The Portland daily press., 1869-02-02

LEWISTON, Jan. 30, 1869.

LEWISTON, Jan. 30, 1869.
To the Editor Of the Press:
Human nature is given to strange freaks
sometimes OF this fact we have fresh Illus
tratcn in the case OF
cooMBs THE HORSE THIEF.
This Coombs Charles e. is a young man,
has a wife, and two or three children. He is a
shoemaker, and always made good wages,
when ne let rum alone. For a number of
years ne has been in the habit of hiring horses
OF lvery men, and would drive where he had
not said he was going. He would imbibe free
ly OF liquor and dispose of the team. As Ls
did not return according to agreement the
party of whom he hired the team would go in
search, and finding him would obtain salts
factory settlement. To "cut up" in this way
was Coombs' passion, and it is supposed to
have cost him, first and last, some two thou
sand dollars.
But last year he was arrested and lodged in
jail, charged with intent to steal the team
when he hired it at the stable. He was con-
victed, but appealed for new trial. Mean
while he let out on bail, and went Industrious
ly to work. A new trial was refused. He
then arranged with County Attorney Bicknell
for suspension Of sentence upon the following
terms: He would pay the costs incurred by
the county in the prosecution, about 800, he
would give bonds, and lead sober, industri-
GUS life henceforth. If he failed to So then
he was to be sent straightway to State Pris-
on. With this sentence suspended over him,
Coombs said he felt sure he could behave HIM
self, and he did behave for several MONTHS
His wife gave him all the encouragement she
could, and helped him by laboring in the cot
ton mill. Everything promised well, and the
suspension of sentence would have been OBJ
tanned at the present term of court; but the
court had been in session only two or three
DAYS, when Coombs, giving false name,
which he had never done before, got team of
Mr.. Scribner, of Auburn, INDUCED his passion
once more and is now in Jail, whence he will
soon be sept to Thomaston. 1t is possible that
he may be reformed there by keeping him sew
eral years from rum.
THE GREAT SENSATION TRIAL.
AS your readers are aware, the trial-Gou! d
VS.. Holland, for breach of promise and seduc-
tion-whch has excited so much interest in
this community came suddenly to an end by
the parties agreeing to a settlement. The
prosecution was, at the outset, very confident
of recovering large damages, but finding their
case SO much weakened during the progress of
the trial they agreed to settle for $1225, paying
their own costs. 1t appears that, at one time,
the defendant, Michael Holland, who was a
widower, did contemplate marrying Mrs. Em-
ma Gould, the plaintiff, who was divorced from
her first husband, and that, according to his
testimony, he had frequent illicit intercourse
with her. The charge of seduction was not
sustained. Holland was not then much ac-
quainted with her, she having recently come
from Newport to Lewiston but afterwards he
became satisfied, from the many evil reports
which he heard, that he ought not to marry
her and put her in charge of his home, though
threatened with prosecution if he did not. 1t
is certainly most dsreputable affair for both
parties. BARLOW