Anethe. He had vowed on one occasion
to swim the channel between the is-
lands, just for the thrill of running his
fingers through her spun-gold hair. Hans
had helped Jorge Ingerbredsen with his
nets and the tall, muscular man enjoyed
frequent plunges into the freezing win-
ter waters.
Another suspect was a crippled Ca-
nadian, Andre Leynard, who also helped
the Ingerbredsens’ with their nets. He
had been discovered by Jorge on the
night of the slayings at the dockside,
fastening the painter on Jorge’s boat
to the mooring. Andre insisted that he
had missed his knife when he’d started
to undress for bed and merely had gone
down to the boat to see if it were there.
He held up the knife for Jorge’s in-
spection, then returned to his room.
The third man arrested was a fisher-
man from a village near Portsmouth.
He stuck to his story that he first had
put in at Smuttynose to horrow some
wire or hemp to mend a cracked boom.
Finding the men gone, he then had
headed for Appledore, where he landed
around 9 oclock at night. After obtain-
ing the wire and sharing a jug of rum
with Jorge, he pushed off in his boat,
The Little Urchin, and later was picked
up by the harbor patrol.
Andre Leynard, living nearby, was the
first to be arrested. When questioned,
he denied any part in the bloody deed
and stuck to his story about going down
to Jorge’s boat to retrieve his lost knife.
He claimed he’d noticed the painter had
become unfastened (a statement that
sent Jorge, an old salt, into a quiet rage)
}. and he had retied the knot, at which
point Jorge had discovered him there.
Jorge had found Andre on the dock
at 9 p.m. and the police believed that
the murders on Smuttynose had occurred
after midnight. The fact that the Hontvet
clock had stopped at 12:17 seemed to
confirm their theories, so Andre tempo-
rarily was freed.
The police found the skipper of The
Little Urchin on his boat and, when ar-
rested, the man admitted to having
pulled into Smuttynose. But, he insisted,
a blonde girl had come to the top of
the cliff and ordered him not to land.
He then had sailed over to Jorge’ s house,
he said, where made his repairs, had his
rum and left.
“But, halfway back, a good five refles
from the White Island Light, I damn
near ran over a rowboat,” the skipper
remembered. “There was a man in it,
but I couldn’t see him very well and he
didn’t call out to me. He rowed quickly
away in the darkness and that was the
last I saw of him.”
The police, although obviously doubt-
ful of his story, turned their attention to
the last of the three suspects.
Hans Hansen admitted that he had
been smitten by Anethe’s beauty, but
insisted that he would never harm her
—or any other woman. His protestations
were somewhat overshadowed by the -
stories told by his fellow workers. It
seems that Hans several times had
plunged into. the breaking surf and
swum to the point halfway between Star
Island and Smuttynose, just to prove he
could master the winter seas. Too, on
the night of the murders, Hans had been
drinking and gambling heavily.: After a
particularly bad hand of cards, he left
the bunkhouse, swearing, and, the fol-
lowing morning, refused to be roused
“from the bed. One of his fellow crew-
men, trying to pull Hans out of the bed,
noticed that his hair was damp.
Hans had been considered a bully
ever since his arrival on Star Island and
the other seamen felt no loyalty to him
and told the police all they knew of his
escapades. When confronted with their
‘accusations, Hans broke down and ad-
mitted that he had taken a swim in the
channel, but only to clear his head from
the effect of too many drinks of rum.
“I heard screams coming from Smut-
tynose, but I thought it was my drunken
imagination,” Hans told the officers.
HE police did not believe his story
and were about to book him on charges
of murder, when John Hontvet inter-
-vened.
How, he asked, had the murderer
known where to find the money box
that had been so carefully hidden under
a plank in the master bedroom? And
there was the matter of the axe used
by the butcher. It also had been hidden,
‘behind some boxes in. the closet. How
had the killer known where to look for
~
tn
ii
those things, Joh
with knowledge
were members
John, Matthew
gether on the m:
On the other !
Louis Wagner h:
. group for long h
murder. And he
“money box and :
The police q
then being no
Hansen’s guilt, i
the new lead |
told them that
cided German
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murder and hea
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funerals of Anet
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murder. He hot
did Hans Hans«
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Louis Wagn«
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9, 1873, in Alfr
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Bangor) on : 3 1885, :
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BROWN, Edmund, white, hanged York, Maine, on August Ti 2TAOh
i oe
The hitherto unconfirmed case of Edmund Browne at York, Maine, in
1740. I succeeded in locating the origional trial documents as well
as the origional Minutes Book of the Superior Court of Judicature,
Assize and General Gaol Delivery for the County of York, (Massachusetts
jurisdiction). The case is meticulously documented. Moreover, the
man was indeed executed.
Now for an even bigger bombshell: (Minutes of June 18th 1740)
In the very same Minutes Book and in the very same Court session, is
noted, (also in meticulous detail), the case of an Indian man named
GEORGE NECHO -- on trial for his life at York ME for the sexual
battery of a child. The exact words: "George Necho an Indian man
being indicted for ravishing Susanna Kimball, an infant about three
years of age, pleaded 'not gutlty'." The case is a fascinating
legal oddity. Necho was found guilty. However the court went to the
almost unheard of extreme of offering him, (An Indian!) the Benefit
of Clergy! Now get this -- "Moved on his behalf that he might have
Benefit of Clergy and the Court agreed to respite judgement. However
when he was brought to the bar and tt was demanded of htm whetner he
had reason why the judgement of the court should not be passed upon
him, he, at the critical moment, stood stlent. And the court accord-
tngly passed sentence of Death upon him."
Death Warrants for both Edmund Browne and George Necho were’ issued on
July 12th 1740. And they were both hanged in a double execution at
York on August 7th.
As you can see, George Necho literally threw his life away had not
pleading the Benefit of Clergy, (which the court would've granted),
when the question was put to him why he should not be sentenced to
death. An Indian, he was probably illiterate and didn't know any
better. And lo and behold! -- He is a brand new one out of Maine!
I had sought to weed out Edmund Browne and came up with a bonus!
You've no idea how ASTOUNDED I was to come up with this! The Boston
newspaper which origionally put me onto Browne's trail made no mention
of a second condemnation at the same court.
Y
é
y —, nf 9-/ 98 & ros
pe ae indigni , from the populace 7 :
; coffin aad ave, the High Shezitf cher read
ot, and informed hiss if he
” but het the pity ag prayers of thou-
ce Mees | afands.| When he attived'at the fy:al tpot he
“aa Te i : : Sheets the gah bl is ae cc e
aes ure of & penitent, & ced by the Ex.
Dren, 3 ) i decals under the pat hi and facing his
had any-shing.to fay; there sasnaw an o
ce ce ae - portunity ; bet he made no reply. The
7, at one o'clock, Lue Rey. Me Kellog then mentioned, thac
~Arefled in ws white
salter round his neck
his iefe arm; he cou
‘datthe view of hie
vhich. prcfenred. itfelé
he came out of: the
“i's the High Sheriff oss.
ud & numercus croug ae wi
q paler inte teert es
fet! Lifets posed fy
Aled with. the ere gs
is butes he moved!
if Execution, his fpirig:
ray who were cn hig!
fcularly by oeing res
it of the world wae"
or, not for his own:
cers y and amid the: -
the multitude about
igoing co fuffer guile
Fences ; sila x ree!
there wade frilure of the fermon expedt-d,
jn conf uence of its being - thought expe.
_ dient to have it delivered in the open field ;
which the feeble health of sa reacher
. would not admit. He thea mbce foine ob-
- fervations, istradafory to the reading ofthe
Mfeand confffion of the. cris), in fubs, a
ttange a3 follows :~= :
4 Xnowe thyself, was the, “inferiptica engras
ren in, charetters wf i old’ upoa the fron. of |
the ‘temple of ‘Apolo iutimating tha; ic
was, the Git” motion gp Be Ignorance and
darkes B to viidom and tight, This inf&rip-_
tron defarves tu be written on the frane of th 18
bethiy ceanpla of our asture ; fince felf-ig.
: farce bas-¢ throne in our heart, the beets
is deceitful above vil things, and defperarely
‘Micked ; whe can know it¢ A thorou gh ia-
Spettion of ourlelvess of-our inward pzinci-
ples and motives, ix attended witha. (evere
|. Wartificatino, ia confequence of fiading fo
4 much amit) and fe many things a owt of ore.
oe ew a ae pe
ee i
the popt ace: i emi
prayers of thou- 6%
day rr muy erie ot thaw and re. |
morfe ; fo much ercafion of repescance and
ived no pee
. © anvendenent. And, hence we are expofed ‘
it had the pity a 7
nds.! When he artitg
Fat the faal ipor he a i
cended the ladder wifW the dope and compa. a is foal che & deceivablene:s of unrighteous- —
‘ ceed @ penitent, ard eng placed by the bx! ae eh” A writer juBlyobferver, “chat the |
tioner under the gallows and facing his prow of vice isdown ill, and that when ©
fin and grave, the High Sherif then read]. ne we're fer agoing, we roll on with in-
s Veath Warrant, and informed im ifhe © a Le a creafiag velocity, and every opp: fing raqued *
d any-thing,to fay; there. waenoGHan op. .
as “| 2% we meet, and the roughnefs of defcent, ferve
mrtunity ; but he made no ce ame « ily to rake Us 6 down with tie greater |
ev, Mr, Kellog then mmenciggay i 4
ere was a failure of the er i ee
ea avers of its being th i 3
ent to have it delivered in the Guan
nich the feeble health of the™
ou’d not admit. - He then nabae’ eee
rvations,. introdactory tu the reading ofthe =
eand cone on.of the. criminal, in fabs 2 ee
+ ee oS
Ww ® was t ein COP a. oak
‘nin charatters of. \ er inp Rape peaes
i¢ ‘temple of Apolio ,. iatimating that. cee a
as the &ztt Paley: ym ignorance and © +).
irkne’a to wilde and fight. This intteip.
sadeferves tu be writtes oa the front of the.
Ahly semple of cur. mature ;"fince felf-ige
ance lata throne: ‘nour heart, the heart.
deceitful above wll things, arid defperately |
icked; wha can know it? A thorough bag Pee 7
edion of ourlelvesy of-our inward psinci. 9°) thelaws of Cod atid man, But from cares
es and motives, is attended witha. fevere ~~ | Ledrels and want of teriaus confideration, — «
astificatinn, ia confequence of fading fa | { So. gti om nezleét of région, it conneéion 4
art Acie) kanes 9 aay shige owtapor-, 1 with we nateral Somes her corrupt
“ht he srs wd
ib a)
—frtegularity.”” One fafai habit daitens the
<! gnind, end deepens thethstes of felfigno- —
“tance, a08 Wads on tt ten thoufand more.
. Saleng m the root of fin is kept alive in
es he hea:?, it will be (haetig Out into nume |
uerlefs branches, and produce in the life, 7
u ee we are nware, the’ biteee fruire of mif-
fe Ne Buc bad a3 men are, they feldom ben! 4
“come hardened finners sithe’t eps or
“do evil cavirte. Ht is not very caty for then |
- at firlt to defpife the diAc.es of reafon and ©
: oabienc, and witha high hand co neps
_ Joke and deride ull the coatideratioas of vir ©
| tae end religion, Few finners: Legia with 4
: pen candor of Cal and of his inftiw- @
“tions, Bue tew men in their frit Meps of 7
2 acétiofnefs venture giofs imac. ©
ik. ee fdgemeus fs of wolence i.
x 1 Thurfdsy, at one o'clock, he
was tees from Prifon, drefled in a white d
# ohe and cap, with a baler round his neck
“and Sat ve round his iefe arm; he af es :
biel hs pete | coffin bi Ms scart, which. prcfenred itfelf
‘11808, eee ee eee eae |} him the moment he came out of the =
tee yard, together wi: the High Sherif
‘ and alt his Deputies, and c oumetiun croud
: pe: Pp pu ee tears
Ys fa one wart! Lifeis pecer !
at pegapfieedi | e&:Aed with {pte 2
pearl het him 5 botas he moved’
A towards the place of Execoriog, his fpirit:
was foothed by the.clergy who wers on his’
_ right end left, tad particularly by veing re-
ee Savour of the world was
tedferth ass malefactor, not for his own
fing bet for the fins of ¢ sere 5 and amid the
+ tatalee ane feorn of the multitude abcut
) winrene he was goitig to fuffer guile.
Bilis Pe fara} offences) and yet iC.
essiorn of..."
8. 12 pp.
é
yt
AT Por
al
*
v
sea
D, MAINE,
s ExNCUTED
Pra
; PAS BT er CUR eh axes Mabe ti
HERIFY oy CAPS ©
¥ J Me . ‘a * bk +m ° ba & id 4
i re fas tad hol [heed | Gaynie kata the page
e pr Ai
ody fh rea ft, cleareth ie aes ple did { once think I fhould ever be-
in ; std through the vileR an abandoned ma yon 8 murderer, a
rmay find mercy with a jut end
eee | be the: Gaal pecs at ens fe of ail perfons
God, and that 10 hae 'e Bas every place where
abiding in hier ; Bot Fagen! ae 4.4nd ‘efpecislly of ‘the ‘widow
ope,-at times, that the S ae 1 Ftbencer Parker, the inno-
is iy ae | soph es unprovoked . 3 and dia-
staien from qc the heart of caity
1 murderer, and gives. eve. the Fae
Seer Le
tee é ot * a m nemment ;
d to V receive the r Lord: side re minifiers wh ime
ali fuicient Ssyiout, 8 @ed ine Dy Caete atruAions. " prayers,
caly pray if fo great a Ganerroag id I kacw their love for peri MB
nereg bape map ou eo the ja tnete fupp ia at the ¢ nan ad
| rene we : . heaventy.& Cys. Mui take no detial,
ery | if theget fur
emGation ; and that
ren 1 ar sped
ildgen. frame,
ve
1 half his ie 8 famped:int) | cell if : s in irons ! and yet my
shis memorye * oe ee sae wt AE ES aa | ha mcre freedom than vfual, and -
t ardently ae | een il The g:% Pfalm,
rappamay prone and the igth of Lvie,
ir evil ways my foul thas cver,™ To-
day of my death, At one
*s of death.
ert the terrible yaaee rom this ov or
‘preion an at the
in Suciety,, b,, violas
Rete
——
gratitude to all who
Bc
- Se
aay tee
PE By
Rv gee + eS ator eae
bates PE
: x
Caras
4...
i
53 ae Van
Lp of
PO ate.
“
Ke:
ibe cd
at
% a
Se
Aa
Reg es int Te ety shay ret “S87,
ein Re eC orn ky i eee pid age) Px an
TE Vy Sa ee, Sg See
os nee
=e
eis on
a 8 a i
ae oa
ye 1
ds eaesieh en “ak ven
M
mf 9 ) i
he ;
"e 4
y .
A ving wickedly anf
caufe of Levi Quit
Yarker, a theriff, whee
pith of January latt, came tn the
FE was at work, in order to arreft
inby, [ inftantly fellin a rage, 25
&e open the door, and with a morge
ave him a blow upon the head,
lied cowards me, I repeated «3 ee
ou: ‘knowing at the time the @-%
is of the firft blow, of which he Hea
Adied. And 2:-May Term 6
a@ Judicis! Court, in this town, Gar
atial trial, was foosd pulley cf
aforder on the body
P asker, and on the "ath of Shetek a
ei Tehe joft and swfut-feneeneg
_-. my beart was fit harder. | eaialwen aN?
echer millftone, and my ws or pile nea
3, Wee. pp cg yoo te te
af my" be the raraa, ER rg
$ vided op “gers pious MiniRern: RUS tes
tied and piney with me, but ey i 5 .
| he rifiog pf ,and the thes > 4
dot, at Mir. 1 dealing, thanang’ Se ed
% OF compunétion for my finz,) hte } agit
at hope of etcape was 4 se, I defire joan aries phew aoe es
24, my Gout beart fopkewithin ney
rrupt nature and wicked lifehave | oe oa
’ continual before my. eyed. te NS as ia se
w te tow | have a8 Sevived eve
Ay M Ft
1 Rat
: heh a i Ash Athir
he pe i Ag ANT
¢ arly SM elt ay gat}
BP ia thy. 4 4 af ‘ { w ia {
a 8 3, ad ait cil 4 ig &
. I Ae : 4
'
1 sf
cay
eae p : ry
‘
i
t
t
it f
fn
tee
ie
yh
#
He:
¥
t abe
vi;
on
if
Lice
*
fens Savin ee
. hon a fins: ‘end through
the faid | a i G sures is
} er “
4 ’
: a bal Ne
1 a
; :
:
; i 9 te it
! ) a Asay
, eee $4558 bi } 7 ape
ips jek haere dit Mages Beg asa ib ae ene aa a }
:? ia) 37 oe 7 sy
i Cig y
4s,4 “ os ‘ *
how 1 have perverted my talents, and the
ead of my being; agd”how much I heed
vis: Chnift, whole pre-
oa.the crofs, cleanfeth
whara the vilrit
with a jatt end
beartis at en-
rderer tach:
may find mercy
hig Those the carnal
ae ‘with God, and thet 10 mu
eternallife abiding in bi
j damien grog
Chritt has tel.en from me the heart of enmi-
eo mi ty and of a agit and given me the heart
the peniventy anid
made me: siting ona
AMmNCe Sth, ang all other means of
’ i acerve we Lord. Jefus as my: .
and elt a nang ag hs
Bday Regisee
| ‘ene, May. be. foine c
- gad efpecially 40 my
AT the-pet 8 event af:
i. ‘ ne capeate that the fight of thefe
| ary no one mas retrain thei.
and vices
| upaa his ematt
ma ardently pray, en. aca
. ¢ amay proht be ty i yan fore.
fake es eye which lead ie voihe |
of desth,
ond the territile sxamjie which Be
‘tebe a Bucieyin by raise nat
; But I cannot but °
that the Soicit of |
eat » finer: mag
itte: regrets, and.
oa
i
oR
*
es tg
ms
uaintance, 4
ee eee
ea
er oe ee
of Jelus,
“Aeemet 2 shart eg not
Jrent. thief. on the croft, “
thal be ‘with,
ss’
sori
pt fincesiry,
fi have, ¢
- “tl a ae
ME ics A Sota ante fen,
| ,
P
e
hes cad = #
if 4 3 J ast
i if * j - ‘
E % ¥ j
So 4 t 4 “
urcould he, the last } CMMs Town —cape — peers y : é - "t
: ? : ableto make Wood Iland—and at Jo cloce
| Herald of the 13t
«| A fetter just receiy.
“atorms that the ere?
> Merchants, in the
“ce of Maine, lately
Uther, and sent the
goous, (under a state.
CC TOse In anger, Ss
of town with force
sreme Court which |,
ossion the same day; |
~Solrn till May nex
car the reputation of
radiction of ua state.
“= every respect ; ana
=< @ what could have
“2 written the Jetter
wv
» ce tothe citizens ef
yoetthe same, No.p=
shade to any Sheritf
ficial duty, As to
Sart—The term com.
yom October, and
“s adjourned to the
“oir, and continued in
) partof the neat
Jurncd aa usttal.
ovs Mare: takes ii¢ es
© Baghsh brig fer
othe
pe
/
a
At Sandersville, G. Nachaviel ¢
aliornet atiLaw, ,
Col. B
a Exeter,
dh eras
27—a nitive of
ty Miss Eunice Cobb.
f AgaVeburn, E}
7 C25 tutes of WUE
7 Ia Gis town, Mr. Nicholas Byrne,
Ireland. —A child of Mr. !
1 OSS, are ¢
— .
aa
ooke; Es
* ee haa
onjaraiy 2202
nezer“Lawrence
jamstown Coller€
wonths.
ee
aged
in Ne afternoon, the vefiel was driven on
fhore\on the rocks, about two miles to the
é: of Bald-Head. After fhe ftruck,
capt. Mdad, by a fudden lurchof the veffel,
as wafhed overboard : and all atrempts to
ere ineffectual. One of the men,
as drowned in endeavoring to
to the Captain —Veflel (except
ars, loft. Pare
ech. —| Capt. Bowdoin, from Penobds
{cot, for Botton, laden with wood, was driven
onto-Salisbury\beach at Newburyport bar, in
At Sacearappa (Falinouth) Mr. Ebneser
Parter of Cape-Elizabeth; a deputy Sherif},
* #rconsequence of blows reecived upon his
head from one Joseph Drew. Parker, the
preceeding day to that on which the assault
was committed,
arrested a Mr. Quinby and
jett kim: with,a keeper froin whom he ezcap-
ed to Drew's shop, who is a blacksmith.
Parker on going to the shop to take him a-
gain was forbid entering j a Man in compa-
ny however pushed the door open, at whom
Drew threw a
sledge and then took up a
iece ofa sleigh arm and with the first
iiuw felled P. to the ground and repeated
the blows several times, his skull was frac-
tured in a shocking manner, he languished
several Crys.
a aed
Drew has been committed
to jail in this town, to take his trial for mur-
der at the Supreme Judicial Gourtin May
.
the storm of Thursday !4thinft, The capt
was knocked ov rboard by the main boom, &
loft. Thesch. hs fince been got off.
BACK-COVE BRIDGE.
6 ter Proprietgrs of Back-Cove Bridge are
hereby nofified that their femt-anoua!
meeting will be [holden at the houfe of Mr.
Abraham Beeman,|in Portland, on Monday the
fift day of Februgry next, at two o’clock, F. M.
for the following purpofes, viz.
To choofe af Moderator. :
‘To receive lich accounts as may be laid
before them, Aud act thereon as they may
think proper. me
By ordfr of the Standing Committee.
STRPHEN WAITEH, Prop'nn Clerk.
Patlapt, Fan. 39
itt
Frits
See
ee tat
bred
iS
?
igging) and cargo, valued at
credit.
Efq. Judge of Probate for.
beriand, to. receive and*
of the feveral creditors t
late of Otisfield, ‘in the.ce-’+’,
yeoman, deceafed, give
| fzom the eleventh day
allowed to faid creditors ©
ther ciaims 3 and that |
fervice at the houfe at
holder in faid Orisfield.’
day of Felruary next, a ©
days of the three follow
20 bbis Clear PORK ©
18 do Navy Mefs do; ;
$0 do No. ty... dd%%
30 do Philadelphie t2)>
15 tons Nail Plates, aly
Chefts Hyfon and Hyf
10 boxes No. 3, Choc
15 do. Dipt Candles ;
Togethe: with a gene
' Ship-Chandery &
All which they offér:
'([6w) ..
Ww ‘the fubferibers,
poinied by the H'
ELEAZER B:
o’elock a. M co five e’?
Otisficld, Fan 8
ied hd ur
Ww
; oF ekillfally execated
je Wigh”
EEkerefs
P “
{ ¥
atyle, enlisting he sympathy of e
i Mies Dell's esse
pcallently writies.” M
.
eat
ace
> eng
ROM TORONTO
1 not
Lungs, Bronchist
od. H.W. cor
Admission 35 Ce
Cents”
%
$y
a
te of New [lampsbire, ..
‘the night of. the sixth cf Marc
b
[ es standing i in the doorwa
eeantes who was tleeping ald i
og” ean was ake his: slisy ay
; ine Yates» otis ae
atir abou toast reefgcf the Wills] -%
ners abe gatherings of citizens
ir peasy boats: hut pe :
itment. “The hanging will
“| dhe’ gallowec Sheriff Zoerey has just arrived
from Rockland and is in consultation with Ward- Es
the ‘moat disastrous atleuipt to divert stspicion en Rice and Rev. Mr. Mesos, the Prison eb: eplaia.
at te nay We yemuih for: years 10,
» Tome aftes lume bave we wrote Sigg en tae
anh bis agent here, mploring
m care Behalf, but mishoat:
she ever sei hogs be of.
din that-be ‘stated not
t fabetionds. whieb: ithe judges
the court had the sincerity to
hag abe epplieations fo hi
rebbewist duasaect scant a
tele! itute
itt! ptjacket to our ee
lemmacy: of the weather
orning sill dark st night. ~
with our scanty allowance ‘of | eet
bith doesnot exceed five ounces ‘per |
‘reduced us, hat we now.éx
spectacle ; bot all our at
nin, fot pever dit we: Hy tietng | ee
i Ng assitance from him ! = Well “in-
it have been for us had ‘we inever
him, for: fied we, vot, long ‘before |!
aid *we' have been restored. to our.
‘friends, through ‘the interference:
aie Phillmore, who cominanded an:
6) in this harbor, Ou Gading?
; ee icsies were in Yain to: the pees.
‘we made ‘application to Sir: Jolia, /2
pettotin saad the tweatment: w¢
panish prisorers, amongit"
=
th
ere seaihoed, (which ts barbarous 9:be cut off,
are allowad you to
bunal a tpl far
iption.) ; With the humanity
ain, he beard and felt for our inisfae-
old us'that he did not want heodits
ifssel. was lately: (rons England, but - jy
ease
poorer
sgh vce bro
* Yoo hye ieee
ore
from among ae
Peakhes domnaate
jild do every thing tbat lay in his i eotne we entrea
Hei
rain. auriliberation, °
og
@iouce The spins ie
“re
“4 i
Heavedly Father wil will aed Oe
fos pts your. struggles and
1 nat require the service of those un-
then on-board of his“ship. Thee
ghithe interference of him’ who
I out friend, were all our ho
mabe homane intentions of “Sir John
de pel We here omit: a paregeaphy
aie wo the, tf mad i of the pee
hie
re
ch
to.you, sir, that we deh sta-,
ie yath, und should you deem
whole or any part of this ’
u ram afer a particular favor. on 4
rtartas ‘fellow-eitizens, who waco
mselpast
utost pb't and very humble servants |
BONJ. F. BRUCE, 25%.
~ @&s5 ERRY, 8
MILYMAN WHITE,
Bae N ARMSTRONG, He
SSERH KNIGHT, U. Ske,
O'S YOUNG
HN HOHNSTON, Gied Fa
Cisczen
oe Bem foce you be a
ri wsbaeaoe ¥
ére Unowgyit, an thence to lov
Cantina: Sibi. the Cooney of Hai aad tha
i) aati} are
nde God i ci are =
7 8 One w
.
i eae
nee ne edicean phage
returpi:
papa Eahnbed anys Oy:
, With al
‘yout Maker.: Sloat
‘ots ready
tht isthe fast poi oty.
«The Court esicted as
A bon bave. been reais couvicnea; de
do order
qian! !
<a
the
de) a bie . oon
Bir—We take the farther Vibert fg ot two o hrs hundred face of tnd
Maheng.
Comanssiones of Loa
6 scrip certificates wilt bes ‘ntsigua-
ment and: delivery 71 but a
Bed apc the ‘payment of the: se.
prin po oes ig eo ‘atthe time stipulated, the
n eres @ hay ‘be fore
eee se signa to
Ter woieeek bed oor ‘
. page
Capital Péuisnskene
t hus not been of frequeait vccurrend? in the His
| Meine.' The tit execution by hanging
‘fas thal of CiiGen Heeris, convicted of murder-
ig {wovold ladies et West Aubura. Harris was
hung on | the twelfth of Mareb, 1869, at which
time the faw. was changed £0 ag to require the
give dedi pee oa at bat at shin Execative toigsne thé warrant. unlece the Coua-
: cif atvited commutation to lmprisonment for life.
Previous tO that date there bad been bat one
: dey the Btrte Iaws—that in 1864,
‘when the convitt Spencer was pat to death for |<
whe tHe inorder of Warten Tinker ef the State prison |.
ation.) “for bet ween’ thirty'and forty yeare.® Cox and | ¢on
This, Williams, who nope at. Auburn in 1858 oe
for the
“weeping
mitted
WH.
e=Your letter F recelved “the 12th. of fc
that you stilt aré living your miserable
nee, Deut kon: when E recsived your leer E oa
PAINFULSCENES ON THE SCAFFOLD. |; f ie spliaters | §
a3 for eys | When she comey home tm the evening she sits down. and
whe Pecatthy sadsrsenion of Wa eee eS ina : climbed’ to the Gries, anit prays the-dear-God that he wilt not take you
sath be some help to Minnje, Bhe has Worked too bard:
“2 Anonymous Letter—Gordon ‘Thursday: ba ae ata avay., Your pars as has written you also, aod he in
p minke Stil Persiata in his Tunocenee— | Su tet of the js pong Ae Come fexrevis that 1 pe Tie Ca reat, but f eos
We Bids Good Bye to. twa. ee ; the jailer’s room Pinto the | Ghent th written him that he might pce
“Friends—Arrival of the’ Sheriif— Finest ding: isonet i ap te
| Arrangements. end the, : He ee =a tthe eee S Rea okay siesaiyt Gets ebke bare always - any”
if paca ‘3 gen wou! ‘y on & £ ’
BI Ae eo Gordan Gresnisn and WwW, . jg | mother, and not.take away her dear child, aud f T hope they }
mi ; $ “1 wi fugu my tous for ens. poor chil} has: néver done aoy
hernt to anybody iin Germany, and the 2ame I-hope ta
America. Now don’t shies aa ee again.
Write me as sooa as yta cao. { must close now, Minnie,your fj
he wandered aboat the eoun- brother, biewif ‘and. chikirésy rend their, fore. Moy she Pi
*s Jobe as recaptured, iostead: See nid ni hte sores hace poe ne tn
Le The spatial dy fr Wagner and Ganion to}' = Gp losure ‘iepermfnent safety. Me | Gignsd ST alana eae aoe
“pay the forfeit ee their atrocious: butcheries
~The. Demeanor of the Doomed Men
7} ¥as, somewhat: changed this “midrning. Gordon
danced cloudy aa misty. ~ ‘Cana &
al stir among the peels “el hie’
iS highly., Z passed #: very restless night, ‘and was ‘very weak knife,
pade. “He said that he sdbsistel ou “bert this m bioraing.. Wagner Appeared ‘to -be mich rc
slept: ta the road far: {car of: ‘wild beasts, ‘and excited, “Chaplain J: KP Mason had ‘an intert- Be
ed civilization becouse fewae nearly mint ¥iew. with, the two men list might;. remaining “The
of With them fill meariy half past’ nine. He ré~| hime
:: egard + ported this marning that: at the’close of hie in-} aas
ington: iflersiew, no: material change = had * taken | fect h
; pl ee eineaitheit fiaat preparation for: execution { cell t
, : f reuse still holding firm to ay oft} W
one ies EY ee dearth kau | fere't i al
«Linchd
pac
were he stool on the galto
langas, ‘end Cael consolin fa‘its ‘cise ceuad
sneok he would este he t € ¢ ‘3
Nise expressed. the hopé that be would be all right fi
{ink the life to come.:-It alsy informed him that so oy
‘ ee a ‘Gicopa | 12OG. AS he’**kept the letter next to his pte ROL Ri
] “ile with Wace ae og: } i Peete RSI + mortal power, ould harm him.” ‘ %
Tikiog the reception” of this -in connecti
with his stron z saperitition, if will: at oncagbe
ateo where be derives his hope. So str a
ttreng, athletic, of “fistid ett a oe had behef has*he tT fa . this. epis: tla that oh hag
been 6 sailor. fsb ria “aol ae iia ant worn isin an iasjde porket of bis shirt ever since,
f aa Frou the language 6f the letter it iz conjectured
AYE e/been written, by sone. eu heii: gates
\ pith his mainly” \ cata Lali
logic and real driele
Feened refreshes bin,”
t
o
"the laws.
~ oe
ariel aay td
NS
ws
~.
<
S
>-
.
Peter oe eee & mp eee
Ea. eaten :
Qs icec of Hie» of Geone: ) fa? ED oy Ua (fase Ee
‘ | MN Laake tA} CoO Guitoin) Tues Ab 2 bea
Geet gy
MDD 40 funhsyny yrad
Cy
| aes =e Ms = fe
je $s Vbivery be ust and I fall at ae/ +
yh fy wih BY G PEMA!
AL 2-8 Pym
Well tod
fo, a
i
‘ % id
¥ é i £
5: :
oat ith
Py - :
#
>
fe
>
=
: rs
<
o
oO
a)
he
QS
N-
ot
Ans,
OR AA ag eet
i %y
1s
hs there
a
i}
af rane. Fount
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st CAM HL CASE | |
Lcob Coury, MAINE (~~ ANOTHER SUPRISE
ik
a
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Sohn OWer/,
Ve,
ugh Mf:
0s Contiaiationf
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a. te
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The Paiderce Caaehte & Conty Toten
a
August 2np i a al om
-
ad
stave utd is
formnoply. Coat: v
ec for sami
tion, to the end that no impediment may bein the.
.. way of the fpeedy accomplifhment of thie important”
ee Te ies Sees Le Ra horu
. “7B O $'T O N, daly #8. pe
_Agentleman of information from Norch-Cerolitea
informs ys,_toat he left that State fince fre Conven-
tion were in feffign—and that he*had foch informa-
tidn; from feveral gentlemen belonging to the Con- -
vention, as warranted him to affure us, that a few
days would give us the pestis information of that
State's having adopted the Confthterion, |
‘bir 2 vf u letter from Philadelphia, dated Foly 12.
| Bei tw momentary expectation of receiving”
* the ré&comibieddation of Congre(s, to our legiftature,
refpecting the appointntent of ten eleétors to meet
for the purpote of making choice of Prefident,'&e.
_—No other ‘perfons are talked ot among the knowing
oned to execute the new government thea the great:
American’Fabius, and his txcelleney Governor Han-:
cock: The former will -unduuhtedly be Prefidenr-
General—atid ag the latter will have che next higheft
peasbe? of votes, he will unquettionably be Vice-
--- Mr: Adams-will undowbtedly: be Chief
Jbftite of che federal judiciary. At ithe fouthward
| she fame fenciments preveil.”’ >: vee
“yy ars | . Roaumalbereugh, July 16.
“On ‘Priday taft, before the Supreme Judicial
Court, came.on. the trial of John O*Neil, for the
thuvder of Michael .Clary,.of Brittol, id the county’
of Lincoln—his—friend :and: benéfattur. Perhaps
there never wat 2! murder stteaded (with a, more
q fhucking: train: of: aggravating circuniftances than”
thie. O'Neil was one. of thole Infh.convidts who
landed;: not long'fince; apon the Eaftern thore; and
* otapafion, sook him home ‘to. “his houle. Clary
“was pales te advanced in years, and having no
' family, which perhapsindaced him the morte to take
| dake bas; bofom “his “murderer: - They had lived to-
faw when ef formed.a de-
Cet eftate a hat'purpofe
ed’aiwiit; purporting to be ¢ will from Clary
20 O'Neil ;'‘hnd left he fhrould not write one binding
- enol; he went feveral miles and got fomebody to
‘etinfine it, and (aid that Clary! had defired him to
write tie will, which. he waa indeced to make, as
‘Bé apdrohedded: tie war drawing near his end., The
iprrfon to whom he exhibited thie wil] made feveral
alterations: ini é, . and. added: fomething, which he
‘thuughr neceffaty, without fulpedtidg the-vile igten-
efonsof OtNeit. This was only a very few days
.before he perpetrated the horrid murder. The day
before this tragical event, O*Neil, the more to con-.
ceal his intentions, went feveral:miles, and told fome
of Claty’s friende that he did not thiok that he would”
live Apog,: for he-war,very fick. The fame evepring
heteéturned home . (yrs War'the roth diy of Fe-
brusry Lat) ‘snd put ints execdtion {his bérrid pur-
pote; Ic is fomewhat ancertsid: bow; or ix what
-spanoer he ‘murdered him; however, the woun
on the. back of his head, which doubslefs put an sos
to his exiftence, was made either by the pole of an
. gether atiout fii
fi son al
ax or a-{pit. which were found io caress The
pext morning O'Neil pot on Clary’s clothes, and
went. abgut.,Gfteen miles before he; informed any
body of Clary’s, death :*.When be came to fome of -
Clary’s friends, he informed them phat Clary fad
lied the evening before, af « wound which he receiv-
ed by a fall on the ice;:and that before he died he
ordered him to take,his. money, and purchafe him a
Suit of cloches, and fix gtllons. of rum for the funeral ;
aed not to’ fuffer any body to kgow of his death or
,attegd Irie foagepl,, but,oply, a particular friend or
two, , On their arrival at Clary’s houfe, without
falpeing any thing of the murder, they foon dif-
covered marks t viglepcs fe Gcies te convince them
thar an iogeed fh! m s which was
-immedgiately done, and they big@ght io their ver-
MQ. “ wilful murder.” Upoa queflioniag O'Neil
coacerning Clary’s death, he avowed his invocence,
ond ajledged, that tngevening before, Clary being
fomewhat uawell. weet. out to .go to foime of the
neighbours. and fell gpon the ice, aad braifed the
Seet-parc of hisheed. “Ther wpon bis recara home,
he weet to a brow w get fome water, plesged .
