The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-08-31
The Medwav Murder Trial.


given here.
Charles +. Powers, sworn and testified Live
in Midway; knew John Ray and Elbrdge
Reed. Learned that Ray missing on the
25th of September last, and on that Sunday
night few of us agreed TO search for him next
morning; Monday forenoon 81 of us started to
search; hunted until it was quite late, but did
not find him. ON the 2Sth we made another
search; after dinner Went up river opposite
Riy'> house and crossed to the island; eight or
ten Of us scattered, and in a few minutes some
one called, there he is" | was near, and was
the mind man on the spot, Loren Lyons and
Joseph Higgins being there ahead of me- Rays
body laid in Il hole, with rotten wood and brush
over him. The bushes were cut, | should
think, the day before The island is in the
east branch, some ten rods from the east side.
Al the party came TO the hole together and
consulted. | suggested getting Mr.. Hayford,
and Wan. TAYLOR and | went after him. He
had gone to lattagumpus; TAYLOR went there
and HEY came up together; we then returned
Ia the body. Mr. York and VIM. Fowler took
the body ont, and Benz: York took it in birch
canoe TO TIaytord's old store. Then Mr.. Hay
told came down and got Corner Wilson of
Bangor. The body had on pants, shirt and
fruck; saw hat; the pants had been wet;
shoes Were on the feet The frock was hauled
from the back over the face. The face seemed
to have been struck over the eye and there was
j. cash behind one ear. Saw ii mans track on
me side of the hole in the soil, which
llghl. sandy loam-the track very distinct.
saw ii directly after finding the body, but did
unl measure il. Ray is a small man ! feet or
10 inches in height, I did not see Elbridge
Reed in the search.
The cross examination of Powers elected
nothing of any importance.
Thomas Fowler testified that Elbridge W
Eet a lived with his father on the point between
The East and West branches Of the Penobscot,
and no one else lives on that spot of land eN
,ept Timothy Reed. who has Il house some ten
rhI. He described the island whore
the body was found in very much the same Ian
guasr used by the preceding witness. In ii
direct line, the island Is some 30 rods from
Rays house the water between is some six or
el4ht rod, wide and is very low; persen can
walk from the shore TO the island with boots
ON, and not Wet his feet. Witness joined in
tine search for Ray; described the search.
When the body was found. witness was with
Mr.llaytord at PattagnmpnS, but Went M to
the spot with him. Witness and VIM. York
uncovered the body; the former turned the
frock of the face and put the body in a birch
canoe, and Y ork padded it down river to Hay
tnrdS Old store on the west side. The remain
der of the party went down to Reeds, found
Elhridge coming up from the river with pair
OF horses he had been watering; Mr.. Havtord
met him in the lane; they passed the time OF
day and Haytord said, ':Weye found Ray"
Elbrdee said Have YOU Mr.. liayford said
Yes" Elbrdee asked, ''When did you find
him." and Mr.. Hayford replied 1.-TWO or three
hours ago" Elbridge then said It's sad
1
should think it was. We want You TO so with
us for witness" Elbridge said he would 90
when he had put the horses up. but Royal
Reed took the horses apl Mr.. Haytord and
FIbridge started for the shore. Noticed moth
ing unusual in Elbridgc's appearance only he
looked stern as he came up; he didn't look pale
or tremble
Witness examined the body of Ray; it was
dressed in gray woods frock and homespun
pants: had no hat on. The frock was torn
~ome the pants had been wet and were still
damp; the back part of the pants looked AS if
they had been dragged through grass; dirt and
bit> of grass hung TO the buckle and the back
~uspender-buttOns. The left side OF the head
near the eye was stove in that the eyeball
hung out three-quartcrs of an inch; there was
also hruiSe CT cut back of the left ear about
an inch long. There was evidence Of clip on
the left side of the top of the head; it was dent
ed in some. Witness removed the clothes from
the body; found marks of blows on the hip and
lust above; the bruises were purple and green
i>h and tile skin was stripped up; another scar
WAS on the lower part of the left shoulder blade,
and two on the right side; between the should |
erS black and blue spot pulled up, the |
size of the top OF common saucer. The neck |
was broken.
