The Republican journal., 1870-10-06
A MURDER IN pENOBsCon COUNTY.

The Bangor Wing learns that shocking
tragedy occurred last week at Midway, a
small town Is miles above Bangor on the
Penobscot river John Ray, Il man 80 years
of age, was reported on Thursday OF last
week to have been missing tor two days.
The appearance of his wife and other clrcum-
stances aroused suspicion, and the towns
people turned out in force to hunt him up
After a search of four days, his body was
found secreted in a grave, on an Island,
about fifty rods from his house, with severe
bruises on his face and temple. His wife
and a man named Elbrdge Reed, a resident
of the same town, miserable fellow, who is
said to be improperly intimate with Mrs.
Ray, and with whom the deceased had not
spoken for long time, have been arrested,
on suspicion of being the murderers. Their
appearance before and since the finding of
the body, points strongly toward them as the
guilty parties.
The Wing has the following additional
particulars of this affair
Rays wife came to the store OF VIM. B.
Hayford, Esq, the only place of business in
that thinly settled town, and stated that her
husband was absent, and that she did not
| know where he had gone. When questioned.
she stated that Ray came home Tuesday
| evening" but went out after supper, return
| ing about eleven o'clock in a state of intoxi-
cation. He slept on the floor that night, and
| left at daylight in the morning. When asked
where he was going he made an indefinite
or cvasive answer, and she further stated she
| had no means of knowing where he had
| gone Her singular statement, and other
| Suspicious circumstances, awakened the fears
of the neighbors, and they turned out in u
body to find the missing man or his remains.
| For four days the search was continued with
out finding any trace of him, but still they
| perseyercd. determined to solve the mystery.
On the fifth day, Wednesday, the 2Sth, a
party for the second or third time visited one
of the islands in the river, about fifty rods
from the house of the murdered man, and
made more thorough search which resulted
in finding the body. The body vas found in
a shallow grave which had evidently been
dug some months, probably last year, which
accounts for it's not being discovered at their
first visit The body was covered with brush
and rotten Wool with no fresh trace OF earth,
or anything to give indication that the ground
had been disturbed except that his wooden
frock was pulled over his face. The body
appeared as though it had been lifeless but a
short time, although it must have laid there
at least q week. There were severe bruises
upon the side of the face and temple, indicat-
ing that he came to his death by blows from
some instrument. Ray was married to 4 Miss
Boynton, of Midway about Is years ago, and
since that time has lived unhappily with his
wife suspectng her OF improper intimacy
with a man by the name of Elbridge Reed,
who lived about a mile from his house. He
finally separated from his wife, but Il few
months since commenced living with her
again. These circumstances caused the
neighbors to suspect that Reed and Mrs. Ray
had been guilty of the murder, and they were
accordingly arrested.
Previous to the finding of the body Mrs.
Ray came to the store and said that she was
afraid to stay in the house, and when ARE St
ed, every preparation was made for removal.
Early Monday morning her beds were taken
down. and floors freshly washed, the cloth
ing removed, and the constable found an I'M
usually clean room. The constable went to
Reeds house before he could possibly have
known the body was found, and said that
''it's very sad affair." but never asked q
question about where he was found, whether
dead or alive, or showed any interest in the
to hold an inquest on the body, but it is not
probable that the investigation will reveal
anything further rs there were no neighbors
or other persons to witness the terrible tran
sactions Ray had four children, the oldest
u boy about fourteen years of age. His wife
had two sisters who lived with her, but on
the night of the tragedy they attended sing
ing school some miles away with the oldest
boy, and spent the NIGHT with Mrs Rays
brother. Reed is a man about 80 years OF
age, n quarrelsome fellow, generally feared
by the neighbors For years the murdered
man has not spoken to him.