Jo sad wer himfetf,y ead fkewife ‘ake aan
wosed om his chia. Now gpon examining the
ody, it appeared chat the wound, bad beca care-
cent tats
ftraggled “about for fome time, votil Clary,’ out of ©
: icy wee then afked: by»the Court, whether they
Juftice then very ably 0 ther
_ was fofficiene for conviction. “After which the jusy
" went ont, and fuon returned agsin, with their verdiey
guiley pigsty sone awhile Ne hai ;
_ On Tuefday left he received fentence of denth,
without the leaft otra ag mind. be oie:
> tomN EB W.P(O:R2 T,.
receiving the satification of New~Hamphhire,: agiced’
- 00 Gx the firh-Wednefday'.in Décember for the'ape:
pointment: of Electors, arid the 13 Wednefdey: ‘in:
December for them to ademble and-vote fora Pref.
‘dent... Whether: thefe’ periods: will ‘land is un-:
"place is yet left a blegk.?:."° “5
‘PROVIDENCE, Auguf 2. -’
Ic is with real Pleafuse. we awnounce.to the Pub-
lic, “that on Friday, the :zgsh wilt she ‘Convention
ot .the State of:Ndw-York ratified the Federal, Con-
Ritutioh, ‘bys “Majority ‘of fivé-»which, as there
were but 65 Members if that Convention; may be
certain. They recommend ithe sWednefday
in February for the meeting of the nel grefs,the
Confidered-as.a-titger Majority than:that of ‘Malle
chufetis.— This pleafing and really important Intel:
ligence: was reteived trom New-York by Capti God.
frcy, in the Lady-Greene Packet;-ob Tuciday Morke
jag taflmall the Bellewiere immidiacely angi aah, Chocolate by the Sox or Cwt,
the Standard which belonged to the Jate Rhode-Jilan
Regiment, commanded by Col. ‘jenemist Olney, wae
difplayed on Féderal Hith:~-The public Exhidition
of the Standard——"‘ avbichtbad been often difplayéd with
Glory and Bravery in the: Face of very powerful Eapmies,
and is carefully prsjfavued to temmeméxaty the dtchitwe-.
mekts ofa brews: Corps,” did pot tail of bringing to
Mind maby memorable Sctncs Of the late War, a4
well as the prefent degraded ERimation:of this State
_ jo the public Mird, compaied-with that whichfhe .
held at the -Clofe of it.-+Weybofict-Bridge,: coin-
‘monly’ called the Great-Bridge, ‘on this happy Oc-
cafion put one moft-brilliant and federal Appearance,
highly plesfiag to the true Friends of their Country.
--On: the. South: Side, af: the. Bridge ‘were erefted
Staddards bearing: large Flags, with the Conflellations
and’ Stripes of Union, reprefeating the Eleven:adopt-"
"ing States, :placed:in the fame Order as they fuccef-
fively ratified-the Conttintion, beginning with /De-
laware, and ending with New-York—on each Stand-
ard a’Label was affixed, {pecifying the Name of the
State thereby reprefented, thé Time when, and the
Majority by which the Conftitution was ‘adopred—=
Os 'the:oppofite: Side: of the Bridge, difconfolate and
‘alone, : was ‘a ‘Standard. for : North-Carolina, . three
Quarters. raifed, with +a -fmall. Flag, # Label:
meniioning the Name of the State, andthe Time
of: the Meeting of. their Convention, : with: this
Morto—"! Jt qill rife.”—But in a {till more‘ dif:
confolate Situation was @ bare Pole, reprefenting poor
Rhode-Iflend, pointing the oppofite Way from North-
Carolina, reifed so ebymt. the 45th Degree from the
. Horizom with a Paper sflixed to it, on which was
‘written,--Rbodt: [sind in blopes.”-—-The Standard of
France: (the; great, and: good: Ally of America) was
alfo ereéted qn .the Parade, near.the Bridge.--Thefe
Standards were contitued. in chis Situation the Re.
mainder of the Dey.—A Proceflion was formed on the
Market Parade, sad moved, with Drums beating and
Colours flying, to Federal Hill—where, precifely at
Eleven o’Clock, Kleven heavy Cannon were fired, ih
Honour of the Eleven coufedensting States, end after
mutual Gratulstions and three hearty. Cheers the
Whole difperfed.—At Threg o’Clock Eleven Cannon
were fired on the Bridge, by Col. Tillinghalt’s. Inde-
dest Company; and Pleven Cheers given.—A
Namber of young Gentlemeh equi themfelves
with Arms, dc. under the Command of Col. Whip-
ple—aad aemimerening ‘retsh the Town, with
martial Mofie, they digharged twice Eleven Rounds
on che Bridge, 7 Platdops.—Eleven heavy Cannon
from Federal Hill clofed the Day.—Whag makes this
- greet Event more particularly joyous is, that from
the belt Accostits ‘we'had previdally .tecelved from
New-York, there was every Appearance of the Con-
ftiretion partially rejetled, by a conditional
2 ‘i .
: : jaly: 3. RM
A letter fron New-York fayw!t: Congrefs, ipon>
1 With great Satisigftion we .-” anicate
tiie ace <"Atfopelda of the
egmm
soot ab” | shia gtoand - New-Coafiitation by oor C: jon, wntondition -
pet roan en ally, sod 8 Mojority of ye. Ti ite cee
tt ot Beek vied, “ai | pet « ie Boba fa one yet acti iat, Spaktpss , PM.
esa ual.an *par'thet Congrefo - Thinbeing the: lin eceunty,.ia:; on permit te to offer t Gncerelt Congratuls- »
wee hes ‘chat the (aid Giri be made a dreve. togethers numerous: concoiir{e off :p: tions. May your Scate follow, 20d ie dhe
feperate State RF f the anion se foon after © the folémnity of the occafion wag:ftill heightened ibys: great federal Plan.’ May é¥ be'v0! ' o: ite
Feendingt ente yoder the {aid Congitu-.. the able and {pitited-defence made-by General Lith true Intereft, bur join.the td which bids faite
yop as circarattances (hall permit, Fecommend it to , goiv)iwho: was affigned by the Coury as cavi{el for, place us in og teas eer ro ‘Advan vegéd.
she (id: Legiflatan to the twhabicarty of the — the prifomer.: ‘The trie! took up-mok'part:of thedeys:° for which we ave fo lon premmberd re x rbd
faid Wine cif tte and cefolgtions and whelr the jurmieturbedthey.decléreditheyeould :, Lat Thurfday arjived 3 Town, on-hie Rewrayte
relative to the premifes, 6s to ender theat conform. ‘“not-sgrre, One WF them,ta: good! man, feeined tp . the State of
; ew. York, from, France, Orfiguette,
: Prince aod Heir oor seegtiyrs Oneidas, «Nai
sere pisebpent. fe the
Ime War. A
+ Yeats ego this your Hi ine er fea time
. vis, by that.benevo eae Noble ie Merge do
to them what evidence Ta Foyerte, for: the Purpofe6f teveivin
re. ;
“Principles of an Eatopedn Eduéstios: : Ble waithen
wholly in.a sede.and .ancultivated. State. - Me Py t
nity 3 i fptakings renting end.rciing Se. ‘ear
» and Englith Languages,..and: other. Aequivemenic,:
_premifes mack bi aampurlir een ear: A
nis tall, and well pro: med; ;.nie:) ere cle~
gant ahd rebned,: aad hie Geplve qdick- att
i trating —-Eie iea}lo remarkable for great Dodi)
tivity. Ph ge a Ae ag
"Oe the 23¢btt. 2 grand: Proce fin; jo Honode
the Confitution of the United Stetes;: took a hall
New-York, the Passiculars of which are not received :
“here. stor Pl tae A er ae
Digo.J Inthe 44th Year of her Age, Mie.saf
ran Kinnicury, Daughter of the late Col. Ed-,
ward Kinnicutt. :..-. Lund
,
rome | Perret rT’
SLL Pe. be Soldat... ce ua
WELCOME ARNOLD’s
‘oc. ;'. « «Cheap far ready Money co.
' UXcellens Claret by the ( afk, = ‘ip
, French. White Wines by the Cafe, 0. se:
hea Tea bythe Cheft or Cwt,- 5):
prara antl
SoG, aPhe ed Sr.
‘Wrandy, New-Engistd Rum, Melaiice’ sac’ Sugiay
. by the-Hogthead or Barrel 28) to
An Affortment of Irith Linens by the Piecty;*. ty!
by 7 Wisdow-Glafé by she Box, Rae
ipes-t witey $
*hétd Weho with fo'lay out. Monty to. Advastege
_for any, of the above: Articles, are invited.to ¢all.a&
faid Stands! ee abe eg
Providence, Auguft v,: 1788. :
For the: Encouragement: ‘of.
Home Manufactures...
H.B Sablcribier, impelled byva fincere Defire. .
L to promiote the true Inrertit:ofi bis‘Coantry,
and’ from a Convittion thet: the>Welfard thereof de-.
pends very® effeptially on <the’ Bncouragemest:. 06
‘Home Maxvracrures, hereby offers to contri-
bute TEN ACRES OF GOOD EAND, in
any sna
_ the-Town of Peavidence, sowards eftablithing onsi
‘or more"“MANU.F-ACTORIE S: within
faid Town—engaging’ to give agood aitds fufficient
Deed of faid Land to the Committee of Dire@ors that
may be appointed for-earrying into: Execution a
Defign fo iruly laudables ate ve pk
..° KNIGHT: DEXTER, -.
Providence, Augaft 1, 1788. --- Bo dae
Twenty Dollars Reward.
AH. E Shop. of the Subferiber was fait Night
" BL broke, open, and-among others the following
Articles ftolen, viz..gwo, Dogen black Silk fringed
-Handkerchiefs,, a, Variety.of Cotton and Linen, and
Silk and Cotton Handkerchiefs, two Pieces of Lawn,
a Piece of Cambrick, two fmall Pieces of white
Gauze, a fmall Piece. of black Gauze, a Piece of
Millinet, a Dozen of blug {potted Linen Handker-
chiefs, about two Dozenof Shawls, 15 Yards of
wide black Mode, 7 or 8 Yards of narrow black
Mode, a Bag of black Mohair Waiftcoat Buttons,
Part of 2 are of Fuftian, a Variety of Ribbons,
15 & Yards of fine red and white Patch, 15,Yards.of
{prigg’d Calico on s yellow Ground, 7 or 8 Yards
of {potted Calico, 7 or 8 Yards of flriped Calico, 7
or 8 Yards of Calico with black Stripes, 2 Pieces of
black Lace, about 20 Wards each, 5 or 6 Yards of
fine Linen, a Piece of Linen, a Variety of fewing
Silk, Thread, Twif, he
A Reward of Twenty Dollars wittbe paid to any
Perfon who thal! fecurethe Thief or Thieves in any
Gaol, and recover. she Goods, or Fifteem Dollars fog
the Goods, and all Chasges, paid by
. H, BAYLIED
Teunten, Augefi s, 178% se tye ae
|
aN
At Midnight Came the Mysterious Killer!
An indifferent seaman, a poor fisherman, rather a vain fellow was Louis Wagner.
minute afterward. It stood on a shelf over Karen’s cot.
“I jumped out and went to the door and I could not
understand how it could be that it was locked, but it
was. Somebody had pushed down the wooden bar that
fastened it from the other side. We never used that
bar. I beat on the door and called to John and to
Karen, but I heard them fighting, and Karen called out:
“John kills me—John kills me.’
“Anethe and I kept calling to John. My man had
never been drunk but I thought he must be this
time. We heard the fight come nearer the bedroom
door and then Karen fell and suddenly the door opened.
I saw what I thought was John standing against the
moonlight that came through the window there, and I
thought he must be mad, for Karen was moaning on
the floor. Anethe and I dragged her into the room
and locked the door on our side. The man started to
come at us, but he was not quick enough. It was then
I thought that he did not look like my husband. :
“Anethe shook so that: the bed she was sitting on
shook and she kept asking what was the matter with
John. I told her he was drunk or gone crazy in the
head and that she should get out the window and
run over to Appledore for help.
“She got out the window and I tried to see what
was wrong with Karen, -but when she stood on the
ground, she kept holding onto the window. I told her to
scream for help, but she said: (Continued on page 111)
65
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il thick.
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lem is
The Illustrated Detective Magazine
Who Was The Fiend of Smutty Nose?
(Continued from page 65)
“‘T cannot. I cannot,’ like the fool
she always was! and I started to get
out the window myself to go for
help, when a man came softly.
around the corner of the house. He
dodged back and Anethe took a step
toward him and she called out:
“Louis, Louis, Louis!’ just like
that. I saw that it was not John
but I was not sure who it was. ‘The
man Came around the house just the
minute she stopped calling and
Anethe screamed, when she saw the
axe in his hand:
“Louis! Louis!’—but he did not
stop. He had the axe in both hands
and while I stood right there in-
side the window, he brought it down
on the head of Anethe, and when she
fell he struck her again. She moaned
—dreadful! :
- “T tried to get Karen awake but
all she would say was to leave her
be, and I saw that she could never
get away. I snatched a wool skirt
from a hook and never stopped to get
shoes or anything but got out the
window of the kitchen. Ringe came
with me. I thought to hide in the
henhouse but I knew that Louis
knew that it was there, so I started
to hide in the old cellars and rocks.
I fell, Ringe cried. I looked back
after a while and saw lights in my
home and I heard my sister Karen
screaming. I got down in the rocks
looking toward Appledore and held
Ringe against me for warmth and
‘that is the last I remember.”
When Maren Hontvet fell back
exhausted, her husband ~and his
brother, with half the men of the
island, ran for the Clara Belle and
put out for Portsmouth.
The man they were after was
Louis Wagner.
The police agreed with the dis-
tracted men that identification was
ample, for Maren’s statement had
ended with one final word:
“I saw the man clearly as he
struck down Anethe. It was Louis
Wagner.” Hi N
Therefore they set in motion the
machinery by which to run him down
and then they went out to the islands
and tried to reconstruct the crime.
Their reconstruction ran something
like this:
The technically unknown murderer
arrives during the night on Smutty
Nose, and is in the house just before
midnight, the clock having stopped
at that time when swept to the floor
- by his struggling with Karen, in the
course of which he strikes her head
with a heavy piece of wood taken
from the woodbox. Karen staggers
to the bedroom door, which the mur-
derer, for reasons unknown, has pre-
viously and silently barred, manages
to get it open and is dragged to tem-
porary safety ‘by the astounded
Maren. The murderer hears Maren
tell Anethe to get out and call for
help. He snatches up the family axe,
several years before that.
comes running around the outside of
the house and strikes Anethe down.
He then pursues Maren but can-
not find her, returns to the house,
lights a lamp and calmly butchers
Karen at the window out of which
she is probably trying to crawl. He
then drags’ in the body of Anethe,
and with the flat end of the axe bat-
ters her face out of semblance of
anything human, after stripping
the nightdress from the body and
tearing it up.
He makes himself some tea from
the simmering teakettle. and then
. goes out to the well, a mere dab in
the darkness which no stranger
would have suspected of being there,
and washes in the basin which is
there in the darkness. Then he goes
back and, with the terrible bodies of
the women he has killed lying at his
feet, he enjoys a meal.
That over, he begins to ransack the
house, dripping blood from his satu-
rated garments. In the upstairs bed-
room, where John and Maren Hont-
vet slept in mild weather, there is a
locked trunk. The murderer breaks
this open and scatters everything.
He lifts the top sheet of the bed and
finds one hundred and thirty-five
dollars in bills. A drop of blood
splashed on the lower sheet. He must
have looked right at the money, but
he doesn’t take it! What he gets is
about twenty dollars or perhaps. a
few more.
To get to the island and to get
away from it, the police concluded.
the murderer rowed a boat!
On this one point they gagged. It
is ten miles out from Portsmouth
Harbor to the Isles of Shoals. To
row out, one way, after dark, seemed ‘
a feat. To land, to commit two of
the bloodiest murders ever known to
America, take time to ransack a
house and eat a meal—and then to
row back!—No, the police didn’t see
how it could have been done, but
just the same, they meant to arrest.
. Louis Wagner.
Wagner was picked up the very
next day in Boston, in’ a sailors?
boarding house where he had stopped
He went
quietly with the officers and did not
make any special effort to seem sur-
prised when they told him of the
murders, but he wept softly and said
Anethe’s name over and over.
He came to trial on June 9th, 1873,
in the town of Alfred. The Attor-
‘ney General, who appeared for the:
People, was Harris M. Plaisted, af-
terward Governor of the State, and
the State assigned Rufus P. Taply
for the defense.
Wagner’s alibi for the fatal night
was wildly absurd. i
He stated that he had asked’ the
men of the Clara Belle so particu-
larly about their going back to the
island, because he knew a girl who
wanted to go over that night if there
‘and costs 35¢ per package (40c Denver to Pacific
’, Paterson Parchment Paper Company
ook:
~ THREE |
vegetables |
in ONE pot
; \
Cooking in Patapar
Imagine! THREE vegetables in ONE pot.
arrots, cauliflower, onions .. with abso- i
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|
Just do this, Prepare each kind as usual |
and place on a moistened sheet of Patapar
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as usual,
Improves Flavor: No water enters the bag. No : 4
juices escape from it. The food cooks in its own juices,
saving all the flavor and nourishment. Delicious! |
YOU NEVER TASTED ANYTHING SO GOOD. ith
Saves Fuel: One flame does the work of THREE,
That means-a big SAVING IN FUEL, - ‘
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Eliminates Scouring: After cooking, NO
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Just take out the Patapar bags, pour off the water, |
and you’re DONE. : |
This magazine's cooking editor says, "Vegetables
cooked in Patapar-retain all of their natural juices | |
|
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Buy a package of Patapar today: It’s too i
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Patapar Division W a
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Enclosed find 10c (coins or stamps). Please send pre- i
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were a boat. He thought her name
was Johanna but that was all. He
didn’t know where she lived or what
family on the islands she thought she
would go to. After speaking to the
men of the Clara Belle, he seemed to
pass into a world of phantoms and
incredible invisibility.
He went to the Pier Wharf, and a
man, name unknown, asked him to
load fish into a cart. Then he went
to a saloon and got a glass of ale. He
went to another wharf, and no, he
didn’t remember its name. Another ‘
unknown man asked him to bait
. trawls; he followed the man, who |
led him to -a schooner where he
. worked for two hours. No, he didn’t
know ‘the name of that schooner,
either. He then went ashore, felt
cold and went into a saloon, the loca-
tion of which was lost. to memory.
and had another ale and another. He
started home, not feeling well, and
by. the side of a pump on a public
Square he fell and found his legs
unreliable.
Concluding that the ale had got
him, he remained dozing on the plat-
form of the pump for a while and
then he remembered .that he had
promised the Hontvet outfit to bait
with them, and went to the John-
son’s, but felt ill again and went into
the dark little backroom and slept on
the sofa, not speaking to the men
he could hear working in the
kitchen. At five he got up and walked
out by another way, not Seeing any-
one, and got some air, and at seven
he went into his boarding: house and
changed his shirt and went out
again, when he saw some men he
knew. He then returned to the
boarding. house, and finally went
‘down to the railway station and
boarded a train for Boston.
As for the fact that in Boston
he had had his hair cut and that he
had bought 4 new suit of clothes and
paid a small debt, he had earned the
money in various ways and had been
Saving it up to go to Boston and see
if he could not get onto a ship
again. He had tried to look his best
‘in Boston, he stated, because Boston .
was “a big city.”
The judge, the jury, the specta-
tors, the Attorney General, and even
agner’s own lawyers, regarded him
with astonishment when he had ‘fin-
ished this recital. He had insisted
on going on the stand and account-
ing for every moment of his time
on the fatal night, and his bland,
child-like way of telling it confound-
ed them all.
Witnesses crowded fast on- him.
Men had seen him at half past six
going, toward Portsmouth. Police,
making their rounds by the pump,
» laughed at the idea of anyone having
been there, standing, sitting or lying,
for more than five minutes without
being seen by them. There was a
boat missing during the night,
which was found floating in the har-
bor the next morning, its new thole
pins worn heavily. Wagner had had
blisters on his hands when arrested,
Then Maren Hontvet, pale from
112
her frightful experience, went on the
wilness stand and told the story, al-
most word for word, which she had
told the morning after the murders,
the same story, told almost word for
word, which she had given the news-
papers. She asserted, in the color-
less way that added much weight to
her words, that first the dead
Anethe had called out his name —
Louis—and that she had then recog-
nized him when he -stood “near
enough for me to put out my hand
and touch him,” and made the first
swing of the axe which crushed in
the head of Anethe.
Mr. Tapley, in his speech for the
defense, asserted that while the cir-
cumstantial evidence pointed to Wag-
ner, those circumstances had been
colored a good deal by the fact that
there did not seem to be any other
suspect, so that everything was
twisted to look unfavorable. He did
not conceal his understanding that
the accusation of the sole survivor '
of that terrible night was: a fatal
thing for his client, but he: called
attention to the fact that Karen had
at first taken the intruder for her
brother-in-law, John Hontvet, and
that there was such a difference in
the bodies of the two men, one large
and spare, a very Viking of a Norse-
man, and the other a round, rather
short and heavily built German, that
even in a darkish room, lit only by
rays of moonlight falling through a
small window, it would be impossible
to mistake the bulk of one for that
of the other.
Plaisted, the Attorney General,
went into the story of the murders
at great length. He said, truly, that
the alibi was one of the Silliest to
which he had ever listened. He said
that the fact that Maren had unre-
servedly acknowledged Karen to have
mistaken the intruder for John,
showed Maren’s strict honesty. He
shouted that Wagner was a hypo-
crite and that the.murders, “for the
paltry sum of twenty dollars,” were
the most cruel and blood-thirsty of
any he knew of,
They sentenced Wagner to death.
Por a year, which wast the custom
then, they kept him waiting, and
Wagner, cheerful, kindly, simple,
steadfastly declared his innocence.
He was hanged on June 25th, 1875.
This is the story as I have read it.
This is the story as everyone knows
it. Not a lawyer ever suggested to
me that there were flaws in the whole
argument against Wagner. Every
writer who has handled the case has
expressed astonishment at the pur-
poselessness of the crime, at the in-
congruity of the gentle-hearted mur-
derer, whose personality appealed to
everyone, but never one human being
has stood up to speak for Wagner.
I stand up to speak for Louis
Wagner.
Fifty-four years after. Wagner
died, saying a kind word with his
last breath to a fellow who was to be
hanged with him, I had the -great
good fortune to secure a replica of
the signature of Louis Wagner, and
the truth, the truth which he died
declaring, presented itself to me.
Louis Wagner did not commit two
of the bloodiest and cruelest mur-
ders known to American crime his-
tory, for the simple reason that he
could. not.. His handwriting showed
it. Turn to the end of this story,
and ‘find the analysis of his hand-
writing, as given by graphology. In
his signature there are evidences of
the gentle-hearted, the sensitive, the
weak-willed, the amorous, the yield-
ing, the friendly soul of Louis
agner,
If he had been accused of getting
into bad company, stealing, gam-
bling, any of the crimes which are
committed by the too good-natured,
by the weak-willed, by the man who
is too often a tool in stronger hands,
then grapholegy, with its accurate
deduction of character from the
handwriting, could not help us in
trying to decide whether or not
Louis Wagner was a criminal, for
the handwriting does not show, of
course, anything whatsoever of the
actual deeds of a writer.
But—murder! Not only murder,
but murder so bloody that those who
looked on it had trouble in keeping
their senses? This, done by the
timid Wagner, whose physical sensi-
tiveness to even the blood of an ani-
mal had often exposed him to the
laughter of his ruder mates?
When I had got as far as that with
Louis Wagner such a flood of light
was let in on the murder that I was
staggered by it.
Incredible to think that the man
was hanged, and that no one asked
the one damning question which
would have thrown the whole case
into the reverse. That question was:
Who was the person covered with
blood at the end of the murder night?
Was it Louis Wagner?
And yet, the murderer must have
been covered with blood. Remember
the condition of the room in which
the bodies were found. Remember
that blows had been rained on both
women and that the murderer’s cloth«
ing was so saturated with blood that,
istom
and
mple,
ice,
1875.
ad it.
“noWws
ed to
whole
ivery
e has
pur-
ie in-
mur-
ed to
being
ay,
Louis
igner
1 his
to be
great
ca of
, and
died
t two
mur-
his-
at he
owed
story,
1and-
. In
es of
1, the
‘ield-
ouis
tting
gam-
1 are
ured,
who
have
mber
vhich
mber
both
‘loth-
that,
The Illustrated Detective Magazine
as that person trailed upstairs and
down, drops of the vital fluid fell
everywhere.
Wagner had but one suit of
clothes! Let that fact sink in. At
the time of his trial much was made
of the fact that he threw into an
outhouse at his boarding house the
shirt which he took off when he re-
turned from his night’s absence.
That shirt had “some blood on the
right cuff.”
This was absolutely the only blood
found on Wagner!
I am amazed that no one saw that
the sinister, blood-covered figure
which came staggering out of that
murderous night was the one_ to
which all eyes should have turned.
That no one saw that for Wagner to
have rowed all the long ten miles to
shore, he could not possibly have
had more than an hour and a half
on the island, and that if he had, by
foresight, done the deeds in other
* garments, it would have taken hot
water, soap and plenty of towels with
which to cleanse him, so that when
men saw him at half past six on that
morning, going towards . Ports-
mouth, in his ordinary clothes, with-
out a spot of blood on him, save that
small dab on his right cuff, that fact
alone should have exonerated him.
After I had the handwriting of
Louis Wagner and these considera-
tions occurred to me, I hunted for
the handwriting of the person who
now seemed the logical suspect.
’ Eventually I got it. Look at the
analysis of that handwriting and you
will see why I now offer, for the first
time since that night. in 1873, the
logical story of what happened on
Smutty Nose then, and why.
During the year 1872 John Hont-
vet and his hard-working wife,
Maren, are gradually joined by their
relatives.
Mathew Hontvet arrives first, to |
help his brother. Next is Karen,
Maren’s sister, very much older, not
much liked by anybody. Then the
petted younger brother comes over,
and brings a disagreeable surprise.
He brings a bride, a haughty beauty;
vain of her charms and ready to use
them on any man from whom she can
extract anything of value to her.
Louis Wagner is there, too, a
boarder. Maren, skilled in every-
thing, has nothing but scorn for’
Wagner. She has nothing but scorn
and hate for beautiful, lazy, Anethe.
She has nothing but bitter impa-
tience for this slow-moving, stupid
elder sister of her own.
Times are hard. 1872-73 was a
bitter winter. Maren thinks wist-
fully of the times before any of
these people came, when there was
ample food for the two of them and
a chance to begin putting away a
little money in the locked trunk up-
stairs. But now, with all these peo-
ple, the house rings with their slight
quarrels. The food is low.
Silent, bitter Maren, hard worked,
worn out, thrifty, suffers because the
habit of a lifetime forbids that she
and her husband shall confess to
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113
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True Detective Mysteries
The Moonlight Murders on the Isles of Shoals
(Continued from page 37)
to violence, or even rudeness of any kind.
This reputation has never, in the slightest
degree, been belied. Their courtesy, said
Mrs. Thaxter, “put our ruder Yankee
manners to shame.” She knew them all;
Karen had lived in the Thaxter house-
hold for two years as a domestic servant.
Scrupulously neat, gentle and faithful, she
was different from the slatterns who, at
that time, often officiated in New °
England kitchens as “hired help.”
Maren was a little woman; her age, I
think, somewhere in the thirties. She was
gentle and courteous, with an intelligent
face, und pleasing gray eyes. Her sister,
Karen, was older; about thirty-cight.
She was inclined to be melancholy; was
stid to have suffered an unfortunate love
affair; und certainly had great difficulties
With English, which she understood im-
perfectly.
Young Ancthe, the bride, was “fair and
merry, with thick, bright sunny hair,
which was so long it reached, when un-
braided, nearly to her knees; blue-eyed,
with brilliant teeth and clear, fresh com-
plexion; beautiful, and beloved beyond
expression by her young husband, Ivan.”
Of all these women, possibly the fate
of Maren was the most cruel. While she
lived, she underwent the terror of being
hunted as if she were a wild beast. Since
her death, she has been outrageously
slundered by ignorant and trivial gossip.
ATE in the afternoon the trivial gossip
from young Ingerbredsen of Apple-
dore, who had spoken the Clara Bella on
the fishing grounds, that the men would
be delayed, but expeeted to return late
that night. It was only when Hontvet
reached Portsinouth, and found that the
bait would not be in until eleven, that he
knew they must stay there all night.
Their failure to return in the after-
noon, before they ran over to the main-
land, disappointed Karen of an expected
trip. She was going to Portsmouth for
some shopping. Among other’ errands,
Maren had asked her to buy some but-
tons of an unusual kind, and had given
her one as a sample. Karen put. the
button in her purse,
The three women, with Maren’s little
dog, Ringe, sat around the fire in the
evening. They talked together, and went.
to bed at 10 o'clock, Maren and Anethe
shared a room downstairs, while a bed
Was made up for Karen in the kitchen,
so that she need not be alone, upstairs.
They did not lower the window shades
nor lock the door.
The island was again silent, and not
even the beat of the oars was heard as
Wagner approuched. It is reasoriable to
suppose that he came peering and spying
around the house before midnight, but
not until one in the morning, when the
moon was declining to the west, did he
make his presence known.
Two hours later the moon was quite
down, and the night was darker as Louis
Wagner hurried over the rocks to his
hoat. He was panting with exertion and
fatigue—and perhaps also with excite-
ment. He climbed into the dory, and
began his long pull across the open water
to the mainland. Behind him, now
burned the morning star, the red planet
Mars. On his hands, on his clothes, were
stains of crimson, He looked over. his
shoulder at the islind; toward the scene
of horror he had left there, the human
misery he had caused, and I hope that
he was sick with terror. :
From fright, no doubt, he did suffer,
for he had left a witness behind him.
Irom remorse, we can be sure, he had
never 2 moment’s uneasiness. He was
of the type that pitied himself greatly,
and pitied no one else. Besides, as Victor
Hugo said of another murderer, his fero-
city was explained by his stupidity; he
was a beast, and like a beast, ferocious.
-He had need to hurry now; he must
not be found near the islands, nor with
the boat in his possession. So he laid
his course, not for the river and for
Portsmouth, but for a nearer point: the
south side of Great Island, as it is called
on the map. It is usually known as
Newcastle.
As he rowed across those miles of water,
the oars wore the new hole pins of the
boat a quarter of an inch deep, and
raised blood blisters on both his hands.
The east turned gray before he reached
the shore; the blood-red star behind him
faded into the red of the sunrise. ‘Like
Cain hiding from the accusing Voice; like
Macbeth as his dead friend rose in his
own place at the table; like John Wilkes
Booth riding through the night and try-
ing to persuade himself that he is a
patriot, Louk Wagner landed at New-
castle in the blinding glare of a winter's
morning. He climbed ashore and_ his
figure was black against those snowy
fields, For all the hours of night he had
been a dark figure moving in the dark;
now, suddenly, he was conspieuous—a
black form on the dazzling snow, like n
ne spider crawling over an Easter
ily.
For ten or twelve hours, ever since he
had taken that drink in’ the Congress
Street. saloon last night, he had been
xeon by no man, Although he said, and
swore, that he had been in Portsmouth
all night; although he said he went
umong men and talked with men, no
man could ever be found who saw him
where he said he was. But now he was
seen and recognized by many.
HNARLES CAMPBELL, a watchman
at the Navy Yard, together with his
wife, saw Wagner at Neweastle, toiling
back toward Portsmouth, He wns conspic-
Hous asi stranger ina place, which at this
hour, shortly after 6 A. M., was unfrequent-
ed, Israel Fletcher, another watchman, also
saw him, and both he and Campbell ob-
served the unusual tracks whieh his rube
ber boots made in the snow. Wagner
wore boots with peculiar shanks, the tap
running back to the heel. Joshua Fra-
sell, going from his house in Newcastle
to Portsmouth, knew Wagner, and saw
him at the bridge. Frasell was waiting
for the ferry, as part of the bridge had
been carried away, but Wagner, in his
furious hurry, crossed by means of a
plank. Two other men corroborated this
testimony, while another man and a
woman, both of whom knew Wagner by
sight, saw him farther along on the road
to Portsmouth.
With singular stupidity, he was going
back to his boarding-house. Instead of
using the few hours’ start he had, and
taking an early train out of Portsmouth,
he was making the first of many blunders,
It must be remembered that although he
could be sly, and at times seem almost
clever, he was really stupid, dull, brutal.
The horror of his act was strong upon
‘him; he wanted to go among friendly
people und familiar sights. With one side
of his child’s mind he wanted this, with
another he knew the necessity of escape,
And there was also the strange desire to
boast of his deed. This showed itself
later in the day. And now, had he fallen
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‘se was plain. Once
ht on the Shoals, on
: food in his pocket.
Yongress Street, and
: had set about six.
| along the wharves,
vy the sight of Burke
In a few minutes
. by old people who
thing about it has a
with which it was
olitary man in the
for the ground was
ere clear and sharp
irter, was well up in
. the two lights, one
‘hale’s Back Ledge.
‘ eight rocky islands
id was as fayniliar as
re any people living
' island, lived Celia
ion. She knew most
id later was to write
of an actual murder
r. Except for De
ommitted by John
> compare it
‘tails, and all later
have questioned the
irned that she knew
ive, her friend Lau-
d to hysterics as she
tty Nose’—which I
rose in the English
ie dark water, and
en the taller one at
their warning fires.
‘ll as he rowed by,
, than fog, or hurri-
beneath it.”
heaven, he kept on
an... . Slowly he
voftime. And now
: coast. That little
midst of the awful,
in whispers with a
the ripples lightly
of fine, mysterious
fear, alone there on
heart? The moon-
vaves; it touches his
iripping oars... .”
: stroke after stroke
les draws him away
ig line of land, over
‘oor of the ocean,
‘rocks. Slowly the
‘+, and now the rote
g the lonely ledges
ilutes his attentive
n the islands he
full of chilly gleams
ere is no scene more.
snow-covered rocks
‘© shudderful and
oonlight touching
stic glimmer, the
aking about them,
idowy spaces of the
to the horizon on
f vague sounds, of
iadows, of fear, and
1 island he seeks
one and still; there
LF SEER OP OEE ROE
igre
The Moonlight Murders on the Isles of Shoals 37
is no gleam in any window, there is no help near, nothing upon
which the women can call for succor.”
Thus did Mrs. Thaxter describe Wagner’s passage to the
islands. It is tempting to quote from her poetical narrative,
but I had better return, for most of my account, to more matter-
of-fact records.
He could easily have been off Appledore at half-past ten.
He rowed around to the south of that island, and then probably
examined the little cove, in front of the houses on the
island of Smutty Nose, It is a tiny pool of clear salt water;
deserted by Heaven and Earth, were, Maren, the wife of John
Hontvet; Karen Christensen, her sister; and Anethe, the
youthful bride of Ivan Christensen. They were from a little
Norwegian seaport, called Larvik. Maren and her husband
had been in America five years; Anethe and Ivan only about
a year.
