The Portland daily press., 1871-09-21
The Murder Of Leonard F. SWEET
Afrest of simon K0vettt f0,
the Crime.
TIL s, EVIDENCE BEFORE THE
..-. CORONEI JURY.
STATEMENT OF THE AooUsED.


ing, the particulars so far as theii known, O
the tragedy of the preceding night which re
suited in the death of Leouard +. SWEET,
we'll known gambler aud rough, at the hands
doubtless, of Simon Lpveitt, another of tn
fraternity. The two men, with one William
Conway, chum of Swett's, ard a stranger
said to be fisherman, had quarrel over
game OF cards ia the store of John H. Blake
on Fore street. Lovett was stakeholder in
game which SWEET won over the stranger, ant
/ it was alleged that Lovett, in handing over th,
stakes to Swett withheld portion of thu
money. Some ill-feeling followed, and subse
| queutly a fatal meeting took place between
Swett and Loveitt. SWEET was found insensi
bic on the sidewalk near the Custom House OF
Fore street, aud taken to the station house
where he died at 2:45 Wednesday morning
| Meantime officers Barber aud Garland, or
whose beat the affair occurred were on the
alert and knowing something of SWEETS hab
its and associations, soon found Conway at his
| boarding house the corner of Commercial
and India streets, who intimated that be knew
something about the case, and that if the re.
suit was fatal aud he was called on, he should
| tell what he knew, let it hit where it would.
| The officers returned to the station and con-
tered with Deputy Decelle, who went with
| the officers and had an interview with Conway.
This conversation was followed by the arrest OF
| Lovett, which was made by Mr.. Decelle.
| Loveitt was found in bed at his fathers house
| on Pearl street.
| Coroner Gould was notified OF the death Of
SWEET, and summoned jury composed of the
| following gentlemen: Charles Holden, fore
map; Charles Richardson, Thomas B. Reed,
Ezra Carter John G. Hayes, and Jacob I.
Lewis. The jury began their Investigation be-
tween 10 and II O'Clock, and report of the
testimony is given below.
Loveitt is rough fellow, addicted to gam
bling and drinking and other vices. He be-
/ longs to an excellent family. who are in great
distress at the misfortune that has befallen
son and brother. He is unmarried and about
| 30 years of age. SWEET was perhaps 43 years
old, and has always led a dssolute life. He
was brother to ex-City Marshal Swett the
manager of Swetcs Express
Loveitt was keptin ignorance of the death
| of his victim for a number of hours Yester
day afternoon policeman gave him morn
ing paper and he read the published accounts
of the affair. He received the information
| without any show of emotion, merely remark
| ing: 1t was coed enough for him. He is bet
| ter off now
The evidence given before the jury was as
follows:
DR.. S. P. GetcheU, City Physician, testified
First called to SEE deceased alter he was
brought to the station soon after O'clock;
made an examination; did not then think he
would die; he was unconscious; some smell OF
liqI about him; the eyes were closed by in
| flammation and settling of blood; large bruise
| on right side OF forehead; was with him from
half to three quarters of an hour; found no
other bruises about his body; he was Geld and
| pulse quite natural; did not think his wounds
| would cause his death ;saw him again just before
| IL and remained until nearly 3; he had changed
| tor the worst very fast; told them was salts
fed that he would die; iet as il there was se-
| rious trouble on the brain; his pulse had gone
| up 10 140; and weaker; breathing stertorous;
| did not make any farther examination; have
| examined the body since death; discovered on
| right side of forehead bruse, from which had
| resulted au efflsion of blood beneath the skin,
| so that the right half of the forehead was
swollen to four times Its usual thickness; the
| lids of both eyes filled with blood; slight
bruse on tho left cheek, AMI bones OF the
bridge of the nose broken: think the question
of fracture of the skull cannot be determined
except by post morton examination; the in
jures were in my judgment made by separate
blows; my theory is that after the man was
have been knocked own by the fist; Dr.
French came in about 2 o'clock by my request
and came to substantially the same conclusions
that did; have no doubt that the wounds
on the head produced death; do not think
there had been any drug adj nistered; DIR.
French has been called to prescribe tor deceas-
ed within the past year, and regarded him as
broken down man.
