Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-11-30


door, had soon become acquainted with the
prisoner and his wife; had been in the habit
of running in there when it became neces-
sary for him to use fire in his business, as
he had been in the habit of running into other
places, and / doubt not upon friendly calls,
both in the presence and absence of this
prisoner.
The room which is here marked as the bed
room, you must have observed you ex-
amined the premises, was originally designed
as a back entry and instead of being a Sc
cluded apartment, like an ordinary sleeping
room, it is, in fact the common thoroughtare
of the house Mr.. Latin had been in at that
back door, he had been in, several times, at
the special request of this prisoner in the
presence of his wife, when the ttHee had sat
down together in that SO called bedroom.
After the separation, during the prisoner 5
visits there, he had been in the habit of going
there at different hours in the evening. sur
prisng his wife, going in at that back door.
On the 18th of September the prisoners wife
went home to her mothers, in Carmel |
think, near Bangor, where she and her
husband had at one time resided, for the pur-
pose of making some business arrangements
in which the prisoner as well was interested,
promising to do some errands for him while
there and return on "Wednesday of the same
week; she did not return but was detained
till Monday the 18th, after an absence OF
just one week. The prisoner had been to the
depot in this city several times expecting her
and was there on the arrival of the train on
Monday the 10Th of September; he greeted
her IN surley and angry manner, using pro-
fame language because she had not arrived
according to agreement; she informed him
that she would explain the first time he
came to HIalowell. why she had not come
bnf,ro 10 sold. | wi coma dawn To- oipht
Monday night; she replied she should be
tired, and should desire to go TO bed early
and preferred he should not come till the
next night; the train moved on.
When Mrs. Hoswell went away she left
her key with Mr.. Latin, and the sewing
machine she had used in her business with
Mrs. Patterson who occupied the rooms di-
recty over her own. On her return Monday,
the 10Th, she sent her little boy, who, think,
had remained in IIallowell during her
absence, into Mr.. Latins shop after the
key. When Mr.. Latin went home to his din
ner accompanied by one of his own little
BOYS. he passed through the back yard as he
had been accustomed to do, passing her back
door. Mrs. lIoswell was sitting at the win
dow. She asked him if he could move her
sewing machine down from Mr. Patterson 5
that afternoon or evening. He promised TO
do so that afternoon or evening 1t proved,
however, that he unusually busy both
atterI Don and evening and did not keep his
promise. Early in the afternoon he pur-
chased a carpet of one of the dry goods deal
ers in IEallowell, which lie and his wife had
arranged to put down in their front hall
that evening, Immediately after his return
from his shop, little after o'clock. He
brought it from the store covered with a
coarse cloth called burlaps, so that no part of
the carpet was visible. When he went home
to tea he had a large number of grocery pack
ages to carry, and left the carpet in his shop
to carry up when he went home the last thing
in the evening. He left it on that little
movable bench in that little back shop some
four or five feet from the back door. He was
in his shop at o'clock, and at two or three
minutes past he excused himself to one or
two customers till early the next morning,
knowing that his wife would be waiting for
him to put down that carpet. About five
minutes past he turned the key on the inside
of the front door; went to the little back
room and took down his coat, put it on, put
out his light took the carpet under lis arm,
went out of the back door. He left it un-
fastened, as he had been sometimes in the
habit of doing, went through the back yard
towards Perleys Lane on the way home.
Thinking it would detain him but moment,
although in a hurry, he called 10 apologize
for not keeping his promise, Gin fact the
machine had been moved half an hour before,
that evening, by Mr. Patterson; but this fact
was not known to Mr.. Latin, and while there,
true to his most childlike habit shows her the
new carpet which he and his wife were to put
down that night. Mrs. Hoswell was prepar-
ing to retire; had just rolled back little the
front corner of the bed clothes; and was stand
ing in her night dress when she heard some one
no he
per. a loose dress which she had worn during
the evening and had just taken off. Thinking
the person at the door might be Mr.. Latin, or
more probable that it was Mr.. Hoswell him
self come IN accordance with his first prop
osition, she stepped forward and opened
the door, saw Mr.. Latin who referred to the
matter of the sewing machine, and explained
why he could not keep his agreement. He
then asked her to look at his carpet, she
asked him to step in.
A kerosene lamp was burning on the table
in her sitting-room, partially turned down, as
she kept it nearly every night when she was
there alone after the separation, atfording suf-
ficient light in both rooms to enable any per-
son to distinguish persons and things, and by
that light Mr.. Latin turned back the coarse
covering of his carpet little, laying it on
that little table within a few feet of Mrs. Hos
wells bedroom door, outside door, and Mrs
Hoswel looked at it. He remained there
about three minutes, from three to five min
utes, Mrs. Hoswell all the while standing
with her hand upon the latch of the door
which she had closed as he went in, ready to
draw it back and let him pass out.
The prisoner, as we believe, had arrived in
IIallowell according to his purpose first an
nounced to her to do so, about O'Clock. He
went armed with Colts revolver of five bar
rels, all loaded and capped beside a recently
ground pocket knife. He stationed himself,
as we believe, in the first instance, at the cor
ner of the barn, where the bean poles were
leaning against it, about 80 feet equi-distant
from the back door of both Mrs. HoswelPs
and Mr. Lafin's, plainly in view of both. He
saw Latin go into his wife's back door, he
took off his heavy shoes and crept stealthly
up to that angle, as we believe, within a
few feet of the back door, took off his coat,
either with the idea of stripping himself for
the deadly encounter, or for the purpose OF
having an unstained garment in reserve, with
which he could conceal the bloody evidence OF
his crime; rolled them up in one large bundle
and placed them within two or three feet OF
this back door, plainly in view, and there in
b;s ebirt Slaves and stocking feet, with his