Everyone spoke in the highest terms of these people: as
honest, kindly folk, utterly averse (Continued-on page 105)
Courtesy of Doubleday-Doran
I have looked into it two or three times in the last few
years. It is shown, in one of the pictures illustrating this
article, with a ruined stone breakwater on one side, and
two or three boats drawn up on shore. The kind of place
around which children love to play, for the bottom is
covered with curious pebbles, shollx, soaweod, small fish,
little crabs and other amusing creatures. ‘To the left ap-
pears a bit of open water, between Smutty Nose and
Cedar Island.
Wagner must have made sure that by no possible chance
had the Clara Bella returned ahead of him, and that no
other boat was there, which might contain men. His valor
as a fighter, his terror-inspiring qualities, of which he had
bragged, and was still to brag, did not extend tomen. The
islands were silent and dark. No lights, except the beacon
on White Island, nearly a mile away. Iven the settlement
on Star, where there now lived a colony of carpenters en-
gaged in building a hotel, had gone to bed. Quiet every-
where. In the cove, bits of ice, at the water’s edge, fell
now and then with a thin tinkling sound, as the ripples
touched them. And half a milo distant, on the easterly
point of the island, the seaward sido, the low, continuous
murmur of the surf.
knew too much to land in the cove, and leave his
boat for possible discovery while he was at his work.
Instead, he rowed around to the south side of the island.
The sea wall of rocks on this side was, in 1873, in ruins,
just as it has been damaged again, in this present year, by a
storm. There was water enough for a light boat, and
Louis Wagner knew a good place to hide the dory. Per-
haps as early as 11 o’clock he was on Smutty Nose, step-
ing softly on its great heaps of rocks. He had on rubber
which gave him a firm
foothold, and made it easy to
move with stealth.
The three fishermen, when
they sailed from the island, early
that morning, had not intended to
leave their women folk alone all
night. But a head wind, and the
late arrival of their bait into
Portsmouth, made it impossible
for them to get back. These
things played into the hands of the
man who was now tip-toeing
around the dark house and trying
to in at the windows. —
women, who were thus:
Looking from Smutty
Nose across the water
to the Isle of Apple-
dore; Maren, one of
the women, hid from
the murderer in one of
these rocky inlets, and
when daylight came,
called and signalled
across this stretch of
water
habnemmycnmise 2 pete ON, RT ee
heap elttictrauhlinadgnatict cM ren nen
omen TT Metidh Adina Ala ‘
.
House on Smutty Nose in which the murders took place.
Courtesy of L. V. Newell
The lower window at the end is the one through which Anethe,
one of the victirns, climbed in her attempt to escape
106
into the hands of an ordinarily clever
police officer, a confession would have re-
sulted in an hour or two. :
He suddenly appeared at Johnson’s, at
half past seven. He looked fatigued and
disordered; his clothes were covered with
ice, where the water had frozen on them.
Mary Johnson saw the scratches and scars
on his knuckles, and wondered at his
snemarnnce, He burst out weeping, and
said:
“I have got myself into trouble.”
o her parents he added:
“T feel as if I was going to be taken!”
One of the men in the house stared
at him, and said:
“Well, you look like the devil! Have
you been out tramping all night?”
agner went upstairs and changed.
some of his clothes. Mary Johnson met
him coming downstairs, and on his way
out to the backyard. He held something
concealed under his jumper. Later, the
shirt he had been wearing the day be-
fore was found in a vault in the yard,
It_was stained with human blood.
Finally, he started on his flight again.
e went downtown; bought some food,
and about 9 ‘o’clock took a train for
Boston. It was too late.
we
AT seven that morning, the Ingerbred-
sen children were playing outside their
house, on the south side of Appledore,
This looks across a channel, narrow but
deep, to the island of Smutty Nose.
There are some rocks, once known as
Malaga, and counted as & separate island,
but for many years connected with
Smutty Nose by o breakwater. On these
rocks, to their surprise, the children saw
% woman, clad in white, waving her
hands, esticulating and calling. They
went indoors and ealled old Mr. Inger-
bredsen, who looked over the water, and
realized that these were signals of distress.
The old man got his boat, and rowed
eyes glittering. She was wounded on the
face und shoulder; her feet wore torn
the other women were dead. 3
Men were called, and arming themselves
with guns, went across to Smutty Nose.
They expected to find the murderer on
the island, They looked into the house,
and came out—literally sick,
_Maren: told them the story of the
night. In no material point did she ever
deviate from this story, even when crosgs-
examined. Every circumstance, every last
minute detail testified to its absolute
physical strength of Maren and of Louis
agner; arguing from every circum-
stance of the case, she was proven bo-
yond doubt to be truthful, and he wag
shown to be a desperate perjurer, strug-
True Detective M ysterices
gling hard, but clumsily, to save his neck.
his was what Maren saw and heard.
At about 1 o'clock she was awakened by
the dog barking. Almost at the same in-
stant, she heard Karen, from her bed in
the kitchen, cry out:
“John, is that you?”
Karen had been aroused by hearing a
man moving about her room. She was
startled out of her sleep, but supposed
that the fishermen had returned and that,
this was her brother-in-law, just enter-
ing the house. Maren called from the
next room:
“What’s the matter?”
She heard her sister, still deceived in
the dark, reply:
“John scared me.”
At this moment, the intruder picked up
a chair, rushed at Karen, and began to
deal heavy blows at her as she lay in
ed. He wounded her with one of these
blows, and also knocked down and
stopped a clock, which had stood on a
shelf over her head. It was found, stopped
at seven minutes past one. The desperate,
furious blows continued, and now Karen
called out in terror:
“John is killing me!”
Maren rushed to the door hetweeit the
two rooms, but found that it had been
closed, and barred with a stick of wood,
Karen got out of bed and staggered
across the room, to the door, but fell
under the rain of blows. Her fall, or one
of the blows, dislodged the bar, and
the door came open.’ Maren tried to drag
her sister into the bedroom. She saw a
tall man outlined against 2 window. He
rushed — at them, and — struck again,
awkwardly, with the chair, He never
uttered a word; his voice would have
given him awnay—to his friends,
He drew back for na minute, and the
women managed to get into the other
room and close the door. Ancthe was
shivering with fright, but. Maren told her
to climb out the window and shout for
help to the people on Star Island. The
terrified girl did get out by the window,
ut there she stood, helpless, in her
nightdross, her fect, bare in the snow. Told
agnin to scream for help, she could only
murmur; ;
“I cannot make a sound.”
N°&k could she run. Maren screamed as
loudly as she could, out of the win-
dow, but there was no one to hear. The
atrangor hoard his victims escaping by the
window, and as he could not get at them
through the door, went out of the house,
and confronted Anethe in the moonlight.
aren saw him through the window.
Both recognized him at the same moment,
and Anethe shrieked:
“Louis! Louis!”
It was Wagner beyond doubt. He was
so near the window that Maren could
almost have touched him. As soon as
Ancthe called his namo, ho went back to
the door, and got an axe which was
kept there to break ice at the well.
Ancthe, when she saw him returning, be-
fan again to call, in terror and as an
appeal for mercy:
“Louis! Louis!”
He heaved up the axe and clove her
skull. She fell in the snow at his fect.
Twice again he struck the dying girl.
Maren, who saw this, and knew that their
turn was next, tried to rouse Karen, who
had sunk to the floor, overcome by her
injuries and by fear, She urged her to
get up and run with her. But the older
woman could not move. She was helpless.
Maren wound a skirt around — her
shoulders, and climbed out a rear win-
dow. The dog followed her, She intended
to run and hide in a cellar under the hen-
house, but it struck her that if she stayed
so near the house Wagner would hunt
cal emeceiee e
her out, and the dog would betray her by
barking. So she went to the cove to look
for u boat. Not finding any, she decided
to go to another part of the island, and
hide in a cleft of rocks near the water.
She slipped, stumbled and fell as she *
tried to run over the icy rocks. The dog
got in her way and she fell again. As
she paused for breath, she looked back
at the house. There was a light. Wagner
had lighted a lamp to aid him in finding
the rest of the people he was determined
to slaughter.
Karen had at last got on her feet,
cautiously opened the door, and gone
into another room, whence she tried to
escape through the window. Wagner
caught her, and began his work with the
axe, Maren, looking back from the rocks,
heard her sister screaming. The murderer,
finding her caught and helpless, went
outside again, where he could swing his
weapon with better effect.
One of his blows struck on the window
sill and sank deep into the wood. I have
talked with an old man who, on that
same day, saw that gashed and battered
window frame and noted the enormous
hysical strength which must have been
hehind the blow. It would have been
idle to tell him that the blow was struck
by anyone other than an exceptionally
strong man,
AREN was slow in dying, so Wagner
took a scarf, wound it about her
Then, in feverish haste, he sect out on
his hunt. for Maren; for the one victim
who had eseaped him; for the witness
who might send him to the gallows. No
one who could harm Louis Wagner must
be left alive. And in this hunt the men
who came next day could trace him be.
enuse he had walked over and around the
two dead women.
They found his tracks next day, crim-
son tracks in the snow. He went to all the
buildings round about the house, peer-
ing into the empty sheds and hen-houses,
hunting in the cellars, searching the
shadows on the dark, moonlons sides of
the houses for the frail, little woman,
cowering somewhere, almost naked among
the icy rocks, freezing in the snow,
trembling in her terror, with the screams
of her sister ringing ‘in her ears. The
hellish cruelty of those moments sur-
passes anything which happened that
night.
It was the first of the huntings, in
which Maren Hontvet was the quarry,
Sho had eluded him, and in rage and
fear he enme back to the house, He must
now find the money for which he had
planned so long, worked so hard, and
damned himself here and hereafter. He
ransacked the house. He broke open
trunks and boxes, pulled out drawers, up-
set furniture. He must have the price
of all this blood. Only one trunk did he
fail to open: that belonging to Karen, in
the room which he had once occupied.
He knew, from former investigations,
that this contained nothing of value.
There was, as a matter of fact, only one
large sum in the house. A trunk in John
TTontvet’s room contained $135 hidden
between two sheets at the bottom. He
broke this open, fumbled among the
shects, leaving the stains of his bloody
hands, but fniled to find the money,
He discovered two or three pocket-
hooks. One contained some foreign and
Canadian coins, which he left behind.
From @
bills, and, in
purse, ao sil
silver pieces
mixed with
white agate |
His hunt 1
had _ slaughte
friends—for «
dollars. But
himself befor:
journey to th.
the kitchen;
bore the ms
fingers. He at
with chim; {
day. And as
drink, there |
the body of t
his friend; h
and disabled.
Then he to
to the well, ar
from his han.
curb or cover
but) next) mo
clouded) wate:
of the well.
fter that,
ably passing 1
where Maren
there until ne:
light, before »
HE Clara /
at 10 o’elc:
signaled from
that somethin
When they bri
landed, it apy
were allowed t:
had been touc!
left as they w
The two men y
appalling sight
stuggered out
snow.
At ab
looking a
o'clock in The
reached Boston
effort to find
resolution to px
ber’s, had his t
and his hair cu:
suit of clothes
these with som«
bills. He had mn:
bills of that. si:
was at the sh
quaintance, Jacx
Street. He bou:
changed his clot!
his cobbler’s b«
on a boot. Wag
the boot was |
the floor, Wagn:
the floor and sai
“T have seen
that boot!"
Todtman mer
nonsense. “Wher
lies as still as ¢}
Wagner check.
more, His child
him; he must bo
Well, he would ;
brag. So he we:
house, kept by a
Brown, at 295 X
was a barroom,
bar, and making
was startled to
name:
“Good afterno:
So his change
disguised him af:
no hull:
“T guess you a
But the girl,
Miller, advanced
“Louis may no:
ray her by
we to look
he decided
island, and
ne water.
fell ns she *
The dog
again. As
voked back
ht. Wagner
iin finding
determined
1 her feet,
and gone
he tried to
w. Wagner
rk with the
u the rocks,
ie murderer,
Ipless, went
d swing his
the window
rood. I have
ho, on that
ind battered
iw enormous
t have been
have been
w was struck
exceptionally
», so Wagner
t about her
must run no
ing witness
Ancthe,
ht; tied
choke out
n; seized her
her into the
he set out on
he one victim
r the witness
« gallows. No
Wagner must
hunt the men
trace him be-
nd around the
ext day, erim-
went to all the
» house, peer-
ind hen-houses,
searching “the
onless sides of
little woman,
+t naked among
in the snow,
ith the screams
her ears. The
moments sur-
happened that
he huntings, in
s the quarry.
nd in rage and
house. He must
- which he had
i so hard, and
d hereafter. He
He broke open
out drawers, up-
have the price
me trunk did he
ing to Karen, in
i once occupied.
r investigations,
thing of value.
of fact, only_one
A trunk in John
ned $185 hidden
the bottom. He
‘ among the
his bloody
money.
or three pocket-
come foreign. and
he left) behind.
i ose cca
necesita
From the others he took three five-dollar
bills, and, in addition, rifled from Karen’s
purse, a silver half-dollar, two smaller
silver pieces, some copper cents, an
mixed with _ this change, that peculiar
white agate button.
His hunt for money was a failure. He
had slaughtered two women—his kindly
friends—for a total sum of about sixteen
dollars. But he must eat and refresh
himself before he xtarted on his toilsome
journey to the mainland. He made ten in
the kitchen; the handle of the teapot
bore the marks of his crimson-stained
fingers. He ate the food which he brought
with ‘him; fragments were ound next
day. And as he sat there to eat anc
drink, there lay on the floor beside him
the body of the gentle girl who had been
his friend; his nurse, when he was ill
and disabled.
Then he took a basin and towels, went
to the well, and washed some of the stains
from his hands and face. There was no
curb or cover on the well at that time,
but next morning the basin, with the
clouded water, was found at the edge
of the well,
After that, he went to his bont, prob-
ably passing near the place in the rocks
where Maren was hidden. She stayed
there until nearly seven, until broad day-
light, before she dared to move.
f beer Clara Bella returned to the shoals
ut 10 o'clock. The men on board were
signaled from Appledore and warned
that something serious had happened.
When they brought the schooner in, an
lunded, it appears that John and Ivan
were ullowed to enter the house. Nothing
had been touched; the bodies had been
left as they were, awaiting the coroner.
The two men went in and looked at that
appalling sight for an instant _Then they
staggered out and fell fainting in the
snow.
At. about the time that Ivan was
looking at his dead wife, at about 11
o’clock in the morning, agner’s train
reached Boston. He made one feeble
effort to find a mip but ‘lacked the
Yo went to a bar-
ber’s, had his three weeks’ beard shaved
clothes and a hat—paying for
these with soma of the stolen five-dollar
. He had never been known to have
bills of that size before. His next visit
was at the _ shoe shop of an old ac-
quaintance, Jacob Todtman at 39 Fleet
Street. He bought a pair of shoes,’ and
changed his clothes. Todtman sat down at
his cobbler’s bench to finish his work
on a boot. Wagner watched him. When
the boot was finished, and thrown on
the floor, Wagner spoke. He pointed at
the floor and said:
“J have seen a woman lie as still as
that boot!”
Todtman merely grunted that that was
nonsense. “When m wife is, asleep, she
lies as still as that oot,” said he.
Wagner checked himself and said no
more. His childishness was overcoming
him; he must boast of what he had done.
Well, he would go where it was safer to
brag. So he went to a sailors’ boarding
house, kept by a_man and woman name
Brown, at 295 North Street. Here there
was a barroom, and girls. Seated in the
bar, and making himself comfortable, he
was startled to be called by his own
ame:
“Good afternoon, Louis!”
So his change in appearance had not
disguised him after all! He answered in
a huff:
“T guess you are mistaken.”
But the girl, whose name was Emma
Miller, advanced into the room, saying:
“Louis may not bo your name, but it’s
True Detective Mysteries
the one you had before. You used to he
Louis Ludwig .. - But you look awful
bad. What’s the matter with you?”
Here was one he could impress, So he
answered:
“T have just murdered two sailors,
coming from New York. The mate put
/ me ashore in a boat; I ran away, an
came to Boston, I had my whiskers
shaved off in New York, so that the
officers would not know me. There is an-
other girl T want to murder, and then
am ready to go.”
It is easy enough to see the workings
of his simple, brutal mind in this story.
It had some of the truth in it, and
sutisfied his fondness for big talk; it had
about as much invention as he could con-
trive until he had more time to think.
Besides, he was tired; he wanted to doze
To her, he said he had had some_mis-
fortune; had been “cast away,” and ha
had carried the news of the murders to
Portamouth, Wagner's haunts in B
were known to his acquaintances, and the
Portsmouth police were soon talking to
Boston by telegraph. At nightfall, police
were at Brown’s an
that he was wanted. He expressed no sur-
prise, and gave no trouble. His story was
not made up.
Next morning, on his way to the
station, he was followed by & hooting
mob; crowds gathered at railway stations
on the route, and thousands of people
greeted him at Portsmouth, The details
of the crime were known, and Portsmouth
showed a desire for immediate vengeance.
They shouted “Kill him!” “Hang him!”
and so on, but were kept. back by the
police, with revolvers and by ® come-
pany of marines from the Navy Yard.
A few days later_it was found that he
must be tried in Maine; Smutty Nose
is one of the Isles of Shoals which is in
Maine, not New Hampshire. As the
prisoner was being transferred at mid-
night, he was followed to the train by a
furious mob, including _ three hundred
fishermen who had arrived in Portsmouth
full of enthusiasm for @ lynching. At a
later date Wagner made much of the
fact that he had almost been hit by a
stone, and that, ono citizen had struck
him with his fist. The officers actually
were hit by stones, but they protected
arg man, and got him safely to the Saco
jail.
WrAgnes was beginning to build up
the legend of “poor Louis Wagner”;
to make his characteristic of self-pity
serve his need; to adopt a gentle whine:
and to draw about himself what was
aptly called “the detestable garment of
sanctimoniousness.” This impressed very
few people at the time.
He was confronted in jail by John and
Maren Hontvet. She was made to see
him, for purposes of identification, and
turned away in horror. Wagner glanced up
at them, as he sat in his cell, and then
looked meckly down.
The mask of piety worn henceforth
by Wagner was something entirely new
for him, but, of course, 8 thread-bare de-
vice of the trapped criminal.
It is hard, today, to find out exactly
what Wagner told the police when he was
first arrested; how he accounted for his
time on the night of the murders; and
how. he tried to escape from the over-
sions which were almost confessions o
guilt, Three or four persons, who had no
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34 Union Square New York, N. We
ighbor,
outed
idren
the
cd mto
vy and
stared
» stand-
eyeing
oozing
lifted
ped upon
unst her,
Karen, are
eply to old
“Murdered
id Jorge
rend, “Who
‘ble thing?”
at last she
CSS,
boat before
ail, scantiky
¢ bore her
vomen folks
outside for
i the frozen
jo no more,
x house on
ve family of
haxter, her
A great bell
d to the big
for loaded
Oo owarir in-
sely settled
c Ingebert-
as the story
om Maren’s
‘came grim,
urder of the
¢ snow. She
”" she said.
ing and ran
Yt. He saw
turned with
vere begging
ked thickly.
ce from the
vously, “but
> l think he
) the throats
the whining
foreign-born
himself the
and, fishing
.¢ Hontvets
im. During
had been
ohn Hontvet
») his house,
nd gave him
fe kept it as
bs. Wagner
‘It the world
man in this
his romantic,
He was too
eminine con-
fists when
ed him most
it he would
-uch macabre
ippen, The
{ tricks upon
1 working on
he mainland.
mistaken?”
| it not have
es ve eet
been someone else you saw who looked
like him.”
“I may have been mistaken . .
certain,” Maren faltered.
“IT saw him in Portsmouth yesterday
afternoon,” one of the men growled. “He
was whining about his hard luck and I
gave him 35 cents for food and tobacco.”
“If you saw him on the mainland, how
could he be out here?” another asked.
“It's a ten-mile row and a hard one espe-
cially for a man as lazy as Wagner. Be-
sides he has no boat.’
“Perhaps he’s still hiding on one of the
islands,”
“Then whoever he is, we'll find him,” a
fisherman cried as they hurried out from
Ingebertsen’s home down to their boats
upon the shore. Reaching the boats, old
Jorge suddenly stopped and pointed.
A small schooner was beating her way
towards the Isles of Shoals from Ports-
mouth. It was the Clara Bella. As the
boat came about for the run into Smutty
Nose, Jorge ran down the beach and
signalled them to steer to Appledore.
Dropping anchor some distance from
shore, Capt. Hontvet, his brother
Mathew and the young bridegroom, Ivan
Christensen, came ashore, ‘The armed
group moved slowly in their direction but
words failed as they looked upon their
smiling faces. Finally old Jorge mumbled
a few curt phrases and the party started
for Smutty Nose, Ivan Christensen stared
wildly about him. Then he ran to old
Jorge's house and burst inside.
“Anethe!" he cried, “Anethe! Where
are you?" he turned grave questioning
eyes upon Maren. “Where is she?” he
demanded.
Maren could not find words to tell the
. I'm not
ee ee ee on
VICTIM OF PHANTOM BURGLAR
truth. Tears filled her eyes.
swered simply:
“Anethe—is—at—-home.”
Ivan turned and fled to the beach.
Leaping into a rowboat he outdistanced
the others to Smutty Nose. Hardly wait-
ing to fasten his craft, he sprang ashore
and rushed through the snow to the house.
“Anethe,” he cried. “Anethe!” Then he
stopped.
Anethe lay on the floor before him, her
nightdress stripped from her naked body,
flaxen hair clotted with dried blood, her
face horribly disfigured. Capt. Hontvet
reached the house just as Ivan staggered
out, fell senseless in the snow, Several
members of the posse restored him to
consciousness, then led the stunned man
to a boat and rowed him across to Apple-
dore.
Capt. Hontvet remained calm with
an effort. While searchers scattered
about the island, Hontvet entered the
house with old Jorge. He pulled a
sheet from Karen’s bed and covered
Anethe’s body. Then his face grew black
with rage as he stared about him; his eyes
kindled with fury as they fell upon the
kitchen table where the killer evidently
had eaten upon finishing his bloody work.
‘The teapot, smeared with crimson hand-
prints, rested upon the cold stove. He
bent down to pick up a clock that had
been knocked to the floor, its glass face
smashed and. splintered. The hands
pointed to seven minutes of one.
“That must have been the time he was
here,” he muttered,
He went through the house calling
Karen’s name hoping against hope her
life had been spared. Jorge and he finally
found her kneeling beside a bed in the
Patrolman Anthony Tornatore, of New York city, is shown above in a hospital
where he lies critically wounded after being shot down by a phantom burglar.
The patrolman surprised the bandit at work and sought to arrest him. A blood
transfusion was performed following
an operation. Dr. Nino Siragusa and
Nurse Margaret McCarthy are standing by.
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ted to help
td another
v hidden in
Hontvet
im} as one
before him.
out to the
»ody would
from the
street last
“David
loss during
tsas Capt.
as sent out
the same
ed the de-
» through-
searched
al notified
¢ arrange-
ose. But
- 8 o'clock
uner MMay-
Shoals in
ce tracked
ors’ board-
ortsmouth,
fary John-
told) police
t morning
had gone
‘girl saw
something
ce investi-
ellison re-
bundle he
in an out-
he lodging
scratched
said. “I
He burst
otten into
any more
1 through
ad he had
ecks rent.
is clothes
er's room,
imnvestipa-
The city -
ough the
crouched
the still
man held
and mea-
designed
could be
turned to
ler could
ind about
1e€ looted
d to Star
ne work-
tel. Then
d where
lontvet’s
anned to
n of the
e dressed
ne. Then
ving his
1 Ports.
sisters
hese er-
rands may be the means of trapping the
killer.”
“What do you mean?” the city marshal
asked.
“Karen, my sister, asked me to buy her
some buttons and gave me a button fora
sample. That button was in one of the
pocketbooks which were robbed and can-
not be found. I feel certain the killer
must have dumped it into his pocket with
the money and small change when he
emptied the purse.”
“Was there anything unusual about
this button?”
“IT never saw one like it in America,”
Maren answered. “It was an octagon-
shaped white agate button and at the time
I told Karen [I didn’t think IT would be
able to match it.”
Soon after, the city marshal hurried
back to Portsmouth only to learn that
Wagner still was at large.
“We traced him to the railroad station,”
Officer Jellison reported. “He bought a
ticket for Boston and took the train which
left here this morning soon after 9
o'clock.”
“Then there's no time to lose,’
marshal exploded.
the
UICKLY he dictated a telegram to
Chief of Police Edward Savage of
the Boston police department asking him
to locate and arrest Wagner if he could
be found. He gave several addresses sug-
gested by Capt. Hontvet and the names
of several associates as well as the man’s
physical description. He also advised
Chief Savage of the white agate button
lost by Karen Christensen. He said it
might be in the possession of the mur-
derer,
Officer Jellison lingered as the telegram
was dispatched. He then showed the city
marshal what he had found in the rear
of the Johnson boarding house that morn-
ing.
“It belongs to Wagner all right,” he
concluded. ‘Miss Johnson identified it.”
The city marshal gazed at it with increas-
ing excitement and ordered him to guard
it well.
The police search swiftly widened.
More and more incriminating facts came
to light. A dory was found by Charles
Place in Little Harbor off Newcastle, a
few miles above Portsmouth, Police sent
‘Burke to the scene. He identified the
boat as his. Examination revealed the
boat had seen considerable service since
it was stolen. Thole pins, just installed
and made of the toughest wood obtain-
able, were badly worn by the action of
the oars in a single night. Close upon
this discovery police located witnesses
who had seen Wagner in the vicinity of
this boat.
“IT saw him walking along the New-
castle shore early this morning,” Charles
Campbell, a Navy yard guard told the
city marshall. “I went down to see what
he was doing but he had gone. I back-
tracked the marks of his rubber boots to
a spot along the shore where a row boat
had put in and later been shoved off.” .
Isreal Fletcher, another guard, con-
firmed this story.
“Let’s see those footprints,” said the
city marshal. Campbell led the way to
the snow-covered shore where clearly
defined tracks, still visible, proved iden-
tical with those discovered upon Smutty
Noxe,
Police learned Wagner had been seen
by Anne Carleton and Alonzo Green
walking along the Newcastle road to
Portsmouth soon after 7 o'clock. Three
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more witnesses waiting for the ferry to
take them back to Newcastle watched
Wagner, apparently in a desperate hurry,
cross the flood-demolished bridge on a
single plank and head for Portsmouth.
In Boston Chief of Police Savage acted
swiftly. Detectives, investigating the ad-
dresses supplied by Capt. Hontvet, were
soon upon the fugitives’ trail. They found
him dozing beside a stove in a sailors’
boarding house on North street. Wagner
was wearing a new suit afd in one trouser
pocket, detectives found a white agate
button.
Hooting mobs followed the murder
suspect to the train. In Portsmouth
angry citizens sought to seize the
prisoner from the ‘police. Help was
speedily obtained from the Navy yard.
Marines cleared the way to the jail with
flashing bayonets. Once safe behind
prison bars, Wagner recovered his com-
posure. His face broke into a sancti-
monious smirk.
“God will protect the innocent,” he
whined.
But the expression of questioning of-
ficials became hard and relentless as they
stared down at the prisoner’s huge rubber
boots with the old shanks and taps which
extended clear back to the heel. These
boots were the ones which left their tracks
in human blood on Smutty Nose. Wagner
could not explain away his blistered
hands, mute evidence of a long and ardu-
out row.
Capt. Hontvet and his wife, Maren,
visited the jail. Turnkeys brought them
to the cell where Louis Wagner sat idly
whittling, He looked up and saw Maren
standing before him. Wagner’s hands
trembled. He grew deathly pale except
for two spots of color upon each cheek.
Then he resumed his attitude of injured
innocence,
Then Maren identified him as the mur-
derer.
Later Police Officer Jellison confronted
Wagner with the grisly object he had
found the morning after the murder at
the Johnson boarding house. It was a
man’s shirt soaked in blood. Wagner
denied ownership although Mary John-
son, the landlady’s daughter, had previ-
ously identified it by her darns and
patches,
Anger mounted about Portsmouth
when it became known that the case could
not be tried in New Hampshire inasmuch
as the island of Smutty Nose and several
others were under the jurisdiction of the
state of Maine. Word spread that Wagner
was to be secretly taken to Saco, Me.,
to await trial. Soon after 11 o’clock, two
hundred fishermen stormed the jail de-
manding the prisoner. They were sworn
to give him the same justice he had meted
out on Smutty Nose.
The jail remained dark and the mob
sullenly withdrew to watch. Threats of
lynching were openly made as more and
more sympathizers joined the fishermen.
At midnight when the gates swung back
to disclose Wagner in the midst of heavily
armed men, the mob rushed angrily for-
ward. They stopped when threatened
with riot guns. Stones began to fly. Only
the menacing guns and self-possession of
the police prevented Wagner from being
torn to pieces by the mob.
He went on trial in Alfred, Maine,
on June 9, 1873, in Supreme Judicial
Court presided over by the Hon. William
C. Barrows. Chief among the witnesses
for the state was Mrs. Maren Hontvet
who told of the attack upon the three de-
fenseless women. ‘The incriminating rub-
ber boots, the white agate button stolen
from a rifled purse and found in the pris-
oner’s pocket all helped establish his guilt
as did the blood-stained shirt.
He had no defense beyond swearing he
did not leave the mainland on the night
Russia’s Mass Slayings and the
twisted his cap in dirty, gnarled fingers.
“It’s down in the stable, not far to go.”
“Fine!” the detective agreed. “I will
inspect it tomorrow. Will you leave your
address?”
“T’'ll call for you,” the peasant said
quietly.
As soon as his visitor had gone, the de-
tective phoned Nicolaieff. ‘There was
another peasant here, inspector, who
claims he has a horse for sale. No, there
isn’t much chance that he has anything
to do with the case. I thought I’d tell
you as a matter of routine. Want me to
go with him?”
Nicolaieff deliberated, then said: “I’m
inclined to agree that it’s useless. But
after all, I think we should check on him
as we did on all the others.”
“Very well, inspector,” Chochzaiev re-
sponded, “I’ll go, then. I'll let you know
the outcome.”
“Where does this man live?”
“I don’t know yet. He didn’t leave his
address. He'll call again tomorrow, he
told me.”
“Know his name?”
“I didn’t bother to take it. I think T
know a criminal when I see one. This
man is nothing but a good-hearted, slow-
thinking, trustworthy peasant, inspector.
Take my word for it!”
Nicolaieff thought a moment, then
66
[Continued from paye 7|
said, “Look here! Let me know to-
morrow where you are going. I want
to be sure that you're well covered.
Enough lives have already been. sacri-
ficed,”
The husky detective laughed. “AI
right, comrade inspector, I shall get in
touch with you as soon as our friend re-
turns.”
Ivan Komarov, the peasant, returned
the following day to pick up Detective
Chochzaiev.
“My house is in Marune Rochtcha,
comrade. You won’t find it far to go,”
the peasant said. He added slyly, “And
there’s always a good jug of vodka for
my customer friends.”
The detective excused himself and went
into another room. He called his superior,
at headquarters. ‘We're about to leave
now, inspector,” he told Nicolaieff. “His
house is located in Marune Rochtcha, so
there won’t be anything to worry about.”
Nicolaieff glanced at Pantchenko, who
happened to be in his room when the call
came in, and sighed in despair. “Marune
Rochtcha. Another false lead. Thirty
murders can’t have taken place in that
densely populated district.”
Pantchenko said grimly, “Thirty-two
murders, comrade. Another sack was un-
covered half an hour ago.”
Nicolaieff frowned. “At any rate, we'll
of the murder. He shocked the staid
mid-Victorian jury with details of his
Boston trip including an episode with a
girl who came into his room in night
clothes and crawled into bed with him.
The trial lasted nine days but it took
only 55 minutes for the jury to bring ina
verdict of guilty of murder in the first
degree.
He was returned under heavy guard to
the new jail in Alfred, said to be the
strongest in the state. Wagner gave a
a quick glance about him as he re-entered
the prison and laughed loudly.
“Why don’t you get a real jail?” he
sneered. “I'll be out of here in a week.”
At daybreak, one week to a day later,
armed guards pacing the corridor paused
before Wagner’s cell, calling to the form
lying beneath a blanket.
“Here’s your breakfast. Come and get
it
The prisoner did not move. Finally
alarmed they called the warden who en-
tered the cell. When the prisoner still
paid no heed, he drew down the blanket.
He started back in surprise. Wagner
had vanished, leaving behind a dummy.
Armed with a wooden skeleton key he
had walked out during the night. .
As officials sought to bring about his
recapture, wild rumors and hints of scan-
dal shook the state. When Wagner's
boast became known New Hampshire
officials accused Maine authorities of hav-
ing closed their eyes to Wagner's move-
ments. Several newspapers claimed the
prisoner had won his way out of jail
through a love affair with a jailer’s pretty
daughter. As police in key cities kept
anxious watch for his appearance, deputy
sheriffs closed in on him at Farmington,
N. H., four days later and returned him
to jail.
He went to the gallows on June 25,
1875 and died declaring his innocence.
Tt was Maine's last hanging.
Pious Killer
stand by and keep Chochzaiev covered,
just in case,”
Detective Chochzaiev played his part
well and with undisturbed courage. Under
the watchful eyes of his fellow detectives,
he went with Komarov and entered the
latter’s house. It was typical a small
bourgeois household, the dwelling of a
peasant who had moved from the country
to the city and apparently done fairly well.
The horse was in a backyard stable.
According to instructions the detective
told the peasant that he liked it but that
he thought the price asked was too high.
Komarov scratched the back of his head
stupidly. His bearded face showed no
disappointment. He licked his thick lips
with his tongue and gazed at his customer
thoughtfully. ‘Well, comrade, if you
think so, I’ll let you have it cheaper.”
He asked the detective to accompany
him to the first floor where he had ink
and paper to sign the receipt for the
money. He seemed anxious to close the
deal. Chochzaiev followed him. It was
dark in the house; they seemed to be
alone. If Komarov had any murderous
designs he would probably reveal his hand
as soon as he saw the money.
But at this point one of those unpre-
dictable things occurred that often upset
the most carefully laid plan.
Without sitting down the detective
firabledl ta tins pe
his dismay he
forgotten it.
sinister intentions
to go through w:
Komarov acce:
of the deal wit!
he was disappor
He remained the
fellow comrade
The detective
bring the horse o
receive payment.
imperturbedly.
tective decided, t!
nocent of any co:
Komarov agre:
following day.
matter of routine
laieff studied reps
pect’s past and |
had any doubts a
these reports wor
VAN KOMA
and well like:
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own. Originally
to Moscow mar
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droshki driver at
the Riva-Orloy
While porte c
closely on tis ¢
appeared fhawle
ful neiehber, iN
devoted party:
citizen,
“This incident
Nicolarefh ren
over the report
luck again, con
The next day
his appotntmier
keeping costa
quarters, phone
alwavs he ree:
“Hooray haves
Hlis absence
It seemed st
make money, 1
for a lower yo
aelieve, should
the deal Opin
made him ehas
Mavbe he had
willing to pay
a detective was
he found the
Tleadquarters
Komaroy awa
he sense cians
volved in those
Vlad his acces
Pantehenke
fled.
Then, before
men discoveres
ina sack, this
the city. The
near the central
Moyasnitskava
only a few blo
quarters!
Favored by
were able to 1
He was D. U1
home ai few ¢
horse.” Phote
were shown t
Komarov's ne!
And he was
had been seen.
Ato nightfall
posite buildi
windows of t!
furthest room, She had been dead for
hours. A broken, bloody axe handle lay
closeby. Afraid she would not die from
the wounds he had inflicted, the monster
had wound a handkerchief about the slen-
der young throat and strangled her. Capt.
Hontvet stared at the body soberly.
Growing horror shone from his eyes.
“Can’t we take them away?” he cried,
Old Jorge shook his head.