The jury here ordered post mortem exam
inat,on to be made
Sarah Ellen Foden Am Is years old; live at |
No 1913 Fore street, near the Custom House,
west side; have seen Leonard SWEET; saw him |
coming before dark out of Blakes shop; be
did not come into my fathers; he was alone;
he went down Fore street; saw hi 10 when he
was knocked down, a little after 9; was sit
ting in Mrs. Foxen's door, near our house;
saw him talking with another man whom L
did not know; the man who knocked him
down was tall man; they were first talking
low: saw the man who was with Mr.. SWEET say
something loud, then struck SWEET and knocK
ed him down. then he ran down the wharf, apd
came back and looked at him, then went away
again: S Wetts head was on the edge OF tine
sidewalk and his feet on the crosswaik; could
not tell the man it should see MN; IL was
| dark did rot see the man strike him but once;
when first saw them they were talking to-
| gether on the sidewalk; heard the crack of the
| blow; it sounded as if he had something in mis-
| hand; think they stood talking together half or
| three-quarters of an hour; there did not APP
| pear to be anything cut of the way; then
| heard the loud talk and the blow; there was
| DO clinchipg Dor struggling; the man ran
down the wharf and came right back; he did
| not strike SWEET when he came back; am quite
| sure it was the same man; l was four doors
| away from the place; there was no gas, and IL
| was dark; a man came along and asked MN
| il he wouldn't pick SWEET up, and he sad ne
had as much as he could do to pick himself
| up: SWEET laid there about 10 minutes before
| be was taken away; L stayed out until Riley
went along and picked SWEET up; did not
know SWEET until the blood was washed of bis
| face; the blow was swinging bloW.
| Martha Ann Fo1en, aged between 10 and 16
| years old, was with previous witness sitting Ia
| the doorway. Her testimony was almost iden-
| tical with her companions, with the addition
| that SWEET fell on his face; he fell where he
stood After Riley had picked him up and
dragged him to the door OF the bass foundry,
| my sister went and told mother, and she
| brought basin of water and light; do not
think should know the man if l should see
him again.
Michael Riey-Lives with and works for
| John Foxen who keeps a sailors boarding
| house on Fore street. Was lying on lounge
| in Foxen's front room about 9 o'clock, an d
heard sarah Foxen say: " o, my, what a blow
| to at mans got, and that the man who struck
!, | him had run down the lane. The three girls
on the front steps continued talking together.
| About 10 or Is minutes after wards she said
3 Riley, why DON'T you go down and see who
t | that man is? 1 said: Don't go down; it's
some fisherman and you'll get into muss. 1
| got up and went down; met another man COM
| ing up from the wharf; asked if be knew WHO
| the man was who struck: he replied, no;
{ | then picked him up; asked him to lend me
| hand and put him on his back up against the
wall; he did SO; he told me to hold the man
5 | while he went for the watch; he went away
Q | and came back and said he could not find any
, | officers; found the man lying on his tace; had
his face washed struck y match aud saw the
bruises; be was bleening from the mouth; eyes
began to puff up and turn black while we were
, | washing him; he was insenslble; couldn't get
| anything out of him; young man who was
| there went for Wagon: one of the police came
| and took the man away; saw bruse on the
: | face but DO scar on the cheek.
l. | Drs. Getchen, f. A. Foster, and French
| were sworn. DR.. Foster read the following re-
" port:
IS We found much discoloration of the upper
= part of the face and eyes, severe bruse the
a nose and on the right side of the forehead
:, upou opening the head we found a fracture o
IL the skull extending from about one inch above
the right eye and from thence across the roo
| of both oroits. There was also extensive frae
J. ture of the nose bones. The blood vessels il
q the course of the skull fracture were so rup
tured that large quantity of blood was pour
: | ed ont of both between the skull bones and thu
mem branes OF the brain, and between thu
l. | membrane and the BRAIN In our opinion tn,
;. | fractures above described were caused by 90,
" | blow from blunt instrument, and that deatt
n was caused thereby. Signed by Drs f. A
] | Foster G.. f. French, and S. p. Getchell.
. | DR.. Foster, erdnlined-Do not think the frac
ture could have been produced by blow o
IS the fist. The skull was of the ordinary thick
S. ness. A blow of the character of this woult
| he likely n knock a On his