Witness described the foot print; it was on |
the right side of The hole person faced the |
head: it was a right, thin boot, the heel some |
trod over on the outside. Benz. York measured
the track, Saturday or Sunday after the body
was found, with strick lengthwise and across
the ball of the foot. Saw him also measure
a boot which Reuben Boynton said belonged to
Elhridge Reed; measure fitted exactly, and
the boot was trod over some outside at the |
heel.
Witness had known Ray for twenty years : |
Knew nothing out ofthe way between Reed and |
Mrs. Ray; never saw them together, except |
when some persons Were present
In the crOSS-eXamination in the afternoon, |
witness stated that he with Ben. York and VIM. !
farwell found spade with broken handle |
near where the body was found Judged that the |
hole was dug the previous fall and have ascer- |
tanned since from the man who dug it, that it |
was done TO get out some squirrels. An Old |
beaten path, ran from the river, by and about |
twenty feet from the hole, At Little Schoodle, |
some five miles above Reeds, live George Nc |
Causland and wife, Watson Dacy, wife and |
three children, VIM. RoyntOn, wife and child,
and Royal Boynton, wife and children.
Direct examination resumed: On Friday or |
SATURDAY after the body was found. noticed a |
trail running from the water TO the hole; it |
looked rs if something had been dragged over !
Dr. II. III. Reynolds. testified that he exam |
med the body of John Ray, at Midway, Just af |
ter if had been found, and removed TO the old |
store. The body looked as though it had been |
pounded from the top OF the head to the hips. |
on the bacl, the bruises correspondent in shape |
10 the terues, cup and pick on the lower end |
of Il setting pole" which was shown at the |
coroner's inquest. The blows on the head was |
sufficient to produce death, and the neck was |
dsl0eatFd.
Cross-eXamined The intlentations upon the |
back correspond with the pick, (Which was |
bent ferules and cup on the piece of hardwood |
setting pole. There were severe blows on the |
head, but it is not easy to determine what was |
used to int1ict them.
VIM r. Boynton testified that a year ago |
last June the prisoner was conversng about |
Ray and his wife quarreling, and Reed said if |
he was in my place q am Mrs. Rays brother |
he would give him whaling and said if |
Ray gave him any of his lip he would lick him |
10 death. At his (Reed'sj fathers house after
wards, prisoner said he understood Mrs. Raw |
was going to live with her husband again that |
he would rather have her die than do that, and |
that he loved Mrs Ray, and couldn't help it, |
Have had some other conversation with pris- i
nner perhaps. than what I've stated. He said |
If he was in imv place he would ''knock HI |
out of" Ray. Never saw Reed and Ray tOgeth- |
er any length of time; they were not on speak
ing terms.
Cross-examined. My sister Mrs Ray) came |
to my house after she and her husband sepa-
rated; she did not bring her children. She |
went back to live with Ray the last of August. |
Warren Butler testified that he had seen |
Reed and Mrs. Ray together several times at |
Cushng's and Boynton's. In May last saw
them sitting together in VIM. Boynton's pas
ture about O'Clock p. m. Crept up behind |
them and heard Il cir conversation. This was |
IL or ) miles Above Reeds. Saw Mrs. Ray |
start half mile ahead. and in a little while \
Reed who was at his house, got on his team |
and followed. followed on foot TO see what |
could see. Saw the team in the road and |
crept into the pasture to hear what they said |
FIRST heard she wanted him to call evenings. |
tie said something about lying in the end of |
woodpile to watch for Ray. She said the best |
way would be for her to drive the COW on to |
the island or beyond Sadly brook, and that |
would be the time to watch for Ray. Reed !
asked why, and she said that would be his |
time to make way with Ray Or kill him. Have |
since advised Ray to leave the country
In the crOss-eXamination witness was una |