“They, must remain where they are.
Nothing must be touched until the police
come from the mainland. It is the law!”
Bloody evidence of the killer’s presence
was everywhere, Capt. Hontvet picked
up Karen’s pocket book just beyond her
body. It had been stripped clean. In
‘ other rooms ‘he came upon other empty
purses. Bureau drawers had been pulled
out, the contents scattered about the crim-
son-tracked floor. Trunks had been
broken into and boxes torn apart. Hont-
vet stopped before one looted trunk. Pull-
ing out blood-spattered sheeting, he
reached beneath their crumpled folds and
drew out a hidden cache of bills the killer
had overlooked.
The crimson footprints led outside to
the nearby well. On the curb was a basin
of bloody water and a red streaked towel.
Like others who had committed murder,
he had stopped to try and wash away the
incriminating stains forgetting the damn-
ing signature he had left behind in- the
snow. Hontvet paused to study these
clearly defined footprints.
“There should be no trouble tracking
down the identity of this man,” he ob-
served. “Those footprints were made
by no ordinary rubber boot. They had
an unusual shank and the taps extended
clear back to the heel.”
The two men followed these tracks
around the yard, then down to the unoc-
cupied fish houses.
“It was lucky Maren didn't try to hide
here,” Capt. Hontvet said soberly. “He
would have found her sure.” /
Leaving stern warning that these curi-
ous footprints be carefully preserved,
Capt. Hontvet and his brother Mathew
rowed back to the Clara Bella, ‘Vhe two
set sail for Portsmouth. ‘They arrived an
hour later and went at once to police
headquarters where they sought out the
city marshal.
Briefly the sea captain told his story
of the events which led up to the
tragedy. He said he and the two other
men left Smutty Nose at 6 o’clock the
previous morning drawing their trawls
a few miles southeast of their home, They
then planned to stop at the island and get
Maren who wanted to do some shopping.
But there was a head wind back to the
Shoals when they finished fishing so they
sailed straight on to Portsmouth where
they intended to leave their catch, get
more bait and return home before sun-
down as they were never away at night
without leaving a guard.
“But you didn’t return to the Shoals?”
the city marshal questionea.
“After we reached Portsmouth we
learned the bait wouldn’t come down
from Boston before 11 o'clock so we sent
back word by Emil Ingebertsen that we
couldn’t get home before daybreak.”
“Who knew of this change of your
plans?”
Capt. Hontvet pondered a moment.
“There were several men on the wharf.”
“Was Louis Wagner there?”
“Yes,” Hontvet said, “he was among
LIFE BEGINS AT 18
Roger Kegg, pictured here behind prison
bars, looks out at the world he has left
behind him for all time. He was sentenced to life imprisonment after an Akron,
O., jury convicted him of the murder of a restaurant roprietor last December.
His partner in the crime wi
64
ll go to the electric chair.
them, Toasked him if he wanted to help
us lay our lines, Ile said he had another
job.”
“Did he know you had money hidden in
your home?”
“We made no secret of it,’ Hontvet
answered, ‘We considered him as one
of the family and talked freely before him.
But he could not have got out to the
island, Ele had no boat and nobody would
Joan him one.”
“There was a dory stolen from. the
wharf at the foot of Pickering street last
night,” the city marshal said. ‘David
Burke, the owner, reported its loss during
the evening.”
Investigation revealed the facts as Capt.
Hontvet stated them. Word was sent out
to arrest Louis Wagner. At the same
time the city marshal telegraphed the de-
scription of this man to key cities through-
out New England. As police searched
the city for him the city marshal notified
the medical examiner and made arrange-
ments to leave for Smutty Nose. But
several hours passed and it was 8 o'clock
that night before the official steamer May-
flower finally anchored off the Shoals in
the lea of the Clara Bella.
N ‘THE mainland, police tracked
Louis Wagner to the Sailors’ board-
ing house on Water street in Portsmouth,
where he made his lodgings. Mary John-
son, the landlady’s daughter, told police
Wagner had appeared early that morning
after being away all night. He had gone
immediately to his room. The girl saw
him go into the backyard with something
bulging beneath his coat. Police investi-
gated the story and Officer Jellison re-
turned with a tightly wrapped bundle he
had found hidden beneath a seat in an out-
house, ‘The man then had left the lodging
house about half past eight.
“LT noticed his knuckles were scratched
and bruised,” Miss Johnson said. “I
asked him what was wrong, He burst
into tears and said he had gotten into
trouble. Before 1 could ask any more
he grabbed up his bag and ran through
the door. My mother was afraid he had
left for good as he owed three weeks rent.
She went upstairs and found his clothes
were still there.”
Police swiftly searched Wagner's room,
Out on Smutty Nose another investiga-
tion was going on by lamplight. ‘The city
marshal and others went through the
blood-smeared house and then crouched
outside in the snow. studying the still
visible crimson boot tracks, One man held
a lamp as another made notes and mea-
surements so that the oddly designed
boots which made these tracks could be
later identified. Then they returned to
the house of death.
Capt. Hontvet reported the killer could
only have secured small change and about
$15 or $20 in $5 bills from the looted
pocket books. The police crossed to Star
island where they questioned the work-
men building the new summer hotel. Then
they rowed to Appledore island where
they listened to Mrs. Maren Hontvet’s
story.
She told them that she had planned to
go shopping during the afternoon of the
previous day in Portsmouth. She dressed
and waited for her husband to come. Then
she received a message explaining his
delay.
“What did you plan to do in Ports-
mouth?” the city marshal asked.
“T had several errands for my sisters
as well as for myself. One of these er-
rands may be the
killer.”
“What do you bh
asked. :
“Karen, my sist
some buttons and
sample. That but
pocketbooks whic
not be found.
must have dump¢
the moncy and
emptied the pur
“Was there 4
this button?”
“~T never saw
Maren answerec
shaped white age
I told Karen I
able to match it
Soon after, t
back to Ports
Wagner still wa
“We traced hi
Officer Jellison
ticket for Bosto:
left here this
o'clock.”
“Then there’
marshal explod:
UICKLY
Chief of
the Boston pol
to locate and ;
be found. He
gested by Cap
of several ass
physical desc:
Chief Savage
lost by Kare:
might be int
derer.
Officer Jelh
was dispatche
marshal what
of the Johnso:
ing.
“It belong
concluded.
The city mar
ing exciteme:
it well.
The polic
More and m:
to light. A
Place in Lat
few miles ab:
‘Burke to th
boat as his.
boat had sec
it was stole
and made o
able, were |!
the oars in
this discove
who had se:
this boat.
“T saw h
castle shore
Campbell, :
city marsha
he was doi
tracked the
a spot alon
had put in:
Isreal |
firmed this
“Let’s se
city marsh
the snow-
defined tri
tical with
Nose.
Police |:
by Anne
walking
Portsmou'
WAGNER, Louis Maine 6/23/1874
I : M When the wind is high and the sounds of a gale sweep
down through the harbor, the inhabitants of the Isles of Shoals
_can do one of two things. They can gather their possessions,
go for the boats that bob at the docks and head for Ports-
mouth and the protection of the mainland. Or they can close
their shutters, round up what livestock they have and sit by
the fire, waiting for nature to vent her furies and hope that
her destructive forces will not be too severe. Summer storms
are frequent in that part of the country and winter survival
on the Maine coast is a challenge only the very hardy are
willing to chance.
The group of islands dubbed the Isles of Shoals, consist of
a scattered cluster of jewels belonging to New Hampshire,
but more closely associated with the rugged coast of Maine.
English fisherman were the first inhabitants of the Isles,
battling out their living from the sea that fought to retain
its treasures. Those hardy men who survived brought back to
England tales of the great beauty and abundance of the land
and, in 1621, some of the Plymouth Pilgrims landed on the
islands. Several years later, the stern settlers of the New
World banished Thomas Morton of Merrymount to this refuge.
His crime was mammoth: He had managed to destroy the
Pilgrim monopoly on the fur trade with the Indians and the
founding fathers were having none of it. He also was accused
of such offenses as singing, dancing and making merry on
the Sabbath.
After Thomas Morton faded into obscurity, little was known
~ about activities on the islands in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Fishing continued to be the main activity and livelihood of
the community and the women who populated the land with
their offspring now are lost to memory. .
Legend has it that Captain Edward Teach and his buc-
caneers buried their pirate loot on the Isles. Various treasure
hunts have been organized on Gosport, Lunging, Star and
Smuttynose Islands and, in 1800, quite unintentionally, some
trove was found. A Smuttynose man had arranged for a gang
of men to build a stone wall on his property; in the course
Kept from their men by
were easy prey when a lust-
FRONT PAGE DETECTIVE
February, 1970
Terror Stalks The
Lonely Lovelies of ©
Smuttynose Island
by ARTHUR MacPHERSON
of their excavations they lifted a huge stone and revealed a
hoard of solid silver bars. The owner of the property used his
new-found wealth to build the first breakwater at the shoals,
which join Malaga and Smuttynose. Modern-day navigators
frequently anchor off that historic memento of the time of
treasures and pirates and adventures on the high seas. And
though the Isle of Shoals can boast of being older than
Plymouth, it is not for its antiquity that it is most remembered.
There are many legends and superstitions that the in-
habitants reminisce about on wet, storm-lashed nights. The i
wail of the wind brings back the pitious cries of a sultry
Spanish girl, said to have been abandoned by Blackbeard the
Pirate to die of starvation and exposure to the elements. Her
crime is not known, but people claim that every stormy night
her ghost walks the shores, wailing to Teach’s disappearing
pirate ship.
Gulls circle in the darkened sky and sandpipers hop fran-
tically along the shifting, ever moving shore. For the sea, and
the land that borders it, are never still, never lacking in mo 4. ¥ 3
tion. Behind every rock, in every bit of seaweed, there is some fim
form of life, rooted in nature’s plan of things. The people who
have lived and worked on the islands love them and, if given Iie Be.
the choice, would not abandon the stark simplicity of their i’) Rig NL ie
existence. Sa
John Hontvet and his wife, Maren, felt that way about .
Smuttynose Island. The Norwegian couple settled in their
two-story, frame house around 1868 and, in the ensuing years,
John managed to buy the small fishing schooner Clara Bell
and wrest an adequate living from the sea.
They wrote home about their experiences and voiced. the
belief that the new land would prove the answer to their
hopes and plans. They wanted a good life and were more than
happy to receive their relatives from Norway into their home Has,
to share it. The island was lonely and, when Maren’s sister,
Karen, a hardy, blue-eyed Scandinavian blonde, joined them,
they welcomed her with true happiness. Karen Christensen ™
still mourned with a wistful (Continued on page 7))
a raging sea, three beauties
crazed butcher came calling
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tinue his search. Cautiously she crept out of
her hiding place and slithered on hands and
knees through the wet snow to the gully next
to the one she was in, which Wagner had
just searched.
She had no way of knowing that he had
despaired of finding her and‘ had left the
island for the long, arduous row back to
Portsmouth. She did not .dare go back to
the house. For an interminable length of
time her eyes searched the east waiting for
that pastel coloring on the horizon which
would bespeak the coming of another day.
A dozen times her anxious eyes tricked
her into believing that she saw. the first
streaks of dawn. But finally there was no
mistaking the rising light in the east, and
at last the sun crept into view. - .
Half-frozen, stiff from remaining in on
position, agonized from the salt spray which
had congealed on her wounds, Maren Hont-
vet crawled from the cove and made her way
painfully to a point nearest Appledore Island.
She saw Mr. Ingerbredsen’s ‘children playing
near his house on the shore. She shouted to
them and waved her skirt. They ran in to
tell their father. The old man appeared in
a moment, saw her frantic waving, realized
that something was wrong and, with several
other men, got into a rowboat and came
They found Maren in a semi-delirium,
legs scratched and torn, with purplish
splotches of blood on her nightgown. From
her incoherent ‘mumbling they gradually
gathered the import of the terrible happen-
ings which had taken place within a few
hundred yards of them just across the
channel. They gave her the attention she so
badly needed and made arrangements to. go
to Portsmouth to notify the police.
The Clara Belle came back at 10 o’clock
in the morning, with three fishermen in it
looking forward to meeting their wives.
Watchers on the shore of Appledore waved
to them to come there. Ivan Christensen felt
immediately that something was wrong,
“Where’s Anethe?” he demanded.
They did not have the courage to tell him
what had occurred. “She’s over at the
house,” one of the men answered hesitantly.
~ Ivan and John rode across the channel.
They ran toward the house. Ivan screamed
as he saw the body of the womam he adored,
horribly butchered, lying in the snow. Then
he tottered and fell senseless beside her.
WAGNER REACHED the mainland at
about 7 in the morning. The row of
20 miles, the night’s bloody work and the
emotional turbulence which he had under-
gone had had their inevitable effect. He was
like a deflated balloon, weak and torn by
fears. ‘
He did not appear to know what to do. He
had landed about.a mile below Portsmouth,
possibly intending to avoid that city. But
somehow or other his feet seemed to take
him there.
In a semi-daze he went to a boarding house
at 25 Water Street, where he and John
Hontvet formerly lived. The devilish work
of the past 12 hours preyed on his mind, as
boarding house, “I have got myself into
trouble.” Miss Johnson noticed how haggard
and worn he looked and asked him what kind
of trouble it was.
Instead of answering Wagner arose and
went to 39 Fleet Street, to visit an old friend
of his, a shoemaker named Jacob Todtman.
He lounged around with him until 4 in the
afternoon, then went to another boarding
house at 295 North Street, where also he
and John Hontvet had once lived together.
Here again several acquaintances commented
-on_his_ appearance.
It did not take the police long to trace him.
At the North Street boarding house they
learned he had taken a train to Boston. Here
he was almost immediately picked up and
across the narrow channel to Smutty Nose. -
her wet hair streaming over her face, her
. Guaranteed to see that getaways would be
he said to Mary Johnson, a waitress at the:
had a score of stickups and other assorted
‘Throw them away
taken back to Portsmouth for trial.
At the railroad station on his return he as
was greeted by an angry crowd of many |
thousands of people who. shouted curses at
him and tried to take him away from his
guards in order to lynch him. -So hard
pressed were the police that it was necessary ~
to call in to assist them a company of marines
from the Navy Yard. ;
Only when the district attorney considered
the case was it learned that, while some of
the islands of. the Shoals were in New
Hampshire, Smutty Nose was in Maine.
The prisoner was thereupon, under an ex-
traordinarily heavy guard, transferred. to.
that state for trial.
. Wagner’s attitude throughout was one of
injured innocence. He. denied that he had
even been on Smutty Nose that night; and —
insisted that John Hontvet had committed
the double murders and was trying to fix the
blame on him.
He went on trial on June 9, 1873, at
Alfred, Maine, before Justice William G.
Barrows. He was convicted and sentenced
~ hang, the jury being out for less than an
our, :
One reprieve after another was granted
him until June 25, 1875, 27 months after the
murders and two years after his conviction.
On that day he walked up the steps to the ©
gallows, apparently unafraid. As he stood
on the trap facing eternity he was asked the ©
usual question—if he had anything to say.
His only reply was to reassert his innocence.
Then the trap was sprung, to ring down
the curtain on what students of crime are
perhaps justified in designating “America’s
most extraordinary murder.” :
All that remains to add is that Maren
Hontvet recovered from her terrible experi-
ence, although a semi-invalid for many
months thereafter.
Pi
itchy-Foot
(Continued from page 29)
-This would have been a numbing blow to
almost anyone else. Georgia chain gangs, in
those days, were the nightmare of law
violators everywhere. The men worked ten
and 12 hours a day under the broiling sun
and with armed guards and_ bloodhounds
few and far between. They were shackled
in the daytime, even while at work, and at
night, as they lay in their bunks, were linked
together with what was known as a “bull
chain” which went into an iron ring fitted
on the ankle of each prisoner.
But Harvey was not dismayed. “What’s
the difference how much the bench louse
hands me?” he jeered. “I’ll be out of that
can in a few months.” :
This time the officers were not skeptical.
They warned the chain gang officials of their
new prisoner’s apparent power of making
himself disappear. The chain gang guards
replied in effect, “Pooh-pooh !”
Harvey entered the chain gang on August
17, 1928. Here he teamed up with a gentle-
man of his own stripe in the person of
Aubrey Smith, a young thug who already
crimes to his discredit,
On December 17, 1928, the two buddies, in,
the process of their work, managed to get ==
closer and closer to an armed guard. When caeae 3
they came within ten feet of him, the two ‘es |
men leaped forward and were on the —
astounded guard before he knew what had
happened. Harvey wrenched his gun away, — -
jumped in back of him and shouted to the bene
other keepers who had started forward: :
“Don’t move! And drop. your guns!
from you, at least six |
feet! I’m going to count three! If vou
Rie
at
that he
surveil.
In tl
receive
tables ;
from th
order tc
contrab:
Usual
goods,
into tho
evidence.
cannery, |
longer n.
cans, un«
The la
“Liberty
Never
day ther<
The gua:
didn’t hax
found it r
steel auto
“Just o1
out what
whispered.
of me.”
The kec
would car
ahead. Ha
being cond
tution, a ro
he gua
fooled. Be
wrong, Ha:
forced him
freedom.
An _inve:
authorities.
arranged fo.
advance of
sent to the
made!
The inves
had delibera:
in a canning
" “Stuck on” |}
directions as
should be ag:
gang. -
The girl fo
sent genuine
weeks and tl
everything w:
can of “prune
It hardly n
were in real
packed the va;
“\ The. hr. <
nicked Seironic
id awakened the next
):30 to find the soldier
iform and valuables, he
it had ensued in which
at” But the soldier
til ‘ay, he explained,
‘la. Vy in his pajamas,
rk, Kepny’s men were
darjes apartment, which
»wed while the broker
eekend.
r gave further valuable
ned, he told the detec--
‘rved breakfast to Lon-
0:30 Sunday morning.
iighly nervous and con-
, and had asked for twp
ind butter and coffee.
id found the eggs and
p drawer of the dresser.
shortly after 1 o’clock
2rgan, dressed in Har-:
‘4g a large bundle, the
: detectives knew, could
g uniform which might
ad.
’ while the body of the
ng buried in the family
Cemetery, Brooklyn,. in
1, Lonergan agreed to
i return to New York to
rder.”
r, escorted by the two
‘tant District Attorney
ine at LaGuardia Field,
xy a mob of photogra-
curious spectators.
were searching for the
the mysterious soldier
rcester,” Lonergan was
less grilling by Grumet,
ic But he stuck to
od. vied that he had
less nad killed her.
police, after a careful
War Department, dem-
1 that no soldier named
ould have been in New
irder night. It was this,
ce of District Attorney
made Wayne Lonergan
fess that he had mur-
om Lonergan.
vas quoted as saying,
vy. I killed my wife—
let me see the baby.”
sion was as follows:
to the East 51st Street
.. M. Sunday, he said,
to the outer stairway
carried. On the third
the bedroom door and
im. She had been in
isleep. She wore no
-eferring to sleep that
sthe conversation which
‘in town?” she asked,
and reclining. “What
ion, he countered: “I
le of Morocco.” (EI
lub.—Eb. )
asn’t been so _ good,
either.”
“Where’s the baby?” p
“The baby’s in bed, and don’t disturb
him. You'll have to come back later.”
“fT can’t come back later. I’ve got a date
with a girl.”
“Why don’t you have lunch with me?”
“I can’t. This: is a previous date and I -
must keep it.” oe,
“You know, I’m amazed. I can’t con-
trol my men any more!” :
-At this point, Lonergan related, he went
to the dresser to get his hat. When he turned
to go, Patricia, apparently angered by his_
nonchalance, snapped: “You’re never going
to see the baby again—ever !”
With these words, Lonergan said, he went
wild with rage. Grabbing one of the candle-
sticks, he struck her over the head. She
‘knocked it from his hand and he grabbed
another, bludgeoning her again and again.
Still she managed. to get out of bed and
_ struggled with him, digging her long nails
into his face and neck. Tossing aside the
candlestick, he seized her throat and choked
her until she fetl back limp on the bed.
Frightened, Lonergan said he locked the
inside bedroom door and left by the outer
door, snapping the lock so that it would close
behind him. His uniform was spattered
with blood and he slunk furtively back to
the Harjes apartment, carefully avoiding
the gaze of passersby.
The weird alibi of the befriended soldier
was sheer fiction, he admitted. At the Har-
jes place, he changed his clothes, shaved and
had breakfast. He concealed the scratches
cleverly by the use of a shaving powder
stick. Then he cut up his uniform into small
picces with a pair of shears and stuffed it
into his powder-blue dufflle bag. Weighting
the bundle with a dumbbell he found in the
room, he carried it to 79th Street and the
East River, where he threw it into the
channel.
While police and _ professional divers
searched for the missing uniform, Lonergan
was driven to the East 51st Street station
and booked on a charge of first degree
homicide. On Saturday, October 30, Lon-
ergan was indicted for first degree murder
by the New York County Grand Jury and
took a pauper’s oath in General Sessions so
that counsel would be appointed for him.
On Monday, Patricia Lonergan’s will was
filed in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court.
Drawn on August 19, it left all her property
to her infant son. Her husband was cut off
completely. Lonergan admitted he had known
that she had made this will.
Mario Gabelline, released pending his ap-
pearance as a material witness at the trial,
told reporters: “Mrs. Lonergan said she
was tired of supporting her husband.”
Did Wayne Lonergan, motivated either
by jealousy of his wife or by greed to ob-
tain her vast fortune through his son, kill
her as detailed in his alleged confession?
The question will. not be officially an-
swered until Lonergan’s trial. Meanwhile,
for reasons of his own, District Attorney
Hogan has declined to announce whether or
not the fingerprints found on the fatal candle-
stick and the doorknob were useful.
The result of the Lonergan trial will be
announced in a later issue.—Enrror.
2red.
friends.
)=6« fT: DIARY
eem any reason why pretty, 21-year-old Merle Griffiths should
She had no troubles, no enemies.
ors discovered that she did have a diary, into which she poured
-erets. And in that diary was a significant entry that pointed:
it straight at o young man heretofore unsuspected!
‘hole story in the March INSIDE DETECTIVE, on sale everywhere — ae
's only one of the many gripping features in this issue! sn
EXPOSED A KILLER!
It was even said that
I
om
=
Murder in the
Atlantic — -
(Continued from page 33)
side of the island: Evidently he had not yet
- seen her tracks in the snow.
Even if he had, however, she felt she
might still have a chance, as the snow had
not “laid” for a considerable distance over
the rocks near the water, the path over which
she had come, owing to their being wet from
the spray. She was in deadly fear that
Ringe, huddled close to her for warmth,
would suddenly bark and thus disclose her
whereabouts, “He whined and whimpered
continually. It was necessary for her to talk
soothingly to him every moment or two,
always in an agony of dread that he would
give voice at any moment.
The lantern became visible again. Its in-
creasing brightness showed that Wagner was
coming to her side of the narrow isle. Closer
and closer it came until, by the light it cast,
she could see her pursuer searching the snow
for footprints.
He stopped when he reached their end at 1
the rocks. Her heart pounded painfully as
she waited to see if he would pursue his
search in and out of the two or three dozen
coves, similar to the one she was in, which
lined the shore.
; He turned, walked along the ledges lead-
ing in the opposite direction for about 100
yards and then started down the slippery
rocks. She could see the lantern getting
nearer and neater the ground until it finally
went out of sight, although the rays from it
were visible for a moment or two longer.
_She knew what it meant. Wagner was be- |
ginning to search the coves. It would be but
a matter of time until he reached the one she
was in.
A wave of hopeless horror engulfed “her.
She looked wildly around for sotee place in
which she could hide. There was none near
her. Painfully she made her way to the
other side of the narrow gorge, her bare feet
constantly lacerated by the sharp edges of
rock. She found a shallow indentation, about
three feet in length and two in width, which
had been hollowed out by the water. Into
this she crouched, holding Ringe close to
her,. awaiting the inevitable end.
Endless time went on before she heard
the scraping sound of Wagner’s boots on the
top of the ledge just above her. head. The
light of the lantern flashed into the cove. She
was not visible in its rays. The shallow
opening she was in protected her. But she
knew it was only momentary. In a moment
her Nemesis would descend into the cove as
he had in the others. That would be the end.
The little dog whimpered. Her heart
froze. She put her hand over his muzzle.
He pulled away. F rantically she gripped his
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throat, making up her mind to choke him if
necessary.
The light flickered just above her, then
was thrust out over the ledge at arm’s length.
The illumination rested for a moment on.a
point of rock here and there, casting eerie
shadows into the desolate grotto. Then it
disappeared once again.
Now the moment had
coming
of fear she waited.
The seconds passed,
stretch interminably into
imperceptibly hope began to return to her.
As time ticked on she
prayers for deliverance had
But fear returned
Wagner had merely
with
gone
for some purpose and would return to con-
in to make a more thorough search.
She heard the scraping of his feet. Gradu-
ally the terrifying sound died. Ina rigidity
swer been so long delaye:
other prayers remain una
calamity often befall us in
Thirty years ago, in For
the highest mountainsin th
lishman named Edwin J. I
swers to these questions. A
his eyes. A great changec:
alized the strange Power th
That Power, he says, can
anyone, Questions, whate*
answered. The problems o
erty and wrong can be solv
Inhisowncase, he was bro
health. He acquired wealth,
wide professional recogniti
he was sick as a man cou!
his coffin was bought. Year
ous tropical fevers, broke:
ness, privation and danger
wreck of him, physically ar
He was about to be sent b=
when a strange message can
ing for you in Tibet.” He w:
arrived. He was
each seeming to
the future. Almost
wondered if her
been answered.
the thought that
back to the house
house. in his hana was an axe which
was used to cut the ice from the surface
ot the well. He passed by the window
so closely that the aghast Maren could
have reached out and touched him.
Just as he turned the corner the
moon came out from behind the clouds
and played with its whitish light full on
the features of the axe-bearer.
[In an instant Anethe recognized him.
for the first time in those last few
dreadful ee she found her voice.
“Lots!” she screamed, and then again
and again and again, “Louis! Louis!
Louis! Louis!’, tour or five times in
succession, as though the very sound of
his name would in some manner make
-
4 HARDLY MORE than a rocky crag in the sea
“4 was Smutty Nose, one of the Isles of Shoals.
It was the scene of one of the most horrendous
. and pointless crimes in New England history.
>: THE HOUSE the fishermen occupied is shown
"@= at left. Here the slayer sat down to eat a
hearty meal after he had slain two women.
him desist from the murderous plan re-
vealed in every line of his countenance.
But her cries had, if anything, the
opposite effect. Apparently the attacker’s
conviction that he had at last been recog-
nized worked him into a fury which
knew neither sense nor reason, nor pity
nor mercy, but only a blind, animalistic
desire to strike down whatever was in
his path.
He swung the axe over his shoulder.
For a flashing fraction of time Maren,
at the window, saw the illumination from
the moon reflected in its blade.
Then the axe descended on the head
of the still-shrieking Anethe, sending her
uivering and bleeding to the ground.
AREN WAITED no longer. The
nauseating weakness which she felt
was overshadowed by the specter of im-
minent death. But even in her fear she
~ would not desert her sister. She bent
‘over her and tried to arouse her. An icy
_..Then a new fear assailed her.
little dog was still whining. He might
current shot through her veins as she
came to the conclusion that Karen was
dead. Even then she had the presence
of mind to grab a woolen skirt lying on
the chair and wrap it around her own
head and shoulders for at least some
protection against the weather.
Then, followed by Ker little dog
Ringe, which had been cowering and
‘whimpering in a corner of the kitchen,
she stepped over her sister’s body and
went through a window at the rear of
the house. In her bare feet and with
nothing but the nightgown and skirt to
shield her from ‘the icy Atlantic blasts,
she started to make her way toward the
hen house, beneath which there was a
cellar in which she thought she could
hide.
But she remembered in time that Wag-
ner knew all about the cellar and all
the rest of the island. Her only hope lay
in concealing herself in one of the many
coves bitten out of the rocky shore by
centuries of fierce pounding of the sea.
break into barking at any moment and
_ thus reveal her presence to the murderer.
She was certain Wagner would try to
find her. He knew she would be a wit-
ness against him and that her murder
was vital to his safety.
She lifted the dog in her arms and
whispered to it to try to soothe it. All
the time she was tramping barefoot
through the snow, her feet bruised
cruelly by the stubby undergrowth and
hard rock which composed the surface
ot the island.
Every second or two she turned to look
at the house, momentarily expecting to
see the merciless axeman following her’
footsteps in the snow. Suddenly a gleam
of light shot from one of the windows of
the kitchen. Wagner had lit one of the
lamps. Apparently he was not at all afraid
that the screams of Anethe could be heard
above the roaring wind on any of the
other islands. He was taking his time.
But that he would come after her ulti-
mately she had not the slightest doubt.
The: sickening tragedy at the house,
unknown to Maren, had not been played
to the final curtain. Karen was not dead,
as her sister had supposed, despite the
terrible beating to which she had been
subjected. At about the moment when
Wagner was butchering Anethe, Karen
recovered sufficiently to stagger to her.
feet and falter toward a window.
The killer came back into the house
and lit the lamp.. He must have been
astounded to see the supposedly dead
Karen halfway through the window,
struggling with what feeble strength she
had left to get to the outside and have
at least a chance for her life.
Wagner still carried the bloody axe.
The apparent miracle of Karen’s re-
covery seemed to infuriate him even fur-
ther. Again and again he struck at her
with the red-spattered weapon. Then,
to make doubly certain that this time
there would be no recovery, he went out-
side and brought the axe down repeatedly
on her head and shoulders, which she
had managed to get through the window.
Then he proceeded to carry out what
he considered the most important part of
his plan—to ransack the house and get
-Between two sheets
The ©
.
~
the considerable sum of money he was
certain the three fishermen .had been
piling up over the years.
From one room to another he went,
opening drawers, splitting trunks with
the axe, pulling articles out of closets
and hurling everything except money into
a scrambled pile. From the women’s
purses he obtained several small sums,
the total of which did not aggregate $200.
in the bottom of
John Hontvet’s trunk there was $135 in
large bills. This he missed by a narrow
margin, as bloodstains on the upper sheet
showed he had gone that far.
The thousand dollars or more which
he confidently expected to get, he could
not find—for the simple reason that it
was not there. Less than $200 was all
the three men had been able to amass
despite their years of hard and danger-
ous work.
Then, with the corpses of the two
women he had murdered lying not 20
feet away, Wagner sat down at the table
and ate—not food belonging to the Hont-
vets, bit a lunch he had brought with
him!
Evidently ‘he had- thought of every-
thing in advance, even that the long trip
from the mainland on his lethal errand
would make him hungry!
After eating, he took a basin and towels,
went to the well and washed the blood .
from his hands and face.
E HAD NOT forgotten Maren. As
the latter had anticipated, he realized |
it was vital to his safety to find and
kill her so that there would be no wit-
nesses against him.
Huddled against the rough, damp rocks
of the cove where she had taken refuge,
Maren was going through a dreadful ex-
perience. The surf was breaking with a
thunderous ‘roar against the ledges and
‘sending showers of icy spray over her..
Her nightgown and skirt were soaking
wet. As the storm subsided, they began —
to freeze. Her wet and bleeding feet,
numbed by the snow through which she
had tramped, no longer had any feeling. =
The salt spray, penetrating into her open
wounds, caused her unbearable pain,
while the bitter wind which swept in
from the sea added the finishing touch to ~
her torture. fae
She was sure she would not live
through’ the night. But hope was still
strong within her. Continually she cast
glances at the house to see tf Wagner
had yet started in pursuit of her.
She saw the light vanish from the
kitchen window and appear in the ad-
joining room. It showed that the mur-
derer was going about the house for
some purpose. What it was she had no
idea. It never occurred to her that any-"
one would consider the modest home and
the poor people who inhabited it worth
robbing.
Hysterical consternation seized her as
she saw Wagner come out of the house
carrying a lantern, and go directly to- ~~
ward the hen house where she had first ~
considered hiding. As the light dis- — .
appeared she knew he had gone inside. _
Then once more the lantern came into:
view, and she followed its dim illumi- — .
nation until it disappeared behind a ledge /
on the opposite (Continued on page 45) 33°
20 Hon
yea mtg te:
ee
’
a ee a ee ete
sahil ANE
me aguante sites
POO ABT etek AR Se I
ee ee ee
wemreueeagreet
Gould's store with Kingsley and other
officers. He examined the door which the
robbers had attempted to force by prying
loose the hinges. _
“Used a two-inch chisel,’’ he obser-
ved. ‘*You can see how they worked by
wedging their way upwards.”’ The official
turned to Officer Kingsley. ‘‘If you had
come along five minutes later,’’ he obser-
ved, ‘‘they would have been inside and
quite possibly successful.”’
A search of the vicinity failed to dis-
close further clues and as the questioning
went on, Kingsley became more and
more confused in his replies.
“Can you.at least tell me where the
shots came from?”’ Bailey asked the
rookie. :
¥
*‘Some came from that direction,”’
Kingsley replied, pointing down the
street. ‘‘And one or two came from the .
alley.””
It was now five a.m. on Sunday mor-
ning, September 3. The business district
was deserted as the police scattered seek-
ing a clue to the identity of the killers ora
hint as to the direction in which they had
fled. As he approached the intersection of
Front and Broad Streets, Bailey glimpsed
a glittering object. ahead. He hurried
forward and picked it up. It was a small,
shiny tin can with the top stuffed by a
, wadded newspaper. The City Marshal
removed the paper and peered inside.
Then he tilted the can. Coarse, black
When Billy Lawrence didn’t turn up in response to the volley of
shots, police looked to see what was the matter. They found his
body shot down at the corner of Front and Broad Streets.
“fag {
shee hey Le Blegres
eer YE eaBronl
; . ae
i pune,
apt a ‘ ee
ra tie shag stp ete Se ar’
¥ 3 ya ees at PZ
Tian Si Re an
og
naga ae 9
rag : ‘ “TG 8 Ie wi Dis
F tantetoe S Har tage
epee ; Spied
WT oP BW thi oA
. - yf
4 &
grains droppéd onto his outstretched]
hand. jo
*‘Gunpowder,”’ he observed. ‘‘Proba-}
bly going to blow the safe.’’ He continued ©
his search and some distance down Front -
Street picked up a length of fuse. Near the |
alley running through to Commercial!
Street, where Uncle Billy was slain, he’
found one other shiny object before the’
trail ended. He placed this last clue, a.
two-inch chisel, carefully with the other’ |
items. }
News of the murder spread rapidly;
through the city and an angry public grew,
tense when confronted with the conflic-;
ting stories regarding the death of the;
popular. officer. This was no ordinary” —
cop-shooting and they demanded action,’
Uncle Billy had been a Main institutiona’ —
personal friend of all in Bath. He guided)
many weak-minded youths onto the right”
track and rehabilitated others who had
strayed. This town mentor for: manyj
years had refused to resign, although
could have led a comfortable life witha
well-earned pension. ae
Mayor James C. Ledyard offered a:
$500 reward for the killers, a small for?
tune in those days. When three suspects’
picked up earlier that morning: in’ ~
Brunswick were released due to lack of
evidence, Marshal Bailey admitted he
was without leads or suspects, and was
frankly baffled. He admitted that al-
though his force could cope with routine
enforcement procedures, it was not set up
to conduct a murder investigation. Ac '}
cordingly, he conferred with the mayor. ©
Shortly afterward, Mayor Ledyard
sent a telegram to Commissioners Samuel
R. Spinney, Henry Walker, and Col.
Henry S. Russell of the Boston Police
Department, requesting that one of their
a
. best detectives be sent at once to Bath.
These men contacted a man regarded
as one of Boston’s outstanding detect
ives, James R. Wood. Wood, a former
Boston police officer, operated a private
detective agency at 257 Washington
Street. It was his foresight that had de .¥
termined the value of the moulage tech
nique years ahead of its practical applic
tion for crime detection. It was his plaster
cast of the patched shoe of Jesse Pomeroy
that brought about the apprehension
that notorious child molester and mut
erer. 3
Wood was also, as it happens, the pet
sonal friend of this author's father, a Boe
ton newspaperman and mystery. wer,
and the following account of the invest
*
Sac 8 ig ath ly peeps he
Map indicates with an arrow the »~
spot where Daniel Wilkinson hid 3! é
out after the cruel gunning-down =
of Lawrence. une
yeg B
Phe 4 Lh i Go
It was the request of Mayor James Ledyard that
prompted the intervention by James Wood.
f et
' ; ‘Bs fe Ss fd
James R. Wood, private investigator with an im-
pressive past, was secured by Bath city officials to
find the murderer of Uncle Billy Lawrence. ‘
& Gh RLS
d It began with a simple break-in and, by chance, the
death of Uncle Billy Lawrence... who happened to be
_ the most respected member of the police force. It
~ ended with one man swinging from the gallows.
ae It was almost the wrong man.
Bon of Uncle Billy's death is derived
m the personal notes of James Wood.
y are published here for the first time.
¢ of the most interesting cases he was
tver connected with (Wood's faded ac-
sount reads), from the point of view of
pure-‘detective work, was the murder of
olice Officer Lawrence, a member of the
ath, Maine, police force. It was a most
“gular case, and I was instrumental in
‘Testing and convicting the murderer,
was executed Nov. 20, 1885, and
®as the last person hanged in Maine.
On September 3, 1883, MayorJamesC.
dyard of Bath telegraphed the Boston
Police commissioners, asking. them to
— Out a detective they thought could
¢ charge of a murder case. These gen-
f immediately sent for me at my
detective agency which is located in the
old Herald Building at 257 Washington
Street. j
I took the morning train on September
5 and reached Bath about noon. I went
over the facts of the murder with the
mayor and he explained how the Bath
. Officials thought the officer was killed,
presumably by two or three burglars who
attempted ‘to break and enter a ship
chandlery and grocery store on Commer-
cial St. This shop lay in the route patrol-
led by an officer named Kingsley. There
was an alleyway opposite the store
which ran from Commercial Street to
Front Street at the other end.
The newspaper found stuck in the can
of powder at the crossing of Fropt and
Broad Streets was a copy of the Portland
Argus, dated Saturday, September 2,
1883. A ten-foot strip of fuse was also
discovered on Broad Street, while a car-
penter’s chisel with a broken corner was
picked up on Front Street. This proved
conclusively that there had been at least
two parties engaged in the nefarious un-
dertaking, as this showed there were at
least two different escape routes.
These were the facts I received from
the mayor. I then asked the mayor to send
for Officer Kingsley, and asked to speak
to him in private. | found out Kingsley
had been an officer for only some two
months. He had been recommended to
the mayor as a person who would make a
good man for a spotter in liquor cases.
(continued on page 36)
27
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sienituleianittatnnannieeniaten
ne
—
cee ge ra renee poe
crane Riistepencnarmenenmanmee
PREETI
The Last Lynching
(continued from page 27)
Kingsley came to Bath for this purpose
only and was so successful in this liquor
spotting — indeed, having secured evi-
dence against nearly all the parties selling.
liquor illegally — that the mayor appoin-
ted him a police officer.
The fact that he was a non-resident of
Bath and that he had made himself obnox-
ious to a good half of the citizens on
account of his liquor spotting, had preju-
diced a considerable portion of the town
against him. After close questionning, I
was satisfied he had no clear idea as to
how many burglars there were, as it was
quite dark when the tragedy occurred and
he was excited. No credence could be
placed in his account of the affair as he
constantly contradicted himself. I talked
with him for more than an hour, but he-
could give, me no useful information.
After I sent him back to his station, I told
the mayor I had doubts as to the value of
his evidence.
The mayor next remarked that there
was a $500 reward for the arrest and
conviction of the persons who attempted
to break and enter that store, and mur-
dered Officer Lawrence. He said I would
get the reward if I captured the murderers
and got them. convicted. I said I could
have nothing to do with the case under
such circumstances.
“*I do not work for rewards,’’ I told the
36
surprised mayor. ‘“‘If I get the right par-
ties, and they are tried before the Court,
they would no doubt. have counsel.
Should it happen I am called as a witness,
about the first question put to me would
be, ‘Was there a reward offered for the
arrest and conviction of the defendants?’
I should have to reply, ‘Yes,’ and it fol-
lows that in his argument to the jury, the
. counsel would stress that my motive was
only to get the $500 reward — in other
words, I must convict someone before I
would get paid for my work.’’ Thus I told
the mayor that I made it a rule never to
work for rewards.
“In that case,’’ the mayor replied,
“‘*how much do you want per day?”’
**Ten dollars a day and expenses.”*
“All right, then,’’ the mayor agreed.
**You go to work at once.”
The mayor and Marshal Bailey were
under the impression that the attempted
burglary was the work of tramps, rather
than professionals, as there were many
tramps in Maine towns at the time. Be-
cause no strangers had been noticed
around town the day of the murder, this
fact alone influenced me to think as they
did.
Therefore, I interviewed and examined
all the suspicious vagrants who had been
arrested in nearby towns. It took me two
full days to do this and I finally returned
to Bath on Friday night and repaired to
the Sagadahoc Hotel. About 10 p.m., t
entered the hotel dining room for supper.
A small party was seated at a table en-
joying a late supper. It was composed of
Mr. James W. Wakefield, the Collector of
Port, his wife, and another lady. Whea
Mr. Wakefield saw me, he excused him-
self and came over and sat down at my
table. i
*‘How are you getting along with the
Lawrence case?’’ he asked. ’
““Well, Wakefield,’’ I replied..‘‘l ;
haven't any encouraging information.”
He looked me square in the eyes and
then said, ‘‘Well, Wood, I have always .
thought you were a smart man, for have
read a great deal about you. I'll tell you +
what I think about the case. The mayor,
the marshal, and officers have been filling
your head full of nonsense. They are.
trying to cover up the real facts.” .
**Why, what makes you think so?”
‘‘Why? Look here, that damned » —
Kingsley shot Officer Lawrence." ->)
‘But your reason for saying this?” . >
‘Let me tell you. It's plain as the nos¢
on your face that he discovered those fe-
lows trying to break into the store. It was-
so dark he couldn't tell if they were black »
or white and he has already told a half
dozen different stories about the incident.
First he says there were three thieves and
then he says he doesn’t know how many,
there were. He also says he fired a shot,
into the air, yet he let them get out of his
way simply because he got scared. Stat
(continued on next page). 5,
; '
ing out for the police station, revolver in
) tand,-he ran against Officer Lawrence
f goming up Front Street and being half-
frightened to death, mistook him for one
af the fugitive burglars and shot him.”’
Wakefield leaned back in his chair and
sudied me to see the reaction of his
words, but I said nothing and he contin-
wd,
“Now, to prove this, we have only to
compare the bullet extracted from poor
lawrence’s head with a cartridge fired
from Kingsley’s revolver. This has been
done and what do we find? Why, the two
bullets weigh exactly the same and it is
» exceedingly likely they are both of the
. tame caliber. (This was before the
+ wience of ballistics. Bullets were then
* toughly ‘‘matched’’ by weight.) His sur-
‘prise at the discovery of Lawrence's
tody was only feigned. Because no one
taw him shoot Lawrence, he felt the wis-
est thing was to strenuously deny it.”’
_. Ilistened to this theory very carefully. I
| told Wakefield I thought it possible he
|. Was right, but that the story still didn’t
+ iem quite convincing.
Leaving Wakefield, I went to bed but
was unable to sleep. I tossed and tured
» for hours, twisting the facts over in my
_ tind and realizing that Wakefield could
~ tecorrect. Sleep was out of the question,
_ at 2 a.m. I dressed, went out, and
i walked a considerable way, until I met an
i officer who gave me Kingsley’s address
and volunteered the information that
Kingsley was home, having got off duty at
ne a.m. I soon found Kingsley’s house
and rang the doorbell. A lady put her head
out the window and asked what I wanted.
lreplied | wished to see Officer Kingsley,
_' She told me to wait a minute and she
would let me in. She soon appeared,
» ®ked me to be seated, and shortly
Kingsley entered the room.
lasked him to close the door and then
titled down to have a long conversation
with the young rookie officer. I explained
¥ho I was and the nature of my mission,
md assured him I quite appreciated the
j tmbarrassing position in which he found
self. He interrupted me before I got
Wery far.
“Don't say anything, Kingsley, until I
®t through, as I want to tell you what I
k and then you can give me your ex-
tion, if there is any. 1 may tell you
I have been a police officer myself
ted have done night patrol duty in North
t, Boston, which is infinitely worse
Man Usher than any street you have in
“I know very well how easy it is for an
ft to get excited and lose his head
» being human, he often makes mis-
takes. Now, Kingsley, to come to the
Pint: What I think and what half the
l¢ in Bath think is that you are the
an Who shot Officer Lawrence.
0 One assumes that when you shot
‘cer Lawrence you knew who it was
until after he fell, but when he fell yqu did
know it and it scared you. Believing that
no one saw you, you made up this story
about one of the burglars doing the shoot-
ing. Now Kingsley, you cannot deny
‘what damning evidence there is in the fact
that the bullet from Lawrence’s head so
closely coincides in weight and caliber
with the bullets in the cartridges yoy pos-
sess. This fact alone probably would de-
cide any jury.
“There is not a shadow of a doubt in
my mind that the bullet taken from
Lawrence’s head came from your rgvol-
ver. You are making a serious mistake in
denying this and if you stick to your tale,
you will find no good will come of it. You
should own up to it because we be find
out sooner or later it was you who did it,
You might get a few months’ imprjson-
ment, but what is that compared to the
chances of life imprisonment which might
result from your sticking to this fable
about the burglars.’’
Kingsley was thoroughly distressed by
my talk and by the time I had finished
talking, he was crying like a child.
“‘Come, come,’’ I said. ‘‘Answer me
like a man. Did you or did you not do it?”’
*‘No, no,”’ he cried earnestly. ‘‘Tyuly,
I did not. If [had done so, I would admit it
at once. They may hang me or send me to
prison, but I tell you truthfully, I never
shot Lawrence.”’
I was silent for some time after this.
Then I said, ‘‘Well, I begin to think you
are telling me the truth, but youcan take it
from me: There are many people here
who believe that you did the shooting,
and nothing will make them believe any-
thing different unless it be absolute proof
to the contrary.”
Over and over, he assured me he was
innocent, until I was fully convinced he
was not lying. I got up from the chair,
shook his hand, and prepared to leave.
**Kingsley,’’ I said, ‘tI believe what
you say, though when I came in, I did pot.
I give you my word I'll do my utmost to
get the man who is responsible for the
crime. Let me caution you before I go not
to tell a living soul what has occurred
between us — not even your wife."
He gave me his promise, and I walked
the streets until daybreak. I then directed
my steps toward the scene of the murder
and soon arrived at Gould's store. Al-
though I had already made an examjna-
tion, | again carefully studied the door on |
which the chisel and wedge had been
brought to play, and made a very minute
and thorough examination. The marks on
the door were distinctive due to the bro-
ken corner on the chisel dropped by the
‘burglars. Leaving the scene, I bape all
the streets traveled by both the burglars
and the policemen. When this was
completed to my satisfaction, I returned
to my hotel and had a good breakfast.
Luckily, I had heard incidentally of a
housebreaking job in Brunswick simjlar
to the one I was investigating. The bur-"
glars had been more successful than at
Bath, but what they obtained was of small —
value. Carrying the chisel used in the
Bath burglary, I went down to the train
depot and took the first train for
Brunswick. :
_Uponarrival, I immediately went to the
scene of the previous crime. It was a drug-
store owned by a Dr. Lord. I found this
gentleman at his store and he gave me full
cooperation. I examined the door by
which the men had entered and found to
my Satisfaction it had been pried open in
much the same manneras the one in Bath.
Once again, a chisel had been used — one
which had a corner badly chipped and left
distinctive impressions on the soft wood.
I took the chisel I had brought with me
from Bath and it fitted perfectly into the
indentations around the door of the
Brunswick drugstore.
The adjacency of the two towns of Bath
and Brunswick, the fact that the same
chisel had been used in both burglaries,
and the curious evidence furnished by the
Portland Argus, led me to believe that the
criminals were working from Portland.
I asked Dr. Lord what had been taken
from his drugstore and he said some
fancy articles from a case were missing,
some cigars, and whatever money was in
the till at the time. I asked him if the
burglars had left anything behind them,
and whether he had noticed anything re-
markable on entering the store the mor-
ning following the robbery. He replied
without hesitation.
‘*Yes, they left some unburned mat-
ches behind and I never saw anything like
them. The burglars burned a good many,
for | found a number of burned matches
on the floor. They are very peculiar in-
deed.”
I asked if I could see_them. When he
retumed with them, I saw they were dif-
ferent from any matches I had ever seen
before. They were longer than the Port-
land match, and much thicker on one‘
side — so much so, as to make the section
triangular. They also had the appearance
of being sandpapered and polished. I
asked Lord if I could take the matches,
offering to return them any time he should
want them. He gave me the matches at
once and I put them away in my pocket-
book.
There was nothing further to be gained
at Lord’s store, so I crossed the street to
where some wooden buildings were un-
der construction and interviewed the car-
penters on the job. I showed them the
chisel which had been dropped on the
street at Bath, hoping I might be able to
trace it, but they could tell me nothing.
I returned to the railroad depot and
took the next train to Portland. On arriv-
al, I toured the second and third class
(continued on next page)
37
Prey 2%
ORE NN er NR NO EHS
ree aie
ee
SOEUR BA
sneer meeeenEpNn
ee ee
= C
| The Last
Lynching
(continued from page 37)
hotels to see if any strangers had been
boarding there. When my search was un-
rewarded, I investigated boarding houses
until it was quite late. The following day,
I resumed my search among the boarding
houses and my patience was finally re-
warded when I reached one located near
the old Boston depot, next to the steam-
boat landing.
Several of the boarders at this lady's
boarding house worked on the railroad
line and in the railroad shops. The lady,
Mary Walsh, mentioned that two board-
ers had been with her for three weeks,
but had gone away the previous Saturday
morning and had not yet returned. Upon
further questioning, I learned that a week
before that Saturday morning they also
had gone away, and not returned until the .
following Monday. The landlady thought
the men would be back because they lefta
large sailor's kit-bag in the room filled
with their belongings.
I told the woman about my mission and
asked her if I could explore the contents
of the bag. She consented. There was a
common sailor’s kit-bag in the room,
made from a large piece of waterproof _
sailcloth and laced with thick cord at the
top. I unlaced the bag and removed a pair
of oilcloth pants and coat. I next removed
a suit of heavy under-flannels, a pair of
woollen pants, shirts, and many other
odds and ends. There was a tin box with
needles, thread and buttons.
As I went down through the bag, I came
to another suit of oil clothing, coats,
pants, etc.. which indicated this was the
clothing of a second man. I placed these
carefully on the floor, taking care to pile
them in the order removed. Then I came
across two more tin boxes. One held
thread and needles, and the other caused
me no small astonishment and pleasure.
I had half expected to find something of
the sort, but | could scarcely believe my
good fortune, for this second tin contain-
ed the exact evidence I needed to
conclude my investigation. I had scarcely
anticipated such immediate and decisive
success.
I returned all the belongings to the bag
except for the second tin box and caution-
ed the landlady not to say a word about
my visit, either to the men or to anyone
else. I said I would stay in the immediate
area, visiting her house three or four
times a day to see if she heard from the
men or if they returned.
I returned several times that day with-
out result, but upon my second visit the
next day, the landlady told me she had
just received a letter from Bangor direc-
ting her to take from the bag the first suit
of clothes and all the trifles down to the
second suit, and express them to Bangor.
The man said he would claim the package
himself at the Bangor express office. He
also mentioned that his partner had gone
to Boston to ship aboard a sailing vessel
and that the woman would probably hear
from this second man with a request to
send his belongings after him. The writer
stated he was working on the river, taking
lumber from rafts and piling it on the river
banks, and would be engaged in that work
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Z
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for a week to 10 days. i
1 took the box of matches and replaced
the rest of the clothes in the bag, tied it up,
and told the landlady to lock it up in the
closet until she heard from me again, f
was now hot on the trail and took the first
train | could get for Bangor. This hap
‘pened to be an evening train, which ar.
rived in Bangor early the next morning.
After enjoying some breakfast; I called
upon City Marshal Reed and told hie -
what I wanted. We went down to the m
ver, but I could catch no sight of the mant
was after, even though we hung around
the river all day. That night, when the
men finished work, we watched them
carefully as they came away. The topo
graphy of the place was such that all the
men had to pass one spot, and we statiow
ed ourselves at this site. After a few m' .
nutes, | saw a man who answered in every
particular the description which the
boarding house mistress had given me of
one of the men. I said at once to the mar
shal, ‘‘That’s our man.”
We followed along after him, until he
entered the house where he boarded. We
followed him right up to his room. I im
mediately went to his bureau, removed
the .32-caliber revolver I was sure#
would find there, and. placed it in my
pocket. wh,
He made no move whatever to stop me,
but looked utterly staggered. Indeed, #
he could do was to gape. I told him t
come along with us and when we ee
downstairs, the marshal and I each gra
bed an arm and without delay walked his
directly into the sleeping car of the Bow
ton train, which was all made up
neatly ready to move off. We passé
through this car and entered the smoking
room. The marshal sat on the seat facing
the front and the prisoner sat by his si6,
while I faced them, riding with my back#
the engine. I shall never forget that ep
sode. Perhaps I was a trifle dramatic, bet
it must be borne in mind that I had a.
absolute proof that here was the man
had murdered Uncle Billy Lawrence
When we were seated and the train we
moving, I drew three cigars from #F
pocket, passed one to the marshal,
offered one to the prisoner. I placed ont
in my mouth and prepared to fight it
ostentatiously selected one of the pee
liar matches from the tin box I had obtai
ed from the prisoner's kit-bag ,
sed the box to the marshal and the pa
ner. | had previously compared
matches wjth those given me by Dr-
and they were identical in every respect
While lighting my cigar, | watched
risoner’s face intently. ign
. Never have I seen such distress
changes come over anyone as
which passed over the face 0
round-waisted prisoner. Wilkinson *%
38 years old, five feet, seven in
(continued on next page) =
“
TEER Hr aR BE RP AR
‘
gad weighed about 170 pounds. His round
ee had large, pleasant gray eyes set off
by heavy eyebrows. Big beads of sweat
pthered on his brow and streamed down
toth sides of his flat nose. His body was
_ damp and clammy, and all his nerve for-
wok him. When he removed his hat to
wipe his face and forehead, I recognized
the bald head. The man was Daniel
Wilkinson, whom I had arrested some 10
years before in New Bedford for safe-
blowing.
He had a peculiarly-shaped forehea
wd although I had felt all psi Thad eee
tis face before, his reddish-brown silky
beard had so altered his appearance that I
$dn't recognize him until he removed his
bat. He had been tried after I arrested him
tefore, and convicted with five other men
wd sentenced to a term of 10 years at
Charlestown. He had served his time,
witha short period off for good behavior.
Ai the time of this arrest in Bangor, he
ted not been out of prison for 12 months.
Hold Wilkinson I pitied him. ‘‘I do not
lawrence. You ran into his arms and in
Se flurry and excitement shot him dead
before you were really aware of what you
were doing. Had you realized what was
mg to happen, I don’t think you would
fave done what you did. Isn’t that so?”
“Yes,” he admitted moodily. Wilkin-
feathen made a full confession during the
Sam ride. Following the shooting of Un-
# Billy, he ran up the middle of Front
to alcave two or three miles away.
Me waited for Elliott for an hour, then
| Towed a stolen skiff across the river and
wide his escape. |
tasked him where his partner, Elliott,
"ss. He told me Elliott had left for Bos-
Valo ship for his home in England. I told
Ma inson | was going on to Boston to try
apprehend his accomplice while Mar-
Reed took him over to Bath from
ick. I thought the Bath marshal
mayor would meet us at the depot
sear se I had telegraphed the mayor to
as Brunswick, As it happened,
Maa Brunswick, I went on to Boston
ry oe Dente John Elliott who,
ad told me, came from a res-
Pectable English family. He had run wild
Rotten into trouble in the old country,
‘rede was the reason he had left and
'0 sea. During his life as a sailor, he
met Wilkinson, who influenced him
‘ome his partner in crime.
‘ventually tracked Elliott to a ship
vered he had left for Liverpool
Previous Thursday. I asked the Suf-
Weadvican’ attorney general if it would
feraid « € to apply for extradition, but
Theres xtradition would not be granted.
Son was that Elliott was not direc-
a a in any way for the murder;
guilty only of the attempted
mic breaking in Bath, and possibly of
€ in the burglary at Brunswick.
@mk you really intended to kill Officer
You Can
oe.
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: At this time, the Ashburton Treaty was
in force and Elliott's offense was not one
of those cases where extradition would be
given. So the matter was dropped as fara
he was concerned. :
Wilkinson was arraigned September
-11, 1883, only about a week after the
murder. He was bound over to the grand
jury in December. I appeared with all the
witnesses for the prosecution before the
grand jury in Augusta in December and
Wilkinson was indicted at the assizes (a
sitting or session of a court, one of the
regular sessions of the judges of a sup-
erior court for the trial of cases by jury).
A young lawyer named Herbert Heath
was assigned to Wilkinson as counsel.
His defense was most able, but the defen-
dant was found guilty of first-degree mur-
der and sentenced to be hanged. The trial
Started on January 3, 1884, and lasted
four days. When Wilkinson was reman-
ded for sentence, there was a smile on his
face.
Here James Wood's account ends.
Wilkinson was hanged in the State Pri-
son at high noon on Saturday, November
2i, 1885. Oddly enough, no one knows his
true identity. He admitted Wilkinson was
not his real name. ‘‘My own name is ne-
ver going to become public,’’ he told
Warden Bean. ‘That is my secret and I
intend to keep it.”
The prisoner, in an interview for the
Daily Eastern Argus on November 20, ~
1885, said he saw no difference between
the legal and illegal use of weapons.
Wilkinson, who had spent about 14 years
of his life in prisons, claimed he was hung
only because he was an Englishman, and
*‘Americans can shoot as much as they
like and not be molested.” . ‘
Officer Kingsley fades from the old re-
cords and his name has been lost to pos-
terity. One would like to believe things
became easier for the rookie policeman
and that he went on to become a success.
But it is perhaps better to fade quietly into
history, rather than to achieve the kind of
fame Wilkinson did. :
He was the last prisoner to swing from
a rope in the state of Maine. :
*
39
WAGNER, Louis, white, hanged Maine, June 25, 1875
Pree
Wo
In this portrait Wagner appears
mild-mannered and demure — not at
all the killer type.
(Editor’s note: In this grisly tale,
author-historian Curt Norris — a
specialist in New England criminal history
and frequent contributor to this magazine
— dramatically re-creates the 19th Cen-.
tury Isle of Shoals case. Due to the
author’s research skills and writing ability,
he has managed to outdo himself once
again.)
The Isles of Shoals, the site of the murders,
are indicated at right on map.
?
ne fh
DETECTIVE FI LES MAGAZINE,
January, 1975
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he recalled, had a red dolphin painted
on its bow. The dory taken from Ports-
mouth that same night possessed a simi-
lar dolphin, the prosecutor declared tri-
umphantly.
Louis Wagner was led back to his
cell, fear gripping him, his breath short
and uneven. Lying on his bunk, his
eyes stared at the ceiling and he con-
jured up Anethe’s wondrous face and the
countless times he had wanted her. All
those months she had been torturing
him with her beauty. His desires cloud-
ed his judgement and he had been sure
she wanted to yield to him and give her
soft, white body into his embrace.
Anethe. How many nights he had lain
awake under the same roof, envisioning
their lovemaking, the feel of her naked
against him as he finally achieved satis-
faction. He constantly was driven to de-
spair as he had thought of Ivan lying
asleep at her side.
Pushing aside his memories, Wagner
concentrated on the problem at hand.
The jury had looked dour and the new
evidence offered by John Hontvet' had
frightened him. He could feel the noose
tightening on his neck, see himself dang-
ling from the gallows. Panic seized him,
and, jumping from his bunk, - Wagner
started to pick the lock of the cell door.
When his jailors arrived at dawn, they
found the cell empty and Wagner gone.
They sounded the alarm and a search
party quickly was organized. When no
trace of Wagner was found in Alfred,
or the surrounding area, the officers
headed for the sea, reasoning that he
would use the familiar coastal waters
as an escape route.
In the village of Wells, the manhunt-
ers received their first lead. Wagner
had worked at a farmhouse for a meal,
then had been seen in town in the late
afternoon, heading for the beach. At
7:30 that night, after rushing to the
beach at Wells, the officers saw Wagner
heading out to sea in a small dory. He
already had rowed safely through the
crashing surf and, with great speed, soon
‘disappeared into the darkness.
That night, around 12:30, a fisherman
off the coast of Cape Elizabeth almost
rammed a dory with his trawler. The
man bending over its oars was exhausted,
aig
but attempted to row away into the
darkness. The fisherman, soon catching
up with him, offered him help, The man
responded by brandishing a pistol, but,
after firing one shot, threw the gun over-
board and climbed aboard the trawler.
The fisherman brought his. prisoner
to the police station at Cape Elizabeth,
where he was held on suspicion. It wasn’t
until the next morning that the police
from Alfred and Portsmouth arrived to
charge Louis Wagner as an escaped
murder suspect. They questioned the
fisherman who had picked up the ac
cused and it was found that Louis Wag-
ner, in his effort to escape, had rowed
25 miles in four and one half hours!
Surely he could row the same dis-
tance in the same time to commit mur-
der and robbery.
The jury reasoned so and, at Wagner’s
trial, he was found guilty of the two
murders and sentenced to hang on Jan-
uary 29, 1875.
After he realized that his cause was
lost, Wagner admitted that he had won
three championship medals for rowing
in Prussia. Although he no longer denied ©
he had killed Karen and Anethe, he re-
fused té discuss his reasons for the blood-
bath and went to his death carrying the
secret with him.
The island of Smuttynose remains
much the same today and other, newer,
inhabitants walk the wave-lashed shore,
stopping to listen to the sound of the
wind howling and the gulls crying in
the darkening sky: They look up and
see mare’s tail clouds sweeping in over
the island and remember the old sailors’
saying about lofty ships forced to take
down their sails. Sand shifts in odd pat-
terns, whirling across to the beach shrubs
as the waves’ turbulence begins. Rain
splatters, then pounds on the deserted
beach as people head for their cottages, _
turning for a final stare at the agonies
of nature, Staring and, perhaps, won-
dering, fo? some are sure they see figures
moving across the beach—lovely girls,
their gowns, caught by the playful wind,
billowing, and pursued by. men be-
seeching the spectres with outstretched
hands—while the sound of mirthless
laughter flutters over the moaning of the
‘gale and pounding of the sea. . fi
HAS THE ZODIAC KILLER TRAPPED.
been trying to make it more difficult to
find his name.
Detective Sergeant John Lynch, as-
signed to investigate the case, said the
decoded message and the letters of re-
cent weeks convinced him that the send-
er was the killer of Darlene Ferrin, Betty
Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Lynch
said he was checking the “Robert Em-
metts” of the Bay Area, but also was
pursuing the possibility “that the garble
might be just that...a garble to throw
_who was executed in 1803.
HIMSELF? continued from page'23
us off the track.” Lynch mentioned that
numerous well-intentioned callers had
pointed out that Robert Emmett was the
name of an Irish Revolutionary. patriot
Students of ancient religions were call-
ing, the sergeant said, to report that the
killer's. belief that his victims would be
his slaves after he died was a throw-
‘back to the days of ancient Egypt, when
the Pharaohs killed their slaves so that
they could have them as companions in
Ee
|
satis
wr
|
~
the afterlife. Others
such beliefs were als:
ancient religions of
Far East.
For police, the mo
came from psychiatri:
killer’s decoded messa
“If this is not a put-
ably will kill again,”
“It’s the product of
turbed mind. He pro!
caught and, if comere
own life.
“He probably is a
about cut-off feelings.
off from his fellow n
feels his fellow man |
for some reason. Com
killing to the satisfacti:
an expression of in
wanted to kill for the
the psychiatrist said.
KILLING obviously
feeling of omnipot
ed psyche carries the f
with the delusion thz
_be his slaves in the }
tor added. Suicide, ju:
ture by the very po
outwitting, would a
feeling of omnipotenc
While some who ca
the killer’s signature—
might be from an As
found in it a psycho
for the man’s impulse
gested that police re
Signs” by Robert Koc!
thor writes of the em
of God or eternity. Th:
zontal line represents t
cle with the perpenc
active male. A circle »
crossed. represents the
together.
The Vallejo newsr
that only couples par
mantic places had b
posed this question:
“Is it this togethern:
‘male which drives the
of murder and reven;
he cannot stand to wi
of his own twisted lo:
Soon, though, such
disappeared from th
daily press. Vallejo |
County investigators
| _ alone in their quest fc
papers focused their
matters. Summer pass
of the aréa all but
case of the Vallejo cc
Cecilia Ann Shepa:
Hartnell, 20, had ne:
the code killer, altho.
in the Bay Area the
ber. At the time of t
they were attending
lege, .a Seventh Day
at the eastern edge
ippears
—notat
sicily
D.F. DF,
. by CURT NORRIS
hhé three women thought
they were alone on their At-
lantic Ocean island on the
night of March 5, 1873. But
there was a feeling of some-
thing amiss as Maren Hon-
vet sat up suddenly in bed
and stared about, certain
she had heard stealthy foot-
steps crunching in the snow
outside. Her startled glance
fell upon Anethe Christen-
sen, a beautiful young bride
sleeping beside her. The
sounds had not disturbed
Maren’s sister, Karen Chris-
tensen, who was sleeping in
the kitchen beyond. Maren
couldn’t explain her uneasi-
ness as she looked out the
open window across snow-
covered Smutty Nose Is-
land, one of the famous Isles
of Shoals off Portsmouth,
New Hampshire. The three
women were unprotected on
this patch of ground far out
to sea.
Maren had arrived on the island five
years before with her husband, Capt.
John Honvet, from their home in Laurvig
near Christiania (now Oslo), Norway.
They had made their new home ina little
cottage facing Appledore Island. Two
years later, her sister, Karen, joined
them, followed later by Ivan Christensen
and his bride, Anethe, after a Christmas
wedding in Norway.
Mathew Honvet, her husband’s
The lighthouse which served as a beacon for the murderer on his
10-mile trip from the mainland to the Isles.
brother, followed them to complete the
family circle. They did well on their is-
land, prospered in fishing, and bought the
small fishing schooner, Clara Bella.
There was now $700 in the house, put
safely away for the purchase of a larger
boat. So far, America had brought the
Norwegians nothing but happiness.
The stealthy crunching sounds. came
again, Maren’s little dog, Ringe, barked
furiously as a hinge on the outside door
squeaked noisily. Karen spoke from her
temporary bed near the kitchen stove.
‘Is that you, John?”’ she asked.
Maren relaxed, thinking that her hus-
band and others aboard the Clara Bella
had unexpectedly returned. Then there
was the thud of a heavy blow beyond the
closed chamber door and Karen
screamed as some glass shattered.
**What’s wrong?”’ Maren called.
“John frightened me,’’ the sister re-
plied.
Maren sprang from her bed and rushed
to the door leading to the kitchen. It
wouldn’t budge and her heart pounded as
she sought to break it open. She worked
in a frenzy when her sister screamed:
again.
“John is killing me,’’ Karen shrieked.
““He’s killing me.’ This was followed by
another heavy crash and the shrieks and
blows continued.
Maren heard another blow and then a
(continued on next page)
35
m_ there.
the dock
ved that
occurred
Hontvet
‘emed to
2 tempo-
: of The
when ar-
having
insisted,
e top of
to land.
’s house,
, had his
ive miles
I damn
skipper
an in it,
1 and he
| quickly
was the
y doubt-
sntion to
had
wos,” but
arm her
estations
by the
tkers. It
yes had
urf and
een Star
srove he
Too, on
iad been
After a
he left
the fol-
» roused
w crew-
the bed,
a_ bully
and and
7 to him
w of his
ith their
and ad-
n in the
‘ad from’
rum.
n Smut-
drunken
ors.
his story
1 charges
et inter-
nurderer
nae box
ider
And
ixe used
. hidden,
» et. How
look for
RO LETT
ST PRT Peer bieetEs eb u
ne
adie 2h Line ns at ree
rere ee
= those things, John said. The only people
with knowledge of their whereabouts
were members of the household—and
John, Matthew and Ivan had been to-
gether on the mainland all of that night.
On the other hand, John mused aloud,
Louis Wagner had been absent from the
*: group for long hours on the night of the
murder. And he likely knew where the
“money box and axe were kept.
The police questioned John carefully,
* then ‘being non too certain of Hans
Hansen’s guilt, immediately followed up
the new lead Hontvet- provided. John
told them that Louis spoke with a de-
cided German accent and, in earlier
questioning, Hansen had spoken of hear-
ing just such a voice intermingled with
the Smuttynose women’s screams. But
John Hontvet could not believe that a
} man who had been accepted as part of
his family ever could harm the defense-
less women. Louis had worked with the
men with the camaraderie of a brother.
FEVEN when the gold medallion of Fred-
erick the Great, King of Prussia in
the. 18th century, was pried from: the
and identified as one that belonged to
Wagner, John Hontvet could not bring
himself to think him guilty, Yes; John
admitted, the medallion did belong to
Wagner and, yes, it was incriminating
that it had been found. in Karen’s
clenched fist, still, the boy was a good
person and there could be some other
reason for the girl having had it.
The police checked all the wharves
in Portsmouth, trying to find out if Wag-
ner had borrowed, .rented or stolen a
rowboat or sailboat on the night of the
-murder and headed out to Smuttynose.
All the boats were accounted for and
the officers could find no one who had
seen Louis Wagner putting out to sea
‘’ at 10 o'clock. One man said that one
of his small dories had been missing,
but it was found the next morfiing float-
- ing in the shallows of a river a half mile
“away. Its mooring lines probably had
come undone, the owner reasoned.
. When Louis Wagner appeared at the
funerals of Anethe and-Karen, however,
the police arrested him on suspicion of
murder. He hotly denied the charges as
did Hans Hansen, who also was placed
under arrest, but on charges of being
a material witness. :
Louis Wagner's preliminary hearing
was held at South Berwick, then, in
May, he was indicted for the murder
of Anethe. His trial was set for June
9, 1873, in Alfred. :
Wagner spent the month in jail, ‘re-
ceiving visits from friends, including
even the Hontvet family. Tears filled
his eyes as he proclaimed his innocence.
He had, he cried, loved Anethe and
-Karen ashe would his own sisters and
never would have harmed a hair on their .
heads, Falling to his knees, before the
ve
me)
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bereaved Ivan Christensen, he begged
the widower to tell him he believed
him innocent. Ivan nodded his head and,
unable to speak, merely rested an un-
derstanding hand on his shoulder.
/ John Hontvet remained strangely
quiet during that dramatic scene and
even left Wagner's cell before the others,
a grim, determined look on his face.
The courtroom was hushed as John
Hontvet took the stand, a witness for
the prosecution. The facts, the flimsy evi- —
dence, everything so far had conspired
to favor Louis Wagner’s innocence.
Shaking with emotion and futile rage,
Hontvet recalled the night of the catas-
trophe that had fallen on his loved ones.
“And...and...at 10 o'clock, when
Wagner left us to go on his business...
I remember seeing the gold medallion
on a chain around his neck.”
The courtroom erupted into a storm
of loud, excited whispering and the judge
rapped his gavel, vainly trying to re-
store order. Louis Wagner, white-faced
and frozen in shock, could not meet the
eyes of his accuser for, during the pro-
ceedings, he had testified that his me-
~
dallion had been left at the house on
Smuttynose the morning they had set
out to pick up their bait in Portsmouth.
The jury, although obviously im-
pressed by that evidence, sat silently
as the defendant’s attorney struggled to
offset the latest revelation. He pointed
out that only John Hontvet recalled see-
ing the medallion on Wagner’s neck and
John could, just possibly, be mistaken.
More important, he declared, it was im-
possible to row from Portsmouth down
-three miles of the Piscataqua River on
ten miles to Smuttynose, spend at least
half an hour committing murders and
ransacking a house, then row the 13
miles back to Portsmouth—all within the
space of five hours. :
The knowledgable seafarers of the
community agreed with that argument, —
realizing only too well the struggles nec- «
essary to navigate that stretch of water
in the howling gales of March. 7
The captain of The Little Urchin was
called to the stand next and his testi-
mony . further clouded the issue. The \
little boat he had seen being rowed on
the open sea on the night of the oe
.
for help as the work-
ence. Then, incredi-
their work, Perhaps
‘ woman. Maybe
only fooling. One
-«~1S to today, when
‘ecome involved.
see if she could get
of Appledore Island
As she passed her
Anethe’s body was
ut that the pool of
‘ns Of violence re-
> Open and someone
‘\w shades down to
d through the deep
-otten graves as she
Malaga, the small
»>mutty Nose by an
-Appledore lay no
a mile from this
water, she could
the yard of Jorge
he waved her skirt
dren. Eventually,
side and old Jorge
use and into the
(o his dory, he
towards Malaga.
ent at the sight of
orn and tattered,
_ her hair wild and
und on her face
§!y seeped downa
‘Iped her into the
the dog to her
~ voman had full
ad the old docu-
ation, blunt and
and my sister,
14 toneless
SS
9g a cite,
/
OF,
O.F,
voice; ‘‘murdered while | Stood by help-
less.”” Then she slumped to the bottom of
the small boat.
The.old man hurriedly beached his boat
before his home and carried the woman
inside. While the women in his household
attended to the unconscious Maren,
Jorge hastened to the big house on Ap-
pledore where the poet, Celia Thaxter,
lived with her mother and several
brothers. They quickly spread the alarm
about the’ island. Men gathered at the
house, while word spread of the tragedy
among the other islands. Back at the In-
gebertsen house, Maren was slowly tel-
ling the story to grim-faced islanders. -
“*Poor Anethe stood there in the snow
too- frightened to move,”’ she recalled.
‘The murderer heard us talking and ran
from the kitchen to head us off. Every-
thing was brightly moonlit when he came
around the house. Anethe recognized him
ang called his name. He turned back and
returned with that awful axe.”’
“Do you know who it was? Did you see
him?”
Maren nodded. “It was Louis
Wagner,” she said. “‘] saw him plainly. |
was only two or three feet away from
them when he killed poor Anethe. There
can be no mistake.”’ This brought a
chorus of angry muttering from the lis-
teners, for they all knew Wagner as a
young foreign-born German who con-
stantly complained about his station in
life. He had lived alone the winter before
on Star Island, earning his living fishing.
Then he had shown up one day at the
Honvets, complaining he was ill ‘with
rheumatism. The kind-hearted Nor-
Wegians took him, nursed him, and gave
the man a job on their schooner.
But Wagner soon moved on. He felt the
world owed hima living and barely hid his
envy of those who worked hard and pros-
pered. Wagner had no friends. Weak, but
good-looking, he made many feminine
conquests and then bragged of them. He
was quick with his fists, but the listeners
in the room still found it hard to believe he
could turn upon his benefactors in such a
malicious fashion. ,
‘Are you sure it was Wagner?”’ old
Jorge asked.
“I am positive,’’ Maren affirmed.
“Its a good 10-mile row from the main-
land,” one man observed. *‘Maybe he’s
still on Smutty Nose or on one of the
other islands.”’
“If he’s about the Shoals, we’ll find ;
him,”’ another said. The statement be-
came a suggestion, and the men trooped
out to their boats, Suddenly one of the
men pointed to the west. A small
schooner was beating her way towards
the Isles of Shoals. It was the Clara Bella.
As the schooner put about to head in to-
wards Smutty Nose, the men on shore
signaled for her crew to land at Apple-
(continued on next Page)
From the heights on Smutty Nose,
‘Shouting across to
Maren finally
Appledore Is]
summoned hel
and.
p by
When the ‘‘axeman” was marched through the streets
of Portsmouth, more than 10,000 enraged citizens
broke through police lines and nearly succeeded
in conferring their own justice on the prisoner.
It was the arrival of the U.S. Marines that
saved Louis Wagner for the hangman.
falling body brushed against whatever
was securing the door and it opened upon
a scene of horror. Karen was groaning on
the floor. In the gloom, Maren saw the
figure of someone — not her husband —
against the southern window, a tall and
thin form holding an upraised chair in his
hands. Maren tried to drag her sister to
safety. The menacing intruder inter-
vened, laying the side of Maren’s face
open. Maren was undaunted. Using her
body as a shield to protect her sister, she
shoved Karen inside the threshold into
the bedroom and locked the door with the
wooden bolt. As the man on the other side
sought to batter down the door, the two
girls braced themselves against the bulg-
ing panels. The bride sat in the bed, numb
with fright.
‘*Run, Anethe,’’ Maren called. ‘‘Run
The church on Star Island frequented by fishermen and their families.
36
while there is time. Climb out the window
and hide.”’
The 19-year-old bride obeyed the
order. She threw open the bedclothes and
slipped out the window, crying in pain as
her bare feet were cut on the ice. Sud-
denly the pressure on the other side of the
door ceased, but Maren could hear the
man still there, waiting and panting. She
took advantage of the lull to pull a heavy
chest in front of the door. Then she ran to
the window and looked down at the shiv-
ering Anethe who wore only a thin bridal
nightdress.
The infamous “axeman’’ (left) is
shepherded to jail in a horse-
drawn buggy.
Sketc!
the yo
“Ser |
**Some
hear y:
tended
can’t.
Kare
ing aro
“Ru
ing An
she we
head
footst
Aneth:
corner
setting
Christ:
wards
beggir
notice
windo:
bride \
fore hi
look c
Mai
saw h
axe s!
well.
to mo
“P|
~~
DF.
I
Hf
i
ry
i! |
Christensen,
the young bride who was hacked
to death.
**Scream for help,’” Maren whispered.
‘Someone on Star Island will be sure to
hear you.’’ The bride’s eyes were dis-
tended with fear when she replied, ‘‘I
can’t. My voice would never carry.”’
Karen shrieked a warning. ‘‘He’s com-
ing around.”’
‘*Run and hide,’’ Maren told the shiver-
ing Anethe. But the girl stood as though
she were already dead. Maren pushed her
head out the window as heavy brutal
footsteps again crunched in the snow.
Anethe turned as the giant rounded the
corner of the house and the light of the
setting moon fell upon his face. Anethe
Christensen recognized him. She ran to-
wards the man, calling him by name and
begging for mercy. The man did not
notice Maren, who watched from the
window. His eyes were feasting on the
‘bride who stood meek and imploring be-
fore him. Then he suddenly turned witha
look of rage.
Maren screamed in terror when she
saw him return with a glittering axe, the
axe she had left the day before by the
well. Anethe stood piteously still, unable
to move.
‘*Please,’’ she cried, ‘‘Have mercy.”’
Wagner hid his stolen boat in the
shadow of this ledge of rocks be-
fore he went on his murder spree.
At the time of the murders the Newcastle Bridge outside
Portsmouth was being repaired and was closed to the public.
Wagner used it anyway.
The man said nothing as he raised the .
shining weapon. The sharp edge gleamed
and then it was buried deep in the girl’s
unprotected head. Anethe moaned softly
and slumped forward into a spurting pool
of blood. The attacker seemed maddened
by the sight and rained blow upon blow on
the still form. ;
Maren fell back into the room sick and
faint. She crept in the darkness to her
sister’s side. ‘‘Come, Karen,’’ she urged.
*“‘We must run away.”
The woman clung to the bedspread as
Maren sought to drag her away. ‘‘Never
mind me,’’ Karen moaned at last. ‘‘I can-
not walk. Leave me here.’’ Maren re-
fused to leave. Fresh hammering on the
‘
door smashed the wood bolt which gave
way and flew across the floor, A panel
splintered and the dresser began to move. °
“Go,” Karen urged her sister. **Leave
me, I tell you. Save yourself.’’
Maren reluctantly obeyed. She grab-
bed a skirt from a pile of clothing, threw it
across her shoulders, and escaped
through the window. Her bare feet slip-
ped in Anethe’s blood and she stumbled,
almost falling. Regaining her balance, she
fled into the night. Behind her, she heard
the patter of following feet. To her mount-
ing horror, the trailing form caught up
with her. It was her small dog, Ringe. She
(continued on next Page)
tried to drive the animal away before its
presence gave her away, but the animal
merely cowered and crept closer.
Maren ran to the nearby cove, hoping
to find the boat in which the killer had
come to the island. If she could row off,
the killer would be trapped while she
Sought help. But there was no boat in
sight. The woman was almost crazed with
fear.
Apprehensive lest the killer find her at
any moment, Maren limped over the
outer fringe of ice-bound rocks towards
some empty fish houses. But there was a
problem here, too. The dog would be cer-
tain to give her away and she would be
cornered in a small hiding place. She
looked back toward her home.
A light shone from one of the uncur-
tained kitchen windows. It slowly moved
about, then appeared outside, Appar-
ently the murderer was now beginning his
search for her. She prayed the dog would
bestill. The light reappeared in the house.
It lit first one darkened room, then
another. Eventually it came to the bed-
room containing Karen.
Inside that bedroom, the assailant ad-
vanced towards the cowering and badly
wounded woman. The axe raised and fell;
the blow practically severing the girl’s
arm. The force of the blow left the axe
deeply buried in the window sill and
broke the weapon’s handle. Karen
Started to shriek without stopping...
Outside, Maren shuddered as the last
scream died away into a Strangled choke.
Thena heavy silence descended, broken
only by the sound of the ocean. So great
was her fright that Maren was unaware of
her physical torture as she staggered over
ice-bound ledges and through deep snow
to that part of the island furthest from her
38
_ The Navy Yard at Kittery, Maine, just across from
» Portsmouth, from where Marines were summoned.
mb;
house. She looked back once again and
noticed the light was in the yard. She ran
down among the rocks at the water’s edge
and climbed down between two shelter-
ing rocks. The Isles of Shoals lighthouse
On nearby White Island was directly:
south. She watched its slender finger of
moving light, a beacon of safety she could
not reach. She dug as deep as she could in
the freezing sand: wet, torn, bleeding,
worried that each movement might be her
last. Her mind had not fully grasped the
horror of the Past half-hour, but she
realized her life depended on her ability to
remain hidden.
The fighting blood of the Vikings
flowed through this 28-year-old-woman.
She would need it to survive this ordeal.
‘Maren raised her head cautiously to look
around. The moon had set and a lamp still
burned in the house. She thought it must
be close to2a.m. She sank back, trying to
hold out against the elements. The men-
folk would not return until at least day-
break... perhaps later. She pressed her
slender body against the chill-rocks and
held Ringe tightly. Several times the
murderer approached within a dozen
feet, but the dog was quiet and they were
undetected. They remained this way the
entire night.
Finally, crimson streaks in the eastern
sky announced the dawn of Thursday,
March 6, 1873. Maren still huddled in her
hiding place, unwilling to break cover
until the sun rose high. Then her bleeding
feet carried her battered body around the
rocks to a place on shore where she could
look across to Star Island where carpen-
ters were building a new summer hotel.
She yelled at the men and waved the skirt
which had covered her Shoulders. The
sound of tools ceased as the men looked
Ui iach
over. She screamed for help as the work-
men watched in silence. Then, incredi-
bly, they returned to their work. Perhaps
they couldn’t hear the woman. Maybe
they thought she was only fooling. One
can easily draw parallels to today, when
people seek not to become involved.
Maren decided to see if she could get
help from that part of Appledore Island
facing Smutty Nose. As she passed her
house, she noted that Anethe’s body was
no longer outside but that the pool of
blood and other signs of violence re-
mained. The door was open and someone
had pulled the window shades down to
the sills. She continued through the deep
Snow, walking on forgotten graves as she
ran to the far edge of Malaga, the small
rock island joined to Smutty Nose by an
ancient crumbling wall, Appledore lay no
more than a quarter of a mile from this
position.
Looking across the water, she could
see children playing in the yard of Jorge
Edvardt Ingebertsen. She waved her skirt
and shouted at the children. Eventually,
some of them went inside and old Jorge
hobbled out of the house and into the
yard, Scurrying Over.to his dory, he
Pushed off and headed towards Malaga.
He stared in astonishment at the sight of
Maren. Her feet were torn and tattered,
her nightclothes ripped, her hair wild and
eyes glittering. The wound on her face
00Zcd blood which slowly seeped down a
white shoulder. As he helped her into the
dory, she still clasped the dog to her
breast.
But this remarkable woman had full
control of her faculties and the,old docu-
ments record her explanation, blunt and
to the point: ‘“‘Anethe and my sister,
Karen, are dead,”’ she said in a toneless
DF.
D.F.
befor
insid
atten
Jorge
pled
lived
broth
about
hous¢
amon
gebei
ling t!
“Py
too {i
“The
from |
thing:
aroun:
and ca
return
“Dy
him?’
Mar
Wagn:
was 0}
them \
can ty
chorus
teners.
young
stantly
life. He
on Sta:
Then |}
Honve:
rheum:
wegian
the ma
But \
world o
envy of
pered. '
good-lo
conque:
was qui
inthero
could tu
malicioi
“Are
Jorge as
“Tam
“It’s:
land,” ©
still on
Other is]
“If he
him,” a
came a +
Out to t!
men po
schoone
the Isles
As the s.
wards S;
signaled
(c«
The Axe Monster Of
The Isle Of Shoals
(continued from page 53)
would be taken to Saco, Maine, to await
trial around midnight on March | Ith. The
crowd decided not to wait. Around 1]
P.m. that night, some 200 fishermen
stormed the jail, demanding the prisoner,
. They would, they Proclaimed, give him
the same justice he had meted out on
Smutty Nose.
The jail remained dark and the mob
decided to wait out the officials. Threats
of lynching were made by the sullen
saved Wagner from being torn to pieces
by the frenzied group.
Wagner smirked self-righteously,
“The safety of the innocent lies in God’s
love,’’ he proclaimed,
Louis Wagner went on trial in Alfred,
represented by Attorney General Harris
M. Plaisted (later to become governor)
and County Attomey George C. Yeaton.
Former Judge Rufus P. Tapley and Max
Fischacher of Boston appeared for the
prisoner.
State witnesses testified that Wagner
on several occasions had mentioned
murder as a means to replenish his empty
Purse. He was remembered to have Said
he would have enough money if he could
vet was the Principal witness. Ugly looks :
descended ‘upon the prisoner when
Maren told of the attack on the
19-year-old bride, Anethe, in the bright
moonlight. The rubber boots with in-
criminating tracks, the white agate button
stolen from Karen’s purse and later found
in the prisoner’s pocket helped enmesh
the prisoner in his lies, as did the blood-
Stained shirt he claimed belonged to
someone else,
Appearing in his own defense, Wagner
said he had never left the mainland on the
night of the murder. He sought Honvet
that day to secure Passage for a girl
named “Johanna,” but he couldn’t prove
that such a girl existed. He said he later
trawls. Later, he Stopped at a saloon
where two glasses of ale proved so potent
that on the way home he fell senseless
near the pump on Court Street. He stuck
54
to this story. He had no witnesses.
He said that he had obtained the five-
dollar bills he had spent in Boston for
clothes and lodging as his pay for baiting
trawls. Details ‘of this Boston trip ¢s-
Closed more jaa the staid and shocked
Victorian jury expected. He told of an
episode where a girl named Emma came
into his room in nightclothes and crawled
into his bed, Later, while she sat upon his
knee, he kidded her about being in a fam-
ily way. In the midst of such innocent
pleasures, he told the Open-mouthed jury,
he was arrested for murders he never
committed. In fact, he stated the murders
were the work of John and Maren Honvet
who thus hoped to save themselves high
food bills. Lord knows, Wagner pulled
Out every stop he could during the nine
days of the trial.
But it only took the jury 55 minutes to
bring ina verdict of guilty of murder in the
first degree. There was a sensational es-
cape, but Wagner was recaptured in
woebegone condition in Farmington,
New Hampshire, and there were legal
complications. But. Wagner went to the
gallows on June 25, 1875. He died proc-
laiming his innocence and his love for
God. Several writers have said this was
Maine’s last hanging. This is not true.
The last hanging in the State of Maine
took place 10 years later. But there is
another story that May or may not be true
and it persists down to this very day...
There are those who say that the un-
easy spirit of Wagner haunts the lonely
isle of Smutty Nose and that on frosty
moonlit nights, it searches each nook and
cranny to discover the hiding place of
Maren Honvet, while the ghosts of Karen
‘and Anethe Christensen Stand nearby,
mute with anguish.
No one can explain the Strange foot-
Prints which cover the island on such
nights. *
Was It Hallucination—Or Homicide?
(continued trom Page 33) :
jacket that Harry wore. Harry sat down
and Wolfe moved into action. His first job
was to try to determine if a crime had
actually taken place.
He called in Troopers Frank DiGian-
domenico and Fred Wissing, who were
patroling solo in marked cars. The next
call was to the Pennington Borough
Police Chief Jim Delmonico. Wolfe asked
Delmonico if he had any knowledge of
anyone by the name of Pam Davis being
missing. The answer was negative,
evening, but was soon on his way back to
work. The Station commander, Staff
Sergeant Cosco, was notified of the situa-
tion.
The arrangement, at that time, in the
rural areas of the State was to assign an
additional detective to cover several sta-
tions of a troop. His duty was to assist in
the investigation of serious crimes. De-
tective Sergeant George Justin covered
the Hopewell Station of Troop C from
Headquarters at Princeton. He was
notified and was soon on his way to
Hopewell.
Troopers DiGiandomenico and Wis-
sing arrived at the Station. Sgt. Wolfe or-
dered them to double up in one car and
take Harry out toH unter Road, where he
said he had killed the girl. They were to
see if there actually was a victim.
Detective Hill arrived at Hopewell at
12:45a.m. Wolfe advised him that the two
troopers had taken Harry out to try to find
the alleged murder victim. Hill didn’t
know Pam Davis, but he figured thatif the
girl was from Pennington, Michael Aci-
eri, the Vice-principal at Hopewell Val-
ley Central High School, could help. He
called, but Acieri didn’t recognize the
name. Hill drove to Acieri’s house to look
through a yearbook.
Pam Davis’ picture smiled back at the
two from the bottom corner of a page in
‘There he interviewed Pam’s parents.
They revealed that Pam wasn’t home; she
was with Lisa Bennett. A check disclosed
that the two were not at Lisa’s home
either. Hill headed back to the Station.
Meanwhile, Troopers DiGian-
domenico and Wissing had called in a
negative report. There was no dead girl
where Harry had said he murdered Pam
Davis. Wolfe told them to come back to
the station,
The alleged case seemed to take a
breather for a few minutes. Harry Lin-
denthal, who was alternately lucid and
tripping, claimed to have murdered a girl
on a lonely country lane, but there was no
body. His jacket was bloody. The girl in
question was not home. She was al-
(Continued on next Page)
OF.
O.F.
dore. Soon Capt. Honvet, his brother
Mathew, and the young bridegroom
rowed ashore. The armed group of men
on the beach advanced to meet the smil-
ing crew of the schooner, but no one
could find the right words. There were a
few awkward phrases and the group
moved up towards old Jorge’s house. It
was apparent to the new arrivals that
something was terribly wrong, and that it
involved their womenfolk. Ivan Christ-
ensen stared around wildly and burst in-
side Jorge’s home.
*‘Anethe,”’ he cried, ‘‘Anethe. Where
are you?” He turned questioning eyes on
his sister, but Maren could not find the
proper words. Tears filled her eyes as she
told her brother that Anethe was at home.
Ivan turned and ran to the beach. He
rowed frantically to Smutty Nose, sprang
ashore, and dashed into the house.
*‘Anethe,”’ he cried as he saw her nude
body on. the floor. After he noted the
dried blood clotting her flaxen hair and
the horribly mangled face, Ivan staggered
from the house and fell senseless in the
snow just as Capt. Honvet arrived.
Capt. Honvet remained calm with great
effort after he helped revive Ivan, who
was taken back to Appledore. While
searchers scoured the island for traces of
Louis Wagner, the captain entered his
house with old Jorge. The firststhing he
did was to pull a sheet from Karen’s bed
and cover Anethe’s body. He was tense
with fury as he looked about. He noticed
a hastily-set place at the kitchen table
40
bs i at as a ea a
The city of Portsmouth, N.H., as it appeared in 1874.
where the killer had taken his time to eat a
meal after finishing his butchery. Honvet
noted the teapot was covered with bloody
fingerprints and that the broken kitchen
clock’s hands indicated seven minutes
before one.
Honvet still hadn’t found Karen and
now he went through the house calling
her name, hoping he might find her alive.
When he and Jorge found her kneeling by
a bed in the farthest bedroom, she had
been dead for hours. A bloody piece of
axe handle lay close to the body. As if the
axe wounds and clubbing weren’t
enough, Karen had been strangled and
‘her face was black.
The killer had left bloody evidence of
his visit everywhere. His footprints led
from room to room. Karen’s empty pock-
etbook lay just beyond her body. Other
empty pocketbooks were found in other
rooms. Bureau drawers had been pulled
out and their contents scattered in the
blood on the floor. Trunks and boxes
were torn apart. Pulling blood-splattered
sheeting from one particular trunk, Hon-
vet drew out several hundred dollars in
bills overlooked by the killer.
The two men found a blood-streaked
towel and a basin filled with crimson
water near the well. The murderer had
tried to wash away the incriminating
Stains, but had forgotten the clear boot
marks which he left all over the island.
The boots had an unusual shank and the
taps extended clear back to the heel.
After asking old Jorge to see that no one
disturbed the boot tracks, Capt. Honvet
and his brother, Mathew, rowed back to
the Clara Bella and set sail for
Portsmouth. Once there, they told their
Story to the city marshall at police head-
quarters.
The captain said that the three men —
he, Mathew, and Ivan — had left Smutty
Nose at 6 a.m. the previous morning and
had fished a few. miles southeast of
their home. Following that, they were to
have stopped at the island, picked up
Maren, and taken her shopping in
Portsmouth. But there was a headwind as
they headed back towards the Shoals so
they sailed straight to Portsmouth to
leave their fish and pick up bait. Because
they never left the island without a guard,
they planned to be home before sunset.
‘If that was the case,”’ the city marshal
asked, ‘‘why didn’t you return to the
Shoals?’
‘“Because we found out the bait
wouldn’t arrive from Boston until 11 p.m.
So,’’ the captain replied, ‘‘we sent back
word through Emil Ingebredsen that we
couldn’t get home before daybreak.”’
“Did Louis Wagner know this?’
Captain Honvet replied that Wagner
was down at the wharf two or three times
the day before. ‘‘When he learned that we
had all forgotten our pocketbooks he
seemed very interested and wanted to
know if we intended going back for them.
I said we were laying to in Portsmouth
and baiting trawls. I asked him at least
‘DF.
DF.
twice if
but he r
‘Did
in your
“Yes.
‘family a
around |
up for a
it thoug
from th
that wa:
five-dol|
The n
had app
trip to §
belongir
worked
thole pi:
vered hi
the poli:
few milk
pins, m
complet
* of muc!
Word
be brou:
descripti
cities th
medical
eral hou
steamer
of Shoal
Police
the Sail
Street in
The land
told the
, away all |
fast that
t. Honvet
‘d back to
sail for
told their
lice head-
e men —
t Smutty
‘ning and
heast of
/ were to
cked up
ping in
dwind as
‘hoals so
iouth to
Because
a guard,
sunset.
marshal
1 to the
he bait
Il p.m.
‘nt back
that we
ak,”’
aes
Wagner
-c times
‘that we
oks he
*nted to
or them.
smouth
at least
’
twice if he wanted to help us. He said yes,
but he never returned.”
“Did he know you had money hidden
in your home?”’
“Yes. We treated him as one of the
‘family and always discussed things freely
around him. We had around $700 saved
up for a larger schooner. Wagner missed
it though. The only money he got was
from the pocketbooks in the house, and
that wasn’t over $20. It was probably in
five-dollar bills.” :
The marshal told Honvet that Wagner
had apparently rowed the 20-mile round
trip to Smutty Nose and back in a dory
belonging to David Burke. Burke had
worked all the day before installing new
thole:pins in the dory. At 7:30, he disco-
vered his boat missing and reported it to
the police. It was found the next day,a
few miles above Portsmouth. The thole
pins, made of tough wood, had been
completely worn down, giving evidence
of much hard rowing during the night.
Word was sent out for Louis Wagner to
be brought to police headquarters. His
description was telegraphed to the larger
cities throughout New England. The
medical examiner was notified and sev-
eral hours later, at 8 p.m., the official
steamer Mayflower anchored off the Isle
of Shoals near the Clara Bella.
Police looking for Wagner went first to
the Sailors’ Boarding House on Water
Street in Portsmouth, where he lodged.
The landlady’s daughter, Mary Johnson,
told the officials that Wagner had been
away all night but had appeared for break-
fast that morning at 7:30 a.m.
This century-
“His clothing was a mess and he
looked terrible. When I mentioned this,
he just stared at me soberly, ate a very
small breakfast, went upstairs and soon
came down. His shirt looked awful bulky.
He had something hidden inside it.’’
‘Do you know where he went?”
The girl blushed. “‘I think he went to
the privy out back.”’
Officer Jellison went out to investigate
and found a bundle wedged tightly be-
neath the seat. He returned to the house
and questioned Miss Johnson further,
She said that Wagner had come down-
Stairs again at 8:30 a.m., ‘looking con-
siderably ‘freshened up and wearing
another suit.’’
“Anything else?’’ the officer promp-
ted.
‘“‘His knuckles were scratched and
bruised. When I asked what was wrong,
he said he had gotten into serious trouble.
Then he grabbed his bag and left.’’ The
girl said she thought at first Wagner had
left owing three weeks rent, but she
checked his room and found his clothes
were still there.
The police made a thorough check of
the suspect’s room. Other officers began
a ghastly lamplight investigation out at
Smutty Nose. They studied and meas-
ured the marks left by the strange boots of
the murderer in the bloody snow and a
police artist made careful drawings. They
noted the positions of the bodies and the
crimson confusion in and about the
house. Then the officials crossed over to
Appledore Island and listened to Maren
Honvet’s story.
Maren added a further bit of informa-
tion which she considered important. ‘‘I
was all dressed up yesterday, waiting for
my husband to come and take me shop-
ping in Portsmouth,”’ she recounted.
“My sister, Karen, asked me to purchase
some buttons for her. She gave me one for
a sample, but I was afraid I’d lose it so I
told her to put it back in her purse and I’d
remember, it when I opened the pocket-
book. My husband told me this pocket-
book was found empty and that the but-
ton wasn’t on the floor. I think the mur-
derer might be carrying it around in his
pocket. It was small and nct very notice-
able. But it is very distinctive.”
The woman paused a moment, obvi-
ously weary. Then she continued. “It
was a very peculiar white agate button
shaped like an octagon. I’ve never seen
another like it. I told, my sister I didn’t
think I'd be able to match it, but I’d be
glad to try.”
Back in Portsmouth, the city marshal
learned that Wagner was still at large.
Officer Jellison made his report and
showed the curious package Wagner had
left in the privy. He was told to guard it
well. The police officer said that Wagner
had been traced to the Portsmouth rail-
road station, where he bought a ticket for
Boston and left on the 9 a.m. train.
The city marshal telegraphed Chief of
Police Savage in Boston and asked him to
locate and hold Wagner if he could. The
marshal forwarded several addresses
supplied by John Honvet of Wagner’s
(continued on Page 53)
old photo shows the murder house — third from the left.
41
ance”’ by the
so they were
»osed by de-
y \ozakiewicz
the inmates
»dded’’ and
ylvania State
‘estified that
ree wooden
th a wooden
> when he
n. He added
a hurricane
that only one
hat a second
t McGrogan,
for the pro-
Stuver, Al-
ecialist, who
folding chair
son matched
suard,
ickton called
loyd Coles,
he coroner’s
ample drawn
found at the
with two
ising ele-
ine first wit-
is Cameron,
the prosecu-
i.e stand that
ttempt in his
it six months
on. Cameron
ct report’’ on
1other guard
or of his cell
id in a semi-
and manner
1't disclosed.
was taken to
vhere he re-
netime later,
ew with Dr.
psychiatrist.
2stimony, the
ze Loran L.
tatements on
Jelker, one of
rder of Peter-
ibling manner
killed guard
{ he jumped
entered the
irther claimed
ris genitals to
§ shakedown.
ed Peterson
cut his throat
on’s neck was
». He then tes-
a with a chair,
mee |-))
but he claimed Hoss took the chair out of
his hands.
He further claimed that McGrogan, the
convict who testified for the prosecution,
aided him by tying the doors shut with
‘*something white — like a Turkish
towel.’’ Delker claimed Hoss opened the
doors to permit the guards to enter.
The convict claimed a racial prejudice
“*so thick you could reach out and touch
it” in the special behavior unit drove him
to commit the murder. Delker, Hoss, But-
ler and McGrogan were the only white
prisoners in the section.
He stated that he had pleaded to be
transferred to another prison before the
murder such as Farview State Hospital
for the criminally insane.
Under cross-examination by Hickton,
Delker was unable to explain why Hoss’s
clothing was stained with Peterson’s
blood.
In Hickton’s 14-minute closing argu-
ment, he urged the jury of seven men and
five women to return a first-degree mur-
der verdict. He said: ‘‘I submit to you this
is a premeditated, uncalled for, stupid
murder.”
Defense counsel Zimmerman, in his
one-hour and 40-minute summation, chal-
lenged the testimony of convict
McGrogan.
‘‘McGrogan is a 51-year-old multi-
murderer and an admitted homosexual
whose sentence won’t expire until 1999,”’
Zimmerman charged. ‘‘The question re-
ally is: ‘Is McGrogan worthy that you
believe him or did he embellish on the
incident?’ ’”’ .
On June 13, after only four hours of
deliberation, the jury returned a verdict
that was termed disappointing to the pro-
secution and the defense.
Hoss was found guilty of second-
degree murder, which carries a 10-to-20
. year sentence under the new state crimi-
nal code. Hoss remained calm when the
verdict was read and the 12 jurors were
polled.
“It was obviously a compromise type
of verdict,’’ Hickton said. ‘‘I believe we
put in a first-degree case, but it is hard for
human beings in a jury to call for the
ultimate penalty of life in prison.”’
Defense counsel Zimmerman said sim-
ply that he was glad that it was over and
that Hoss requested that he file an appeal.
However, the biggest complaint was
voiced by Allegheny County Clerk of
Courts Robert N. Pierce Jr. who won-
dered why the trial was held at all. He
called for radical changes in Criminal
Court procedures because the trial cost
the taxpayers $23,023.
“It’s absurd to go through what we
went through on the Hoss case to simply
impose another sentence on someone
who’s already going to spend the rest of
his life in jail,’’ Pierce said.
However, two other convicts, Daniel
Delker and George E. Butler were re-
manded to stand separate trials in the
murder of Capt. Peterson. As of this writ-
ing, Butler has not been brought to trial
and must be considered innocent of all
charges unless and until proved other-
wise in the appropriate court. Daniel De-
Iker was, at his trial, found guilty of first-
degree murder and sentenced to life im-
prisonment. *
(Editor’s note: The names Theodore Webster,
Benjamin Porter, Fred Higgins and Karen
Coyle are fictitious as used in the preceding
story. They were changed to spare innocent
persons undue embarrassment and publicity.)
The Axe Monster Of The Isle Of Shoals
(continued from page 41)
favorite haunts. The Boston chief was
also advised of the white agate -button
taken from Karen Christensen’s purse
and told that this constituted an in-
criminating piece of evidence, should
Wagner be apprehended.
Charles Campbell and Israel Fletcher,
both guards at the Navy Yard, were
among the first to see Wagner along the
Newcastle shore, where the dory had
been found the morning after the mur-
ders. They discovered his tracks leading
up from the shore. The police later de-
termined these tracks were identical with
the unique sets found about the murder
island. Other residents who knew
Wagner recalled seeing him walking on
the Newcastle road heading towards
Portsmouth. George and Joseph
Amazeen, Anne Carleton and Alonzo
Green also saw him on the Newscastle
road. Joshua Frasell met him at one of the
bridges.
Down in Boston, detectives were busy
investigating the addresses supplied by
Capt. Honvet. They found Wagner with
little trouble — a creature of habit, he had
once again slipped into the routine he
knew asa sailor, visiting the same places.
He was found dozing by a stove in a
sailors’ boarding house run by a
Katherine Brown on North Street. In one
of the pockets of his new suit, police
found a white agate button which corres-
ponded with the one described earlier by
Maren.
When it became known that the axe
monster of the Isle of Shoals was in jail,
crowds hung outside all night and were
joined by more people in the morning.
The mob hooted and jeered as it followed
the prisoner through the streets to the
Eastern Depot, where he was put on the
train for Portsmouth. But this was no-
thing compared to the reception he got in
Portsmouth. More than 10,000 angry citi-
zens awaited his arrival. As the handcuf-
fed prisoner descended from the train, the
aroused mob broke through the police
lines. The raging crowds pressed closer
even when the officers drew revolvers.
Police reserves were summoned, but
their presence seemed merely to infuriate
the mob. Finally, worried officials sent to
the Navy Yard for help. U.S. Marines
had to be used to clear the way to the jail,
and they used bared bayonets to accomp-
lish the task.
Safely in jail, Louis Wagner regained
his composure. He séemed to become
very religious and loudly protested his
innocence. ‘‘God,’’ he intoned, ‘‘will
protect the innocent.’’ Wagner was a
handsome creature, and he was now on
his best behavior. Several women started
campaigns to free him and he was cham-
pioned by several civil rights groups of
that day. But he was loathed by those
who really knew him.
Police took note of the prisoner’s
boots. They had odd shanks and taps that
extended clear back to the heel. The
prints found at the murder scene were
matched with the boot and there was no
doubt. These boots were the ones that left
prints in human blood all around the is-
land of Smutty Nose. Wagner couldn’t
explain away the blisters on his. hands,
either — evidence of a 20-mile row which
he had made in the space of some four
hours.
Capt. Honvet and his wife, Maren, vis-
ited the jail. They found Louis Wagner
idly whittling on a piece of wood. He
looked up and grew deathly pale when he
saw Maren standing before him. Then he
was quick to regain his composure.
“I’m so glad Jesus loves me,”’ he said.
John Honvet snorted. ‘‘So does the
devil,’’ he retorted as his wife identified
the suspect as the murderer.
Later, Officer Jellison confronted the
prisoner with the object he had found
hidden in the privy. Mary Johnson, the
landlady’s daughter, had identified the
gruesome find, a man’s shirt soaked in
blood, as belonging to Wagner because
she recognized her darns and patches.
Wagner denied ownership.
“The wicked set traps to snare the
righteous,’” he observed, *‘but they fall
into the pit they themselves dig.”
When it became known that the trial
could not take place in New Hampshire
because the State of Maine had jurisdic-
tion over the island of Smutty Nose,
anger flared into rage among the people of
Portsmouth. Rumor spread that Wagner
(continued on next page)
53
iets
at -P«
ASS REO ae
vee sone: ES
o_o
CSAS a mtr Fo vayis
eee RES
" ,~
rk
“
’
Been racer era ae
ats th io Set tiie, eS
« . . bs, 4 bd
ow’:
PES a See SAO
Ee ey Sh PRES Rages
fl O
my
° ‘
» LEWISTON SAT URDA
: _sioceig MSHERGIE ‘20, ccs ‘ tint Saye 2 Sieg Toucwile_” ee Set
Bisson pada With
His Life .
For Murder of Police-
(matt Lawrence in Bath.
ae
A Biv of Mystery Still En-
shrouds Tragedy — Was
Wilkinson Resuscitated?
ie
THOM ASTON, Me, Nov. 20 (Spe-
Ctal).—At 11.49:30 o'cluck, to-day, it
thirty years
“< have been exactly
eiiicé the last man
Aiaine!
Thig man was Daniel Wilkinson,
who whot and killed Policeman Will-
fam Lawrence in Bath. This execu-
Vion took place at one-half ‘minute
before nvon on riday,. November 20,
— 1885. Circumstances surrounding this
Casa and the execution, of Wilkinson
wore directly msponarble Lor tho ubo-
Hifon of capital puimshment dn this
Slate,
The erime for which Wilkinson paid
7 tho penalty attracted widespread
- attention, Vollcemuan Lawrence. dis-
covered hia alayer and another man
breaking Intyu a store. Hoe chased
them and ran iute Wilkinson, who
: Dred, inticting the death wound and
then made his escape. 2 :
After a long period he was captur-
ed pt Bangor s.by Dennis Tracy, a
member’of the palice force of that
-elty. Tracy had been much interest-
ed in the case, ns he was In all erim-
inal matters—he later became a very
well known detective of Majne—and
#tudiod Jt carefuly, fumilarizxing
Ai:merelf with the supposed rourderer's
“description. TPhix otffeer for some rea-
fon fclt gure that the, tnan would
heud for p seaport city and so haunt.
ed the water front) of Rangor, and
one day the search was rewarded,
‘:
Wilkinson
Bath, tried
Cave
My many jt
that Waikinson went to his death un.
der an aseaned name, At this time
Was hanged in
As Tracy was making his way
Riong the City Point wharves he raw
his man.’ This man
“overhauling” buniber.
Wen dropped from
Mon the
work
police.
down
arrested
back
wae at
The
the wharf
lumber ratt and
, Whe Was taken
and convicted,
Asxuntald Name.
has aiways been
to
“
felt
thirty years af(@e
rather hard fo asuagguin
Was, but it wns so. .
Much publle sentiment, wos ercatea
for Wiikbison, because it was felt his
crime was not premeditated, and that
& verdict of mansinug gi Tor tuurder
the crime--ft {sx
why this
term of years orof }ife Sipeiednt ni,
Acoomling to the verdietsé: The. jdry,.
however, after hearing Ne evidence,
hold rulity tu tha tirst desyes.
4
“m
finn AT.
a ; Kans
nN ae ws Sasser
SSeS
eee
DANIEL WLKSON ON ‘BCAFPOL DB AT TMOMASTON, WOV. £6, ise5.
Photograph Was hiacic Ju st Before Trap Wes Sprang.
It was clainiead that he was cone
neeted with prominent people and
took a fictictous name to protect his
people from the scandal which would
come.
To the very
last Wilkinson died
Puptesting he was n victim of bis own.
untrnendliness and that he wus being
wrongfully executed. To the vers
last he declined to give any- name
other than “Danlel Wilkinson” Like.
wise ho refused .to tell where he camo
from or to gAWe a bit of Information
feoncer ning hitaself,
- 2,ABK,
Tn the little ‘cometery in the shadow
of the Stute priton wall, here, there
{s a2 modest headstone, the~only in-
seription on which is the: four nu-
Inerals 2695." ; :
Reference to: the prison recorder
show. that convict 2.69) was Duniel
Wilkinson afd the natural auipbost-
thon is that it ts bé™who tiles buricd
there.” ed : va,
Js it? io +. ‘8
in the second ‘deeres should Have} That; In ay giseauion: “wnifgh "Rage been
beon returned “by, ty hae ptt bg ake Linon baked we BUN be Spreads ye NF
would: have pravided i pert nhity or W panes years ietiaelog the ex-
ecution Alera wits a persistent claim
that Wilkinson. was not executed:
thet, In fact, there was no execution,
but. that a “dummy was used and that
Il wan not the body of Wilkinson
whieh wag buried tn tho prisan ceim-
elery.
According to this story Wilkinson
had powerful friends who succeaded
in saving him from the gallows and
helped to apirit him out of the coun-
try into the Canadlan’ northwest,
where, at times for several years, ft
was reported he bad been seen and
recognized by Maina men.
VThia wax not the first time that ‘a
romor bay exiat of a: fullure to ex-
eculo in «Maine, When Joseph §.
Baper war :publicly execdted on, the
equare at Augusta in td, his body
wes hurried to Hallowell where’ ef-
farts were made to restore lifo thru
the aid of electricity.
So secretly waa the body Alsposed
of that ft was reported the effogt
was successful and that Suger went
to Texas “and settled. It Was also
claimed that the body was buried on
one of the islands tn lake Cobbossee-
conte,
‘THe photograph: from which the aa-
‘compunylig cutewascmade, wag niade}
on the day W Kinsdn was. hunged,
just. e@ moment or?two befére the
trup was sprung. It was recently
found by Warden Waterhouse among
sonia old recomts of the State prison.
PUBLIC. IS. IRVITED
DR, PURINTOR ENTERS
home on Court street’ The house was
attractive with ferns and earnation
pinks, Auction was played thery be-
ine sour tables witb the followine
yo Androgooggin county
.
AL.
“WAY BE RAISED
ee George A. Davis
Brings to. Light Interest-
ing Coalition of Things
.
Is cheaper tor Linceih to Send
“Prisoners to Auburn.
ee Coutitibe May Bein Same
. Boat—New Side to the
fe Davis Case.
Tho price of hoard
hotol may be rutsdad.
it is conceded to He one of the most
popular stopping places jn the State:
tls propretorg have come to wonder
AY, perhaps, it ty not the low price
‘or board that hus attracted such e
wide paironage. Truly itt could be
said of thie jusiitution “Satistied cus.
rtomera arg our best advertisement.”
In: Androscoggin county jatl—that's
the hetel referred to ju this tnstance—
{In tho county/
“.Jare housed not only the prisouars of
this tounty but of other counties in
tho Btate. Lincoln county turns over
all tls sentenced and bou: 1d over neu
for Lincoln
county does dot imaintain {ts jail Ox-
ford'county has no workshep* and
men sentenced to lnbor ure often
turned ‘over for Androscogxin’s keep,
“]3t has cost those other counties $20
Weok for each prigoner they keep in
“Andros doy gin county jail.
> Sherif Lewis E. Davis, has felt all
along that 't2 didn't quite cover the
cost-of a prisoner's keep but be wus
GisinaNhed to bust
: any prececenis,
.j Now ha proposes ta do just that. He
bag been. moved to do this-on the
~jatrength of « Slatement contained in
e letter-from ‘a Uncaln county au-
‘thority in which It was said that it
‘was far cheaper for Lincoln county to
vent prisoners to Auburn jail than to
maintain @ jail of ita own;
"On the strength’ of--that latter I
am- ‘geing “before the county comuinjse
|sioners Just as noon eg I can get. two
of them together and ask that chis
question ‘of the price of board he
studied into,” says Sherlf@® Davis.
. He BayB that T2 a. week... dvex nor
cover the cost of keeping a prisoner.
While Jt may meé6ct the food bil, be
beHoves that Igbt, heat, clothes and
salaries of keepers should be figures
in. Moreover he fecls that une coun-
ty boarding prisoners for another
county should, perhups, be reim-
bursed for a Nttle more than Lae cost.
Mr. Stuger’s Tatier,
The appended fetter signed by Gea.
W. Singer, recorder oof the. Lineola
County municipal court, whe fs alse
proprietor of the “Damariscotta Het.
ald" ts the one tg which Sherif?
Davis hus reference. It warn Kent-to
the Lewtston Journal and was shown
the sherim by on reporter dt a
Paper Mere jy the letter:
: Nov. 17; wIs,, uM
Lewiston Journal:
In régard to the stoty of “the
Wrongs. of. George A. Davis incarcets
ated for breaking and ¢ eptéring ané
larceny Wo wisb to say Umatl Just ‘one
of the Slatementa le correel. ‘Tie ts
the cause’ of expanse to thiy count y.
but we have so few critninals, thanks
To's’ bie igen enfortement. of the Dre:
Phib; tory law that fy far cheaper te
send. 4hdit to Auby ym han to keep
the jai at Wiscagact oper. |. Now,
George A Davis fa mbt of Notlkebora,
Ho happened to be [un TNeblebora at
‘the time but belonged ta Roeklind,
Mass, and his family have reiurnod
to that= Place, Wits “children” con-
Mist of wa four-yecr-old ehikd jend ‘a
cron of his wife siahbleie: delta aa)
obuyst oe8
oot
s
rd
tn
OE 0 eS,
ce
rom roots gath
The method
from n» half-4
0 inhibited “a
@ as communi }-
it. This great
BPurifier |
n, Benen,
Ch ath <
ison” and: on
APHER
zen of Lew
bth ila
hing. but our}
ewe shall try
£ | Aepeciat Corres
O41 Sune let. 1786,
\p fitet day to: Deacon Wm. Stowell’s: at. Sontht
ly Days am Maine. ES P ‘
“Lewiston Journal
ORWAY, Nuvo
ny and’ lohn*P, at
the latter 2h years eface the: March ‘previons,4)
aa
Jjeft:New Gloucester;'the home of thelr parents:
and ster:ed for Norway. -They “traveled the eae
Paris; now the Col., Swett stand, where
ae ‘Mayedover night. The next day: they forder
ta can’} gro’
hat is now).
his thicd wi
t four childré
‘From’ Branswick: «suspicious:
strauger:wag traced: to\'a, Portland . boarding~.
bouse''where he had given tke name of: John |
Blliott and left without: paying his bills; ole,
liott could not be traced. but: he had « com-
) panion: named: Daniel Wilxlason:: who’ was:
traced to. Bangor. Wilkinson: ‘was found”: in:
bowed. with | the.employ of a tumbering firm,chere, and was
‘ages-< Ther} atrested two weeks after thes murder. “A. re-
Ore: volver and a’quantity of. burglars” “fuse: were :
}j found.among his effects.,: He: was frightened
lar-| 80d confessed that he-shot the officers)...
‘He said he was seized by strong arms® while’
‘wan running fromthe: store’ and ‘shot’ thé
‘without hesitation. He ran (o- the=river,
‘@.boat and crossed, walked to’ ».. station
the’ Knox -& Lincoln: railroad, where, the:
extmorning-be took # trai Roek!
hence; went to ee
bridat
man; about 23: years
figures: oete
satlor:
temced to be ‘Bung, Ang
assed # large” part of
+| Lane's wife had been divorced ana bad the
child: mort ach etaa SACS RA z rN :
belag bis second. term: at:
whe acrested, Wedaesday,
Ww
débtof 882.07:
’ taided two:houses’ and
ples was captured in, Mil-
op
2, the
‘ater-bus penetrated: Pligtim Hall’ ut Pir”
uth, Mass., and.injured.the creat’ painting
andi. thé Pilgrims.?*:-. fae re ee
ye €hot ‘berself ia Bakimore,
“troubie “with her-1,
‘dollars “were ratsé3’ at’
the’ Irish campaign, in:
Rap' h.; Wednesday'night.<. <<
he Baldwin murder trial in Atkinsou, Kan-
sas, closed," Wednesday, witn the. verdict
“guilty.” The scene was very affecting.
Ao ex-meotber- of the» Pennsylvania. State
Legislature has ‘beew fined $50 and given a ten
months’ sentence for assault and battery,
A Texas merchant named ‘Pires, was sud-
Genly taken insane whiie stopping at thé” St.
James: Hotel New: York. 9. Gels,
_ Twenty-nine lives iiave been lost: the vast:
six montis i ustracting the New: York
aqueduct) ae PN DR aN Se Yeh 8 aka
«oln By Alley says that the: Presideyt bas
done fojastice to ex-Chief-Jastice Vinoint of
New Mexico, in removing him, and he (Aer)
proposes fo. tell Mr Cleveland so: © 0 1"
+ Col. McCawley,’ Commandant: of the U. 8;
Marine® Corps ‘says :xbat* department basn't:
-{ enough of
| te spend’next rear.
+ Or men;> He, wants, $918,844
Cornelius A: Lane of’ Philadelphia, kid-
napped hig. three-year-old. son;:. Thureday.
‘Minnie Disbner living near Colambus, Neb.,
:has lain ina: comatcse* ‘state’ almost all the
| time for nearly a: month: Physicians » heave
-beerrableto do nothing forher. 2
+The National Catile- Growers’ Convention at
‘Chicago, Iil., wants Cungrees: to. appropriate:
not less than $1,500,000 ‘to: pay «for. diseased)
cattle slaughtered.) 00 Fo
Louis Riel was buried Thuraday, by Pere:
Andre in the vault underneath the Church of
the Immaculate Conception at Regina; and a
(guard placed. over the remains..=..
~The first appointment of a woman to‘a-hos-
pital. post in: Lonzon -was made'about two
weeks ago.« Miss Predeaux was made house
‘surgeon Of a children’s hospital. 234-0.
One: hundred: Mormon. converts from the:
thern States; left Chatranoogs,. Teas, on
“| Wednesday: night ‘for’ Utah. Foor. banc
-[ Baye gone within:a year...) * VY
pede of the Patent Oftite,
D, Ac McKnight; clerk
resigned that ‘position to accept the office
law: clerk {a the assistant attorney's bureas
the Interior: ent. “pleas Suet Fa
Sheer cor convention of the intercollegiate
plaintiff
inust t he alleged {ibetow- pubii-
Boston must be closed at eleven
f,* One:-ealoon-keeper, arrested
ig the co in the novel plea that
,was eo full of customers that he
@ them. This ts no excuse, how-
ea
Sa A ASS oe tes |
‘ ye2T : for
anew botler
Engl.
eaned out by a] *
/ ks Mr. Joel H.
16 col
“ now fa operatioa 3527
-winterss<,Beveral: srs?
Circulating petitions in £577,
Te or ae Rhy - TAM AA & = :
‘A. jew ofthe in “t
ératy aud religion
| gorbe wholly: nore
open. te the: polis. :
were chosen? Dic f
vib.
v.
Barrete
tt Lowe ao:
a NEW SHARO,
Nov. 29h. .
at br TAY.
Quarterly meeting witi be he
: eet PORTLAS D.
si Mrs. tsapel Bymoode, widow
sepli Symonds and mother of J
died suddenly: Thursdsy fore
4,86 years of age.
hab 22. SREW PORT.
> The house of Warren Stuart,
half. milé from Newport “villag
lurized, Friday night. “The fas
tor he night. (A barre} of four
bags, also cooked. food, sugar
atyailable groceries: “Many pet
|| Of this kind are being committee:
Fitteieta Auve:s
HARMONY. EE
cinltyy Bays the
“The house owned Dy D. ii.
cupied
Me
burned Monday eveniaz.
VOM iser ah his er:
ae: “PITTSFIELD
masked men who bound and zs
carried. him toan old barn, whe
the wse* of his: rocai ‘ organ
‘frightened bis captors away. -T
says the deei isiaid to the cha
from down tiver. ~<. :
aaa PHILLirs:
Byron and M
Of Phillips were going to: Rang
ne were walking up a: steep
Rangeley and Madrid; their bora
frightened, when “Mr. Byron
catch him -and. was run ove
bruised“and ‘cut about she. he
made his escape and had not
<5 epee <a CORINNA.
The rite of: baptism was ad
séven candidates‘on Sunijay at
by spritkling and four by 1mm
Jie PITTSFIELD.
Ward and Cogan of Auzusi
sary sbafting for Dexter and Ki
soon to en inthe mapulact
Pittsfield, on qu'te w late ecale
Central Institute, hela a very.
evening laste. A good sized a
attencanté--and ‘the following
ees very creditabiy: “Pray
hitcomb; salatatory, Hattie
Troy; recitation, “**The Lay of
May,” by: Miss: CO. LL.“ Haskel
solo, Sa B.+ Eagerly ot..Pi
Emmie -L. Parsons of New
Frank A; Gilmore of Belfast:
of London,” by A: May. Drake
cornet solo, Herbert Hunter; p
S Seneas a rem bane agen
‘ riy% og “dusit; Cora
Bienehe Conaor. “Tae paper
be = weltrelished. b
The Amicioian sociéty hotd:
ing Thursday evening? <<".
how koown as Emcrr’a: Sid
December Ist, be calied: Anna
Hi. Fisher has. be:n appolnte
Station. Se SONS we
wade Pacific railro
néGéal, having made the
Guy in a iitle over fire day
Was traffic receipts of the C
WAiway for the week cading >
128,000, an increase of $1000
pond: jast reer, Th
: ing, week, ia miles of
is Sn ied gee ta ohh Paves
ag cas be By. Barrett; secretes Rae
chosen & Commiitce fo dra!: brie
a Quarterly meeting occurs af
Sabbath afternoos, Nov. 22,58
when Presiding Eider Pottle wif
Uriah..Tripp. at” tim
The.
nearly al! saved... No <insuran de
of the fire is unknown, says theme
‘The Advertiser giqes an acco®
ture-of a Maine Central Institut
next- morning, says the Farmin :
completed setting the bojler, en
B. Literary,soclety” connected we
aneeting-at dnstitute. chapel d :
Tae station on the Maine
YILKINSON, Daniel,
rer
3
aS
fend some other articles.
OUR Own STATE. -. 4
“PORTLAND, j
ter Ganetté relates an Noeomnalitien
“a
Hanes that receatiy befell. & Portiana,{ 2
hd iret place. the fatber vaccinated
ces. and ag it did not. take,
led and vaccinated him in }.-
fer a little | all five vaccina- :
took cold and: got }’
the boy
ne morning to get some cough medi-
a took an overdose and came near dy-
mactting tha medicine he pulled down}
on can of Kerosene and cée:uged him-
ms he contents. The nxt day “he felt
pacove and wa’ badly burned; andes
+ Bee ste down ree dur ‘naire:
es.
“WALREIELD.
:. PITTS¥IELD. :
vertiser gives an account of ti 1€:ca
tt 18 bgitte made ta set voune ‘god |
és in Soldiers’ Monument Park, Fatr-. of
pass of such as-bave aes live +. 7
Maine Ceatral Institute studint by | calt
en who bound and gagged him and
m to an old barn, wherphe rejovered
of -bis «socal. organs apd_jthereby
Lis captors away, The Ad
3 peed ig tai
n rivers!
H Groeten ot! T Bangor ani Joseph | y
st. Joun, New Brunswick, “eame-to
Se work last weed.’..On Monday
orm r. decamped with.
Bred and Crocker: was arrested and
‘a sutt~of | & :
>A. warrant] 5
ore the Municipal Court, Thursday.| 7.
es were found in bis-possession when:
The. respondent « pléad: *‘gulity and.
to jail for sixty days, says.ithe |
feeseA man trom Oxford, «who was *:
ed, fell. rom his, wagon as: hé.:was'|*
hrough Norway, ‘Tuesday “morning.
aught aud he was. dragged.a‘short
Some by-Standers stopped the team
ably saved him f
as almost cotirely, torn cif...
WOODSTOCK.
- Cole's ttorg-at ‘Bryant's Pond va
7 burglars Nov, 12th; The’ only:
baie by Mr.Cole owas the money
putainidg papers and change to the
lar.
néxt’ day -nearthe railroad
ction ‘of Locke's: S1ills, oes
“MANCHESTER:
ends of Mr, and Ms. H: re Hawise
Manchester, gaye them a surprise,
evening, it being the’ fortieth annl-:}
Presents to’ the
of thelr marriage.
nhout $100, were brought.
WASHBURN. fea
hotist socicty ia Washburn dedicated:
‘church’ Wednesday afternoon, Nov. |
A.W. Young wasordained pastor of
hon the évening of the same day.
W 8 FROM ALL AROUND. — E
S. Senator Bailey is dangeroasiy: ill
me in Clarksville, Tenn. ~ /
bct 14 on foot te. remove: Union college |
cnéctady to Albany, N.Y...
ht of Cyras W. Field against the Wall |” io E
fly News began Wednesday morning.’
bw York Board of Pastry Cooks and
ker) ‘gave a-grand ball in New York,
ay night: -
w.Epglaud and southwestern rail
miigeged Tharsday for $6.000,090 |
nia
EE a A a NSS
1 {Specat to Lewietdn Journal.)
bwiYork demceratic politicians were |” a
Trust Company of New York.
Mtation ‘Wedoesday = night, /in New
Hove Hill and ate: State. oer:
pone ee “_ bment of bis. life -be: wrestled -
ASLE MAN: IN “WAXNE.
POON Ne PEE, Kia IO ‘
Azearfal Bhetoric Discharged ‘on
pifending Republican’ Postm a.
i the New Appolntee,.
aon © Iprocate
hater Berry of Wayne “wrote. a: te
C, Stinchfisld, the new appointee;
bim these ot his office until. he
hp one, gud offering all assistance. in
‘Tbe: democratic sappointee, Mar.”
g made the following xemarkable yes.
pours of the 12th inst: is before
thank you for this one kfad and:
of courtesy. If thie. ari a:
le heart sa | app and
b 60° widel¥cay°
mh your former course, so strictly
{ gan bat view it asa’ forced act; 138
fit to. be derived from it in, the:
a you remained In° the’ contest just
yyal “f0. your seuse of right, which
p possesscs to a certain extent; had yo
from. .&:"worse fate.:
fhe. ‘papers “and drawer |
‘Trequest of this kind: ©
y
when che woke’ up,dot
and bis. tlamber was hea
“went to sleep. again:
‘half past four; when
himself. : He. ate his. bre:
He devoured ‘all they” Gee bint He told:
Deputy Warden Hinckley that he: slept well.
and was. feeling first’ rate.“ Tha prisoner's.
anti-religious feeling shows. no sign of erage
he was bred an Episcopaliaw: “and: wae: ‘bape
hia. present
require years of deliberation to’ engage: them,
contrition and'ssked the prisoner tae’ foliow~
‘tng.question: : “if'you: had in 3 your: power th
men who you: ‘claimed «
DRAMATIC Re orn ro-
MAN FASITS Om SUICLDI re BU2 1S DE-
“i2Twomastox, Nov, 20th, 12.06.
The ‘great. ‘Question. is solved for the man’
named Daniel Wilkinson. ° Till the inst mer
with the awfal
“problem's is; there “anything, after: the gale
lows 2”. He now knows something abont ite A
-change came over’ Wilkinson in the ‘hast fore-.
noon of his life, When: ‘Chaplain Towers vine
‘fed the. man atten. {O'clock be found bim
Jess: defiant, Jess sanguine, and more‘easily”
affected.” He joined: -with the chepiain in his
prayers, a thing. he never. “did betore,: and.
‘asked the.chapiain to pray for-bim, -his*first
He: bebe
‘welled to the cliaptain’ 3 eyes. te
“Wilkinson had. never given’ any: Indication
gthaylag & soft spot any: where Io bin. before
4, couree that now hausta you .withd a
wad disgrace; had the eleventh ‘hour Hot
so tolled €ré you aArPokel from your re-.
ie arn’s of roto of Or in. the late | pesed.
e-the prcne ryation: of.our abead vabchs
+ ton 2" asked the sheriff, “‘No, sit,”
tized’and went to Sanday: ‘eehool, but he” bhad:|
‘| forsaken his old ideas and f
views after years of deliveration, and it would: 0
The chaplain: amade'a: Jast attempt tO excite’!
ag are)
: ‘day at hoon::
His eyes. were Stele in bis head
rater bat ‘after a while: they
coe fat
¢ These. vere.
&
‘the only sound. he heard.
fa little stream of: waver
“3
att that flows out of @ stone smbankaiout back of
‘}-the scaffold.’
*“Haveyou: ‘anythiag 6 say, Mr. Wilkin}
bald the
“| prisoner:’ The’ black cap was) drawn. ‘down:
over bis head, the officer who did it heaving a
“decp sigh as he atepped off the trap. The-box
Was taken off the spring, and.Sheriff Irish took |
“his hat from bis head<; He was self-composed }-
and digoified,-and Ins clear’ voice ‘he epee
the usual formula and tonched the spring...
The ‘object in black shot down. through the.
_irap,-and st just one-half minute before twelve:
raround as did the Italians:
7 The head fell to one side, the hody. ‘swayed.
& little, — —fot one tpinuts convalsions were: Do«
ticeable. The ‘contraction, of the legs moved
OF: the’ tope a little; “ Fifteen’ ‘minutes after the}
man feli no palse could be felt, and ttree mig- a
utes ‘later be was purin biz coffin: ‘
: Three minutes after falling.paise 96;4 minutes
after, pulse 8455 miautes,heart unsteady ,bard-.
ap AY distingustable; 54 after, pulse 72, very ir-
tl pecalar: 6 minutes, 60 beats, soand of b
d \eregular ; 64, pulse: barely, felt at wrist, | t
lire 44; 8 minutes, 44 (about) beats of heat: ‘
EEO ‘minutes; 36 > pulse;
aie aod wavy; 10} minutes 32: polse; 12
10° minutes, 44:
malnutes cannot count pulse; 32: minutes 20:
ee over heart; 15 minutes, heart. ceases: to
ries YS minutes, cat down the body: No
yard to accordance with-hig request, | The ex-
écation was performed’ with decoram and skill
-Efeel ‘positive that ‘Wilkinson was not: this:}
ran's: name, bors that an unkoowa had: aa i
executed.» eg
> Mrs: Knowles. ig ‘clogitine® ‘that. ibe
case... She beggéd the man to te:i her lis:
€
fe
‘name, ana to altow her to write t> his mo
He pinsed auch a request, at thelr’ bast tect"
Jak ei
ow
7 oe
a
Semeeareaaeieienmaiercnmend
PHOMASTON, Me.;. Nov.
a 1 [Szecial al Lewiston Jourpal.|.
SWilkinson’ da bast Pabost . scclder
wey and pay av ver; as
eeutiog appro
to the conviction £
He yet adheres firmly:
0° alien. be. had not
| imconnection with the éxecution of - Riel.
| dispatch from Terre Browne says: That town
o'clock William Lawrence’s murderer passed |. eres
sfrcm Mte'to death, “The: body didnot: whirl |
3 eae noticable pee
s ae . anol
— a ecotretiere to Conse.
ec,
<< eS. Molerneat, Nove ih.
She eidaehe of McQlll University baye de
cd not to participate in any demonstrations
1s w state of mourning. Stores are closed and
-/erape hangs on every door. The idea of hay-
ing the remains of Riel comveyed to Montreal
is gradaaily being abandoned. O’David saya
to-day, that he for one, would. not work in
that direction.
He said the ‘consequence. ‘of stica a move
} might prove very injurious to the. Preach
-) Canadijns and<he did not feel disposed. to
|} shoulder so grave’a responsibilty,
“Séveral- sidermen~ Thursday, waited upon
tue chairman:ef the police commlittce and in-
formed bitn that it was-izcumbent<apoa the
authdrities to puca stopto the noisy demon-
| strations which: are becoming a nuisance to
ceable citizens, and: might in-the fotnre
ead to a serious breach ot the pesce. ‘The
;} chairman, accordingiy; gave ‘orders to thd
“t ebief of police,who has written Laval and Vic-
toria authorities, notifying them that farther 4--
Beds must be prevented. -
cube ; = SM. DE LESSEPS -
Re
wet’ Celebrates his Eightieth Riac eeithy
~ Presents and Good Wishes;
age aes Panag, Nov. 20tb..
‘ uM: De tae celebrated: his 80rh birthday,
| ‘Pharaday. Heo received-many presents.’ All
the:foreign ambassadors and proniiuent per-
sons i Paris visited “him and paid their rc-
"aspects and the ex-Empress tiekres and ~ the
‘Khedive have telegraphed their. congratula-:
Mons.”: DeLeesepa is confident that he will hve
-Uto:sail through tye Panama canal. He has
are for Pan--
not yet fixed the date of bis de
ama to inspect we work-of ‘the canal“ bat he
‘Will start suoa.. | 0 joe oe :
'y SERVIA SICK,»
And Pailé eae fromthe Fincky Bul:
3 ~ "ee va wartani.)
gia tet “BELGRADE. Nov. ib.
‘Servian hendguaers have been. fret telah
to etd Lage
ee nOx, WASHINGTON. Ks
: + WASHINGTON, Nov.20th:
The Weather for New Englend.
/:Fair weather, stationary followed by slowly
tisiog temperature, winds becoming ‘variable
and generally shifung to sont h westerly, tailing
“barometer.
Canadian Mait Matter’ Fumigated. -
Superiniendent Beli of the foreign ‘mail
“ton of the -Marire~ Civil Service-to- bare nil
at the exchange office on the Canadian trontier.
phe action is taken because of the continued
presence of'smail pox in Canada.
Se -FRom KURUPE,
ieee Pe Rie: Noy..26th.
A Raliroia in’ ihe Congo.”
oM. ‘De SS irstass Atrican explorer, arrived here
Thursday, ‘add: -was given an ovation. in
an interview . he said that the commerce of
the Colgo region required the pensiig of’
Kailroad for its accommodation,’..
o
+
a Ee ease ne Hentratity ofthe Danube,
The’ doctors ae TnGE: cérain’ take hts necks
was. broken. ~He will be buried in the: prisot
Lonpon, Nov. 20:h.
i The GRoomeliea dt lat pge -bas’ protested
against Servian and Boigarian yiiation. of the
nea ality or the Danube.river.
Diatrast of the Emperor's Speke:
+ -~fbe Standard referring to Emperor Wil-
2 cruise breeethne Rerchstag, save it dis-
trosts his hopes ‘of ace and urges him to
a ari regarding‘the te intentions of ves 43: and
ussia, an
Nei natape in Diplomatic Positions;
: CONSTANTINOPLE, Noy, 20tb.
Count Corti, Tealian . ambassador’ bere, bas
been appoint-d
place of. Couat Nigra,
ee }Rbe Ralgetians Take Heart vee Their
“eas
A
hie
BS Recent Victorica,
a cc. Lonpon, Nov. 2
Dispatches received kere state that t
| Yians bave become dispirited over th
“reverses. “The Bulgarians on the
| have been aren zed to the highest
| thusiasni by tue example of Pri Alexander
<<} and the victétics gained wader bis leadership,
They have gradually driven back the ‘Serviac
“1 advance ‘Hine until. the Bulearian’s rearward
line of entrenchments ia vifhin & mile .of-Dag-
‘man village. ln< the fighting, Toursday, che
Servian Joss wae. S004 Bien: Ba and wont ty
5
‘The Hear « ot niet Net te Bhiiovea; b but
-- ;
office, hag requested Surgecn. Generat. Hami!--
mail matter coming trom’ Canada, famigated
stabar ena: of London, in
Ot JOSE
FENG
Ha
are e oe bo 7 oe he
4 \
sii hig MAME... 2S
}
4
.
vad Shei See
ig BLES # 9
St
FOL “%
Ly
Has Been. toiug, on .
ee People the are Weel
Green-wili, on Tim
fet of ig bry ew Cicer BC
airfield Journal.: ‘The ney, a
coe taeda, and fifty mea
‘Borses..« Pasties from Rangeley’
8@ason - who: ‘
jail, where: frequent:y visit the. p
‘| take an iterése r bpasct
“Naw 20th,
of ihaweckeien, firm 3 Heath’
sn vi With Heath & Co.
taal “them”
chase 2,380 shares of Manbat'an:stock and:
000 of second toes .bonds of the Met—
eee
» Was
firm.of Heatn &
| Barker Barer mic sie. obares) 7
Gas Light Com
+ tha is pian’ ‘eaaaal corps has -captured ?
rebel. Convoy which was trying to shee As
souan 40, purchase weapons...
La 5 ‘
eg deciaion of “Judgment tor the: defend. wait Ve
shas been ived from “Y
‘ Ble |:
“and M.'A..Cox ~
‘Jay, ote
Tet A Pay 6,45
wal 100. Pree f
a se8 ep aede
ay, New; ee
pher, says thet
We been used by
ene ee
—
Fatal night ch
.WILKINSON, Daniel, white, 39,
a6 Amer a’
hanged Maine State Prison (Nov. 20, 1885.)
a = fr »,
/
/
See ee ME etme me NR be
By PAUL DOWNING
Bath-Brunswick Bureau
BATH — One hundred years
ago Sunday, 37-year-old Daniel
Wilkinson pulled the trigger of
his .32-caliber revolver, this be-
Binning a series of events that
| earned him the unenviable dis-
tinction of being the last person
executed for murder in Maine.
Wilkinson was hanged at Maine
State Prison on Nov. 20, 1885, for
the murder Sept. 4, 1883, of Wil-
liam M, Lawrence, 63, a Bath
liceman, as Wilkinson was fleeing
from another policeman after an
unsuccessful burglary.
Maine abolished the death pen-
alty in 1887, partly as a Posie of
the Wilkinson execution.
The fall through the trap failed
to break his neck and it took 15
minutes for him to die of slow
strangulation. News stories of the
time reported such events in
minute detail, and the Legis-
lature’s action In removing the
penalty was firmly supported by
public opinion.
It is often said the last person
to hang in Maine was later found
innocent, but that is not true.
Wilkinson admitted killing
Lawrence, and his lawyer tried
hard for a jury verdict of second-
degree murder.
Aside from the historic signifi-
cance of the case, it is a real-life
detective story in the classic who-
dunit tradition.
Just after midnight on Sept. 4,
night watch patrolmen George A.
Kingsley, 43, and “Uncle Bill”
Lawrence, a former mate on sail-
ing ships, left City Hall at Centre
and Water strects to walk their
downtown beats.
: After they
had separated
to patrol dif-
ferent streets,
Kingsley
te er the
ead of a pri-
vate lane and
heard a nolse
’ coming from
the Commer-
cial Street
waterfront at
the other end.
It was a
night with no
moon, and the
sputterin 5
“fishtail” gas streetlights ha
been extinguished. Kingsley
could see nothing until he was
halfway down the lane. Then he
saw, he thought, three men run-
ning from the front door of D.C.
“I blew my whistle when they
ran,” he later reported, “and
called out to them, ‘Stop or I'll
shoot.’ The head man turned his
head around and said, ‘You
wouldn't shoot, would you?’ ”
Kingsley thought he saw two of
them run up Arch Street toward
Front, while the other continued
down Commercial. He called
again and fired his revolver,
He followed them — as it
turned out, there was just one —
up Arch Street and the fleeing
footfalls went into a vacant lot in
the middle of the block, where
Kingsley heard collisions with
barrels or boxes. As he called out
“Stop!” again, he heard a gunshot
from the higher street.
So instead of following the flee-
ing suspect, he ran up Arch Street
to Front and to the police station
for more men and a lantern. He
returned with two officers.
Going by way of Arch Street,
they found the double doors of the
Gould store partly forced open
with a wooden wedge. Then y
began wondering where Lawrence +
was,
Wilkinson
was the man
who _contin-
ued to run
along Com-
mercial
Street.
After his
arrest, he said
he dropped a
or he a
Carrying an
took out his
revolver and
Cocked it
behind him,
He ran up Broad Street and
Pauséd at a tin shop to look for a
place to hide. Not finding one, he
continued up Broad toward Front.
Suddenly he found his shoul-
ders being gripped by the mit-
tened hands of Officer William
Lawrence, who had come out of
the dark without being seen.
“Look here, what you been
doing?” were the policeman’s last
words,
Wilkinson yebes the trigger,
the slug going throu we
rence's right cheek and upward
into his brain.
“Why did you shoot him in the
face?” the defendant was asked
after his arrest.
“I had to kill him to get away,”
Wilkinson was reported as saying.
The police found Lawrence on
Broad Street near Front, lying on
anged history
Police here at that time were
essentially only night watchmen
and were not equipped to investi-
ate a murder. Later that morn-
ng, a Tuesday, the City Council
voted a $1,000 reward — a sub-
stantial amount in those days —
and Mayor James C. Ledyard te
legraphed to Boston for a detec-
tive. ’
James R.
Wood of the
rivate firm
iggin &
arrived
on the eve-
ning train
avold the ap
erat gaay of
eing moti-
vated to
arrest some-
one for the
reward. :
Meanwhile, Officer Kingsley
was coming under heavy criticism
on street corners and in the press.
He was criticized on one hand for
not seeking help immediately in-
stead of investigating the noise
alone, and on the other for not fol-
lowing the man or men into the
vacant lot.
There began to be murmurings
that Kingsley, who had been on
the force for a short time, had
mistaken Lawrence for one of the
fleeing burglars and had shot his
fellow officer.
On Wednesday a “tugboat
man,” Daniel W. Johnson, found a
bent one-inch chisel near Gould’s
store and turned it over to police.
Two or three days later a gun-
piers Saee wek Dron t in by
chae) Lacy, who found it in the
lot Hed Arch —
ce, usy checking out
tramps and suspicious people
over a wide area, apparently
hadn't searched places where bur-
were known to have been.
turned out to be vital clues
— the only ones they had.
Wood intervie the owner of
a drugstore in Brunswick, where a
similar burglary had happened
about two weeks earlier. The
chisel fitted the marks on his
door, a3 it had Gould’s door, and
he gave Wood an unusual wooden
match left by the burglar.
Powder in the apparently
was intended to blow open the
safe at the Gould store. In the
Dispute ©
on death
penalty
continues
By TED COHEN
Staff Writer
A man who has made his
reputation arguing the death
yrarpont should be revived in
ine is sticking to his guns —
but so are those who disagree
with him.
“We need capital punish-
ment in this state,” says Tuffy
S. Laffin, a Westbrook Repub-
lican whose most recent effort
in 1980 to revive the death pen-
alty failed.
“We should have the death
penalty because it is a deter-
rent to murders,” Laffin, a
former Maine state representa-
tive, said Friday.
State Sen. Richard L. Traf-
ton, D-Auburm, and state Rep.
Barry J. Hobbins, D-Saco, co-
chairmen of the Legislature's
Judiciary Committee, dis-
“I have serious doubts
whether the death penalty js a
deterrent,” Trafton, a lawyer,
said. “If in fact the death penal-
ty is not a clear and convincing
diaerenis then perhaps there's
no use for a death penalty
within Maine.”
Hobbins, also a lawyer, said,
“I don't think the facts in the
have dictated that the re
itution of the death penalty
would act as a deterrent in
most instances.
"I've always actively op-
posed the reinstitution of the
death penalty in the state for
historical and philosophical
reasons.”
Death-penalty friends and
foes made their views known
in interviews Friday, two days
before the 100th anniversary of
the crime that led to Maine's
last execution.
The last person executed for
murder in Maine was Daniel
Wilkinson, 37, who on Sept. 4,
1883, shot to death William M.
Lawrence, a Bath police offi-
cer.
|
Gould’s -prgt store, near the his back with his mittens on his . See DEATH
north end of the present water- hands and his revolver and club in See HANGING Back page this section
front park. They headed south on his kets. Doctors said later Back @ this section
Commercial Street. death was practically instanta- Pas
: } y oe —
& £ .
i, sod c bin tla, LEKaudl Y//a cH C_» Pa
fie ; ~, yo ine ;
Spl FG (15b, f4o*
as
er.
‘ities scamming
i ee
Hanging —
neck was a scrap of newspaper, used as a stop-
r, which Wood identified as being from the
ortland Argus. A
Portland police checked
rooming houses in their city
at Wood's request. Mary
Welch on Commercial
Street said two roomers had
been there the week before
the murder. They had left a
sailor's bag behind, but
hadn't returned for it. A
search of the bag revealed a
box of the peculiar matches.
Within a day or two a
letter came to Mrs. Welch
from Wilkinson in Bangor,
saying he had two or three
weeks’ work loading lumber
on a barge and asking that
pert of the contents of the
ag be sent to him. The other man, he wrote,
had taken ship in Boston and would claim his
property later.
Wood, waiting around Portland for just such a
development, took the train for Bangor. He te-
legraphed ahead for Bangor police to try to find
Wilkinson, who had been convicted of a bur-
glary at Thwing's store at Day's Ferry, Wool-
wich, in 1880. -
Wilkinson, a cockney of medium neigh with
a bald head and full beard, had escaped from the
county jail here. He was still wanted at the time
of the murder.
His partner was identified as Thomas Elliot,
about 25, also an Englishman. T.J. O'Neil, owner
of a restaurant at 75 Center St., Portland, later
recounted in court a conversation he had over-
heard in which Elliot told Wilkinson it would be
dangerous for him to go to Bath.
ilkinson said, ey can’t take me in Bath,”
the witness testified. "Before that I'll draw Char-
lie on them.” He patted his pocket.
Bangor police found Wilkinson and arrested
him. In his pocket was found a .32-caliber re-
volver, but the science of ballistics had yet to be
invented and bullets could be compared only by
size and weight.
Detective Wood, arriving
in Bangor, still had no direct
evidence to link Wilkinson
withthe murder. .
Wood tried a subterfuge
to get Wilkinson to talk, in-
caught and had accused Wil-
kinson.
i Wilkinson, who was ar-
rested in 1872 on a charge of
aot | & post office in
North Auburn and who had
served seven years for a
safe-blowing job in New
Bedford, Mass., was too ex-
perienced to fall easily for
that old trick. But Wood
’ closed the trap another way.
“I said to him, "You threw that can of powder
over behind the junk store,’ Wood testified.
“He said, 'No, I didn't. The other fellow had the
can of powder.’”
Slippery though he was, Wilkinson was
Caught at last. “Then,” Wood said, "it had to be
you who killed Officer Lawrence.”
The conclusion was obvious because Officer
Kingsley was still hearing Elliot scrambling
through the litter in the vacant lot, where the
flask was found, when he heard the shot on
Broad Street. . -. :
Wilkinson, by admitting he wasn’t In the lot,
had just hanged himself, and he knew it. He
then told the whole story, and repeated it when
they got to Bath.
Leaving Wilkinson in custody there, Wood
took a train to Boston to try to find Elliot. He
learned the Englishman had shipped out. Elliot
was not directly implicated in the murder, so ex-
tradition was impossible under the treaty with
the United Kingdom then in force. j
On Jan. 5, 1884, Wilkinson was found guilty
of first-degree murder after a three-day tnal in
by, io Court here.
e judge sentenced him to “hang by the neck
until you are dead.” Unfortunately for Wilkin-
son — but fortunately for oP. nents of capital
punishment in Maine — he d d just that.
Officer Kingsley had been exonerated by the
outcome, but he didn't remain long on the police
force. He worked for some years as a stevedore
here, dying on May 7, 1893, at the age of 53,
ee amare ar ran aci
|
timating Elliot had been .
AY
‘In the Telegram
id Blueberry blues
; Matne’s wild blueberry harvest 1s
“ being raked in at near-record leveis this
‘year, but the fruit is hard to find in the
"supermarket and growers are anticipat-
ing the lowest price in years, After-a-
, Visit to eastern Maine, Staff Writer Tux .
< Turkel describes the issues facing the
‘blueberry industry es it confronts now
*
ee Renate? ; ‘
' Boss as star
Car dealers have been going on TV to
, boost sales for years. But in the past.
"Commercials. Staff writer Joanne Lannin
explores the reasons behind the CEO
, Syndrome in Maine.
‘In Monday’s PH
a Cleanup costs :_"
‘. Cleaning up what ts teft of water pollu-
, on in Maine would require a great deal
, Of money, Environmental Writer oH
“Cummings reports dn bow much ts
%
*
_& Flat tax proposals
‘There are bundreds of deductible.
items under the current U.S. income tax
laws. A number of proposals for stmpiler
‘tax systems, Including flat-rate taxes,
. have been proposed. Washington report-
’ er Kendall Holmes looks at those propos-
pare OM aes
Maine abolished the death penalty in 1887,
partly as a result of the public agonizing over
the Wilkinson execution. ;
In January 1979, the Maine House voted 81 to
69 to defeat a bill that would have reinstated the
death penalty.
Laffin, a regular sponsor of such legislation,
told the House on Jan. 24, 1979, "I would rather
spend my money on an unwed mother with five
children than on housing a convicted murderer.”
Porter D. Leighton, a Republican and former
state representative from Harrison who was a
member of the once-active Maine Conservative
Union, said Friday he has mixed feelings about a
death penalty.
“Human life is a valuable thing. and I think it
would be most civilized if we could find a way to
cece that life and not take it under any condi-
n.
“But we can't seem to incarcerate criminals
‘for any long period of time, so I guess I'd have to.
Bay I would ‘reiuetantly have’ to go for capital
punishment if that's the only way we can clear
the streets for the safety of life and limb,” Leigh-
ton said.
State Rep. John J. Joyce, D-Portland, a Port:
land Police officer for 27 years, is a law-and-
order man in the Legislature, but he said he was
against taking a life for a life.
“I'm opposed to ft,” he said. “It’s a final sen-
tence, and If they make an error, there's no way of
correcting it.”
Trafton said, “I personally can think of better
ways to punish an individual for a crime than
taking his life.” He said many judges are making
public-service work a condition of some sen-
tences.
“Any kind of punishment should consider the
victim's position, as well as the public's posi-
tion,” Trafton added.
.. “You learn in law school that retribution, re-
straint, rehabilitation and deterrence are consid-
ered the goals or elements of the criminal
justice system,” Hobbins said.
“I think we have other avenues or approaches
_ within our criminal justice system to achieve
those elements to ensure an orderly process in
our government,” he said.
“I'm torn,” Hobbins added. “In the cases of a
heinous crime, my emotional reaction is that the
criminal’s life should be taken, but overall! the
effect of the death penalty isn’t consistent with
what I think of as an orderly society.”
In February 1980, Laffin, whose nickname
” is now his legal name, led an unsuccess-
ful petition drive to restore the death penalty in
Maine through a referendum.
Laffin’s effort fell about 9,000 signatures
short of the necessary 37,026 validated names
needed to place the issue on the ballot.
Maine is one of a minority of states not having
a death penalty. Of the 37 states with death pr
naltles, 3 sentenood Inmates to death during
Deat -FROM PAGE 1—
story of 1885 hanging still a factor
in Maine’s death penalty debate
By David Sharp
PORTLAND (AP) — The cen-
tury-old story of how Maine abol-
ished the death penalty after the.
execution of a man who was
wrongly accused of murder has
become a part of the state’s
folklore.
The story isn’t entirely true,
but its premise may be among
the reasons Maine isn’t following
the lead of states like California,
where double murderer Robert
Alton Harris was executed
Tuesday.
“The story itself can be a pow-
erful argument. Whether it’s
true or not is irrelevant,” Craig
McEwen, a sociology professor
at Bowdoin College, said
Tuesday.
For whatever reason, Mainers
are in no hurry to join 36 other
states where capital punishment
is allowed. So far, 168 men and
one woman have been executed
in 20 of those states since 1976.
“We are pleased that the Leg-
islature has no interest at all. I
continually feel proud to live ina
state that doesn’t have a death
penalty,’ said Sally Sutton, exec-
utive director of the Maine Civil
Liberties Union.
So far, the issue has been
snuffed in the Legislature. The
last capital punishment bill, in-
troduced by Rep. Linda Curtis
Brawn, R-Camden, died in the
Judiciary Committee in April
1991.
Sen. N. Paul Gauvreau, com-
mittee co-chairman, said most
death penalty opponents think
someone could be unjustly put to
death if capital punishment were
allowed. Others think there isn’t
enough violent crime in Maine to
justify capital punishment.
There were 23 homicides in
Maine in 1991.
“It’s really been a non-issue,”’
said Gauvreau, D-Lewiston. “I
just sense there’s no basic de-
mand for that from the people of
Maine.”’
But not everyone agrees.
Mary Waterman of South
Thomaston, who urged Brawn to
introduce the death penalty bill,
said she thinks a majority of
Mainers would support the death
penalty.
Waterman says she_hasn’t
been affected by violent crime,
but nevertheless supports capital
punishment. She contends the
death penalty should be put to
Maine voters in a referendum.
“I'd be surprised if the death
penalty did not pass in this state.
But if it didn’t pass, then that
would be it. The majority rules,’’
Waterman said.
Across the nation, about 75 to
85 percent of people support the
death penalty, said Steven Bar-
kan, chairman of the sociology
department at the University of
Maine.
Barkan said most Mainers rec-
ognize that there are few homi-
cides in the state and that most
homicides are family related —
WED,
n22-92
im. BanvGork
(MAINE)
DAILY NEWS
fr aa aaeeeeeeementeannahead
unlike highly publicized drive-by
shootings in urban areas.
‘“‘There’s not this fear of
strangers and homicidal man-
iacs,’’ Barkan said.
Many Mainers also agree that
the death penalty doesn’t deter
homicides and that it is often ap-
plied disproportionately against
minorities, Barkan said.
McEwen, the Bowdoin profes-
sor, said each state has its own
unique history when it comes to
the death penalty.
In Maine, the Legislature abol-
ished the death penalty in 1887 —
two years after the grisly hang-
ing of Daniel Wilkinson for the
murder of a Bath police officer.
Wilkinson died a slow death in
front of thousands of spectators
because the knot around his neck
was improperly tied. The publici-
ty surrounding the case prompt-
ed the Legislature to abolish the
death penalty.
Over the years, the story was
amended to say that Wilkinson
was wrongly accused of murder, |
but the defendant admitted his
guilt.
WILKINSON, Daniel, white, hanged Maine November 20, 1885
When Detective
James Wood one
(above) tracked ake we
down a bearded Mi r J
stranger, he solved ay re ( Pi
the murder of yar Pa
“Uncle Billy” Law- Ese?
Wood to
rence, and cleared « rple
an innocent man the perp
Hin . g (Left) The veteran Lawrence went to
the aid of a young officer and was shot
down on this Bath, Maine, street by a
killer who vanished into the night
OOKIE PATROLMAN JOHN
KINGSLY, of the Bath, Maine, trying to jimmy open a door. Headan
Police Department, paused as he “What are you doing?” the officer breath,
reached the corner of downtown — shouted. tried to
Commercial Street. In answer, some unseen metallic ob- How
It was after midnight, the gas lamps ject crashed’ to the pavement. Forms in charg
had been long extinguished and it was broke from the darkness, outlined briefly Kings
so dark he could not see a foot ahead. against lesser shadows. He heard the At firs
As he waited beside a block of un- patter of running feet. he adm
lighted stores, a gust of wind swayed “Stop, or I’ll shoot,” Kingsly warned, there wi
the moisture-laden branches above, scat- drawing his service revolver. heard s
tering. cold drops of September rain His threat only increased the fugitives’ bers ha
down the upturned collar of his coat. speed. drew ni
Shivering, he strode forward, trying He pulled the trigger. Answering pid
doors. tongues of flame leaped out of the night. “Only
The patrolman was halfway down He ducked for shelter as one bullet them,
the street when the suspicious noise first struck the wall behind him. His own so dark
came. He stood listening, trying to pistol blazed in reply and he ran for- on. |
locate it. He had no dark lantern, but ward, sounding his alarm whistle. Above whistle
he knew the entrance of the prosperous the fast dying sounds of escaping foot- But the
D. C. Gould Ship Chandlery and Pro- steps, a voice hailed sharply, followed Appa
vision Store lay in the forbidding mass by the crack of a revolver from the ture ol
looming directly before him. opposite alley. finally -
Kingsly slipped into a convenient An eerie quiet settled down once again with Ki
doorway and waited. over the lonely waterfront. een a
Almost instantly the sound came Ten minutes later the excited officer, a
again—the crunching of wood splinter- gun still in hand, stumbled into Police a
en Sal
MASTER DETECTIVE
MARCH
MASTER DETECTIVE, March, 1941
ing under pressure. Burglars must be
ve instructions,
farewells. the
fter they had
retty decently.
of you in re-
ik we can find
“That puts me
wily. “I don’t
that.”
d the T-man.
) along his jaw.
if I can make
le to do some-
chief,” assured
ithout incident,
ers in the case
irmingham jail.
thout any sign
it was decided
bail, with the
> shadowed at
Agents to in-
' ship-up in the
ler way. For
about making
‘s in Cullman
e was able to
e would have
"a matter of
solated stretch
n Cullman and
ishackle, aban-
ind the artist.
n fatigue and
vhen the hand-
1 me.” he said.
much longer.”
am. the man
sh would have
perly directed,
‘feiting charge.
sentenced to
tates Peniten-
red to pay a
day, James
‘ution for five
le Randle, in
Government,
llred’s handi-
Secret Service
erefore, when
rawn counter-
appeared at
Birmingham,
mvineed that
sed from the
ore, Was again
uught the ad-
the case. and
tsman found
ne slated for
d in 1937, he
points, paper
gard for the
w carried his
ecret Service,
passing four
for the third
yw serving a
lanta.
tual names of
vregoing story
ous ones sub-
om Wilson.—
ER DETECTIVE
Last Man to Hang
(Continued from page 21)
his kneeling companion. “Get a doctor.”
As the burly form disappeared, the
speaker studied the nervous rookie.
“There’s something queer about this,” he
said, “You say you heard somebody cry
out. Why didn’t you investigate? It
must have been Uncle Billy calling for
help.”
In the silence that followed, he groped
about in the darkness and recovered the
tall helmet of the fallen man.
“T tell you I didn’t know he was here,”
Kingsly replied finally.
The hastily summoned physician pro-
nounced Lawrence dead. His colleagues
carried him to Police Headquarters and
notified City Marshal James Bailey. The
police head dressed quickly and rushed to
the station. News of the murder had
stirred him deeply. William Lawrence,
known as Uncle Billy by the entire city,
was the oldest and most respected mem-
ber of the force. '
Bailey plied Kingsly with questions,
but failed to extract any additional in-
formation from this badly shaken man.
At daybreak, the City Marshal went to
Gould’s store, taking Kingsly and
several other officers along. He examined
the door which the robbers had attempted
to force by breaking the hinges.
“Used a two-inch chisel.” he observed.
“You can see how they worked, wedging
each purchase as they worked upwards.”
He spoke to Kingsly.. “If you had come
five minutes later, they would have been
inside.”
Search of the immediate vicinity un-
covered no further trace of the murderers,
and the rookie officer became more con-
fused in his. replies.
“At least you can tell me where the
shots came from,” Bailey said.
“Some of them came from that direc-
tion.” Kingsly pointed down the street.
“One or two, as I told you, came from
the alley.”
It was not yet five o’clock on that Sun-
day morning of September 2nd, and the
business district was deserted. Police
scattered and moved forward, seeking
some clue which might give a lead as
to the identity of the killers, or a hint
as to the direction in which they had
fled.
On approaching the crossing at Front
and Broad Streets, Bailey noticed a glit-
tering object. He hurried forward and
picked it up. The others saw it was a
small, shiny, tin can, the top stuffed by a
wadded newspaper. Bailey removed this
paper and peered inside. He tilted the
can, and coarse, black grains dropped on
his outstretched hand.
“Gunpowder!” he exclaimed. “Probably
going to blow the safe.”
The Marshal continued the search. Some
distance down Front Street he picked up
a length of fuse. Near the alley running
through to Commercial Street. close to
the spot where Uncle Billy had been slain,
he recovered another shining object,
which he carefully. placed with the other
clues. There the trail ended.
News of the murder spread about the
city long before church bells summoned
worshipers to Sabbath service. Public in-
dignation grew tense as conflicting stories
were heard. Residents demanded action.
This was no ordinary cop-shooting.
Uncle Billy was more than an officer of
the law. He had been an institution, a
man who set weak-minded youths on
honest paths and who had prevented many
others, tempted through circumstances,
from taking the final step which might
MARCH, 1941
plunge them into crime. He had been
the town mentor for many years and had
refused to resign with pension because of
age. All mourned him as a_ personal
friend.
Mayor James C. Ledyard offered $1,000
reward for the apprehension of the
killers. Bailey admitted he was baffled.
Three men picked up earlier that morning
in Brunswick had been released. There
were no other leads, no suspects. The
Marshal frankly stated that, although able
to cope with’ routine enforcement meas-
ures, his force was not equipped to un-
dertake a murder investigation.
He conferred with the Mayor, who sent
a telegram to Commissioners Samuel R.
Spinney, Henry Walker and Colonel
Henry S. Russell, of the Boston Police
Department, requesting that one of their
best detectives be sent to Bath at once.
These men contacted James R. Wood, one
of the city’s outstanding investigators and
a former police officer, who was then
operating a private detective agency at
257 Washington Street.
It was this man whose intelligent fore-
sight had sensed the value of moulage
years ahead of its practical adoption for
crime detection by law enforcement
agencies. Through the plaster cast of a
patched shoe sole he had brought about
the apprehension of the notorious Jesse
Pomeroy.
Wood took the first train to Bath. With
him went another detective, Walter Wig-
gin. The Mayor met them at the depot
and drove them to Headquarters, where
Bailey acquainted them with the few
known facts.
“The shooting must have attracted the
attention of Uncle Billy, _ patrolling
another beat,” the Marshal concluded.
“When he hurried to aid Kingsly, we
think he .ran into one of the escaping
burglars, who recognized him as a police-
man and shot him dead.”
“you believe he killed him to prevent
his identity becoming known?” the
Boston detective questioned. “You think
the crime may have been the work of a
local gang?”
“There is that possibility,” Bailey re-
plied thoughtfully.
Wood glanced keenly at the two men.
It seemed to him they were more than
ordinarily disturbed. The Mayor spoke.
“No matter who those men are, we want
them arrested,” he said.
The detective changed the subject.
“What were those articles you found near
the scene of the slaying?”
Bailey produced the can of powder and
the ten-foot length of fuse. The detec-
tive seemed only superficially interested.
“One important piece of evidence seems
to be missing,” he remarked. “Where is
the death bullet?”
The Marshal turned to the Mayor. They
exchanged glances. “We haven’t been able
to get that as yet,” Bailey answered. “The
coroner has promised it sometime today.”
“IT want it as soon as it is available,”
Wood replied. He removed the folded
paper from the top of the powder can as
he spoke and carefully spread it out.
“This should help to disprove the theory
that it is a local affair.”
He held it up so that the others might
see. It was a torn portion of the Portland
Eastern Argus, bearing the dateline of
the night of the murder, Saturday, Sep-
tember Ist.
“There’s one other thing you should
see,” the Marshal said. He pulled open a
;
BAUER & BLACK, Division of The Kendall Co.,
drawer and drew out a squat-handled
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PITTI) ee eeeecenes
59
n Detective
1es Wood
ve) tracked
a bearded
ger, he solved
murder of
e Billy” Law-
and cleared
nocent man
After one of Bath’s
most beloved resi-
dents was slain,
Mayor James Led-
yard (above) en-
gaged Detective &
Wood to investigate
the perplexing crime
(Right) City Marshal James Bailey —_ Mg
a) ae ye ©
(seated, center), who found the clue of a OS
the chipped chisel, is pictured with some
of the officers who served under him
S must he
the officer
ietallic ob-
nt. Forms
ned briefly
heard the
vy warned,
> fugitives’
\nswering
the night.
ne bullet
His own
ran for-
le. Above
ing foot-
followed
from the
nce again
d officer,
to Police
DETECTIVE
To Hang
Headquarters. Incoherent and out of
breath, he reported that burglars had
tried to break into the Gould store.
“How many were there?” the sergeant
in charge asked.
Kingsly could not be sure.
At first he said there were two. Finally
he admitted he did not know how many
there were. He had shouted when he
heard steel splintering wood. The rob-
bers had broken from cover when he
drew his gun.
“Did you fire?”
“Only into the air. I wanted to stop
them,” he explained. “The street was
so dark I couldn’t see what was going
on. J sounded the ‘stop alarm’ on my
whistle and then ran to cut them off.
But they had escaped.”
Apparently unable to get a clear pic-
ture of what had occurred, the sergeant
finally detailed two officers to return
with Kingsly to Commercial Street. and
investigate
“Strange we haven’t heard from
‘Uncle Billy’ Lawrence,” one of these
men said as they neared the Gould store.
MARCH, 194)
“His beat is parallel to this one. If
there was all the noise and shooting you
claim, he would have heard it and run
over from Front Street to give you a
hand.”
“He didn’t show up,” the rookie re-
plied shortly.
As they approached the store, one of
the detailed officers threw the rays of
the dark lantern so that they fell full
upon the door. He started in surprise.
“There is something here that seems
to substantiate your story,” he com-
mented. “They had this door half off
the hinges when you came along. Where
did you say they ran to?”
“IT couldn’t see,” the policeman an-
swered uneasily. “They fired at me
from all directions. Some of them ran
down this alley. I know that because
I heard one cry out something I couldn’t
understand. Then there was another
shot.”
One of Kingsly’s companions glanced
down the unlighted street and then held
the lantern so that it partially illumi-
nated the passage directly opposite.
By LOWELL
AMES
NORRIS
“We'll search this first,”’ he said, and
led the way. He reached Front Street
and the light vanished. Suddenly his
voice rose in the stillness. “Come here.
quick!”
His colleague ran after him, jerking a
pistol from its leather holster. He found
his companion standing beside the body
of a bare-headed man, lying face down
on the sidewalk.
“You got one of them,’ the officer
told Kingsly, his voice more friendly
“Not so bad for a rookie.”
“T didn’t shoot him,” Kingsly insisted
“T fired into the air.”
The other patrolman dropped to his
knees and held the lantern close.
“Turn him over,” he said in a low
voice.
The light caught the gleam of brass
buttons and then flashed on the man’s
face. There was a shocked silence. Kings-
ly was the first to find his voice
“Tt’s Unele Billy,’ he said. “Is he
dead ?”’
“I’m not sure.” the other answered,
and turned to (Continued on page 5!)
21
chisel. “I picked this up a short distance
from the body.”
Wood and Wiggin eyed it intently.
Wood was about to hand it back when
a previously unnoticed detail held his at-
tention, He slipped the tool into his
pocket, remarking that he would like to
keep it for the: time being. Then he
asked to be allowed to speak to Kingsly.
The young man entered. Bailey and
Ledyard lingered.
“Tf you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to
him alone,” Wood said.
The others withdrew. Kingsly told the
detective he had only been on the force
for two months; he had married recently,
and he and his wife were very much in
love. He said he had come very well
recommended to the Mayor, from Ban-
gor, and had been assigned to detect illegal
liquor violations. He had been so suc-
cessful that Ledyard had him appointed
a police officer,
“I should judge that work didn’t make
you very popular,” Wood observed.
YOURE right,” the rookie agreed. “A
large part of the town is against me,
although I cannot see that I have done
anything to be ashamed of. Illegal liquor
selling is against the law.”
Wood led the conversation up to the at-
tempted safe blowing and murder, but he
soon discovered the officer could add
nothing new.
The detective wondered what really had
happened. He tried to get at the truth.
The two talked for several hours; at the
end of that time the Boston detective
felt convinced that either because of ex-
citement or because of the darkness, the
officer knew little of what had taken
place.
Later he saw the Mayor, who engaged
him to take the case. As he started to
leave, Ledyard drew a small object
wrapped in tissue paper from his pocket.
“This just came from the coroner,” he
said. He pulled loose the flimsy wrap-
pings, disclosing a jagged lump of lead.
“The death bullet,” he explained.
Wood regarded it thoughtfully, weigh-
ing it in his hand. “A 32 caliber,” he
hazarded, and then turned to the Mayor,
struck by a sudden thought. “What cali-
ber revolvers do your men use?”
“They vary,” Ledyard answered. “Each
man carries his own gun,”
“Do you happen to know what sort
of weapon Kingsly has?”
“A 32 caliber,” was the reply.
Leaving Headquarters, the detective
walked rapidly down Commercial Street
to the Gould store. He paused by the
door, studying the indentations left in |
the soft pine wood. Apparently satisfied,
he pulled the chisel from his pocket and
fitted the steel edge into one of the clear-
ly defined depressions. When he returned
to City Hall, he again saw the Mayor,
“That chisel found by Bailey is the one
the robbers used,” he declared. “I hap-
pened to notice one corner has been '
badly chipped. Corresponding marks
have been left on the door of the ship
chandlery shop.”
Further questioning about town by
Wood and Wiggin, brought no leads.” No
one could identify the squat-handled
chisel. The detectives spent two days in-
terviewmg vagrants and other - suspects
rounded up by the police. All were re-
leased.
Back in his room at the Sagodahoc Ho- .
tel, Wood washed up and lookéd over the
local evening paper. An item attracted
his attention ;- he read and reread it. He
turned to the chipped chisel, studied it
again carefully, then put on his hat and
went downstairs. ;
“You are late, Mr. Wood,” the manager
told him. “Supper is almost over.”
60
“It will have to wait as far as I am
concerned,” the guest replied, and hur-
ried down the street to the home of
Mayor Ledyard.
“T’m leaving for Brunswick on the
morning train,” he said. “There’s a mat-
ter in that town I want to investigate.”
“You think you’ve got the men?”
Wood shook his head. “No such luck,”
he replied. He had, however, a new lead
with possibilities. He walked into the
hotel dining-room as the doors were be-
ing closed, and took a seat at a small side
table. A man dining with two ladies not
far distant looked up. It was Collector of
the Port James W. Wakefield. Excusing
himself to his guests, he walked over to
the detective’s table and waited as he
ordered supper.
“How are you getting along with the
Lawrence case?” Wakefield asked.
Wood hesitated. “Not so well, if you
want to know the truth,” he admitted.
“There are still many angles I do not
understand.”
Wakefield looked the other man straight
in the eyes.
“From all I’ve read of your exploits I
STAR DUSTER
SNARING THE HOLLYWOOD
VULTURE
in the April
MASTER DETECTIVE
on all news stands
March 14th.
used to think you were one of the keenest
men in the business,” he began. “Now
I’m beginning to wonder if you aren’t
slipping.” Wood’s expression remained.
blank. “You don’t mean to tell me you
believe all the nonsense the Mayor, the
Marshal and the police have been trying
to stuff down your throat. You must
know they’re just trying to cover up the
real facts so that the truth will not come
out.’
“What makes you think so?”
“Because there is no question in my
mind but that Kingsly shot Uncle Billy.”
“And your reason?”
“Kingsly says he discovered those fel-
lows trying to break into the store; he
admits the night was unusually dark; he
says he can’t tell whether the robbers
were black. or white; he doesn’t know
whether there were two, three or six. He
hasn’t told the same story twice, but he
admits firing a shot or two into. the air
and says three or four shots were returned.
I think he lost his nervé and started for
the police station, gun in hand. On Front
Street he met Uncle Billy, mistook him
for a burglar and-shot him:dead.”
“That’s a very serious accusation.”
“Tt’s what half the: people of Bath really
believe,” Wakefield agserted. ‘“Kingsly
was: only pretending. when. he appeared to
be shocked after-Lawrence’ was found. He
knew the man. was, dead when he ap-
peared at the.station. .And he“also knew
he was safe. He thought there were: no
witnesses, so he could: cover up.” ;
“Were there?” mis a
“You know-that there was a witness
he could ‘not silence. ‘It is the bullet
extracted from the dead-man. It’s com-
mon talk you have weighed: it and dis-
covered it to be the same weight as the
bullets used in Kingsly’s gun. Doesn’t
that mean they’re the same caliber?”
Wood carefully digested every word be-
fore replying.
“It’s possible you are right,” he ad-
mitted finally, disregarding Wakefield’s
previous question. “But I’m not inclined
to accept .it. There is something along the
line of your reasoning that doesn’t sound
convincing,”
Wakefidld flushed. “You watch and see
if I’m not right,” he warned. “Folks who
live here think Ledyard and Bailey are
covering up; they’re making you the
goat.”
Up in his room, while. undressing, Wood
considered what he had heard. Twelve
o’clock struck and the detective was still
awake. A clock on a white-steepled church
struck one and then two. Unable to stand
inaction, Wood flung off the covers and
dressed again. Leaving the hotel he
walked into Police Headquarters and
asked for Kingsly. The rookie patrol-
man had gone off duty at one o’clock, he
was told. By this time he must be in
bed and asleep. The detective withdrew.
Ten minutes later he was pounding on
the door of the officer’s unlighted home.
He waited, then knocked again.
A window was pushed wider and a wo-
man’s voice inquired his business.
“IT want to see Officer Kingsly,’” Wood
said, giving his name. She opened the
door and admitted him into the living-
room. The sleepy-eyed patrolman came
downstairs at once.
“What’s wrong?” he asked nervously,
apparently much upset by the detective’s
unexpected appearance at such an hour.
Wood closed the door so that they
would not be overheard. He drew a chair
closer and sat down, determined that he
would not leave the room until he had
succeeded in wringing the truth from the
pale-faced youth before him.
Talking in a reassuring voice, he spoke
of his own police experience in Boston’s
North End; he admitted how easy it was
for a man to get excited, lose his head and
make a mistake. Mincing no words, he
told Kingsly he stood convicted of shoot-
ing Lawrence by half the people of Bath;
the fact that the death bullet so closely
coincided in weight and caliber with those
in his own gun would be almost certain to
decide any jury.
“T have been brought down here to try
and solve a murder mystery,” Wood said,
“and I do not intend to be used as a cat’s
paw. It probably was an accidental shoot-
ing, but there is a grave possibility that
you are the man involved, If this is so,
take a friendly tip and own up. Did you
or did you not shoot Lawrence?”
KINGSLY’S agitation grew. The detec-
tive repeated his question. :
Finally the officer gave his answer. His
nervousness slowly subsided as he con-
tinued to talk. The detective listened in-
tently. It was daybreak when he at last
reached for his hat.
“Tf all you say is true, there is noth-
ing to fear,” he told him. “I am going out
of town on the morning train and I do
not expect to return for several days. In
the meantime do not tell a living soul
what we have talked over, not even your
wife.”
Kingsly promised. At the door, the de-
tective paused.
“By the way,” he asked casually; “dur-
ing the week Lawrence was killed, did you
go on duty every night at the same
time?”
The officer nodded and Wood set out for
the hotel, where he had breakfast. Before
eight. o’clock he was: seated in a day
coach bound for Brunswick, a few miles
distant. On arrival, brief inquiries brought
him down the main street to a corner
drug store. He entered and asked for
MASTER DETECTIVE
the proprietor. A n
behind the prescrip
forward, introducing
“Just happened to
Wood said carelessly
store had been robb
or two before the +
that so?”
“Reckon it is,” Lor
didn’t get much.” }
fancy articles from
and what money I !
change the next mo:
“Nevertheless, I’n
tective returned. “']
me how they got in’
The druggist led t
door.
“Broke off the hin
explained.
Wood saw along
side panel the fam)
marked the soft pi
ship chandlery in |
the chisel and fitted
eral two-inch depre
“Fits perfectly—e
break,” said Lord.
“Too perfect to t
detective agreed.
“And now who*
druggist inquired. (
OOD identifiet
more questions.
any clues behind?
anything unusual «
the morning after t]
“They left behin:
druggist answered.
matches I’ve ever.
them trying to ope)
burnt ones on the fi
safe now”’—he chu
ing. Want to see t
At Wood’s eager
side the steel door
partment and drew
Wood’s long expe)
match that differe:
those in common u:
land match, they w
and neatly sandp:
finish.
“Foreign looking
the druggist observ:
a match like that }
“Do you mind if
the Boston invest)
Lord acquiesced, |
away in an inside }
In an effort to n
robberies were not
Wood stepped ac
some wooden buil:
struction. The wo)
of almost every cu
ing out the forem:
chisel picked up 1
were the property :
The foreman didn’t
“It wasn’t Jost
declared positively
got has a home-ma
Wood made oth
talking with the p
before checking w
the railroad stati
hands on no actus
oft-repeated story
missed as gossip.
two strangers, on:
wearing a red swe:
seen about town °
and later glimpsed
The detective c
ness who had pe!
men, but the stor
wick seemed cons
stout-waisted man
five feet, seven 1}
MARCH, 1941
