The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-01-19

William Foster testifed-Live in Portland;
am janitor of post-offce building; in September
was in charge of post-office aud custom house
buildings; more particularly the latter; knew
Leonard +. SWEET well for ten; years; witness
states to jury that on the evening of the 10Th of
September, somewhere between eight and half
past went from post office to custom house,
crossed Fore street in front of Blake's; saw
SWEET in front Shop went down Pearl round
the custom house; went in Fore street door; sat
down and had smoke;when the bell commence
ed to ring, went out; while taking keys from
| my pocket heard the word ''lie"; when L came
down the steps, heard nothing more; crossed
| over to Donnells store; looked SWEET in the
face as square as look you in the face; heard
| no words; went along Fore street to Silver and
up to the post-ofice; stayed there until past 10;
| then went to Cochran's office; saw SWEET about
| two feet below the corner of Donnelps shop; he
was facing up Pearl street; can't say whether
he was resting against the building or not; he
was leaning sideways On my way home in
| the morning called at the police station; saw
Mr.. Davis; told Mr.. Davis what l saw and
heard; he told me to be sure and see Decelle;
| saw Decelle; told him what had seen and
| heard; he made me no answer; saw James S.
Gould; he told me to see Mr. Decelle; saw
| Swetts death in the Daily PRESS Saw De-
| celle some time afterwards, on Sunday at the
| police station. In the conversation Decelle
asked me if I had communicated to Strout any
thing about the SWEET affair. 1 said l had not.
| He requested me not to do so as it would help
weaken the testimony He called to see me in
| December at the post-office, and told me he
| thought must be mistaken about the time
l saw SWEET. He said, 1 have witness who
| saw SWEET down before 8 oclock. 1 told him 1
| did not know what witness he had, but if 1 was
called on the stand should testify to what /
| saw. He said that as had been police officer
had better not yet mixed up in the affair;af
| the Sunday talk communicated my knowledge
| to Mr.. Strout.
Cross Examined. dat the time of the inquest
l was in the police station, about ten o'clock; 1
| communicated the facts after they refused to
put me on the inquest, some three or four
| ton to my conversation; think my testimony
was important; suppose MIR. Decelie
paid as much attention as he sthought
my knowledge deserved; don't think had any
conversation with police officers in regard to my
knowledge; considered it my duty man to
go and tell these circumstances to Decelle;
first learned of Swett's death the next morning;
read it about seven o'clock or later; went to the
police Office on my way home; Mr.. Davis told
me that the coroners inquest would be held;
think the paper said Loveitt had been arrested;
don't know whether / first learned of Loveitts
arrest from the newspaper or Mr. Davis; don't
recollect anything about SWEETS dress nor that
of either of the Others think when passed
from the Custom Honse to the post-office
several persons near Blacks SWEET stood on
Pearl street, about two feet below the corner of
DonnelPs shop; he could not have been seen
from Blake S; don know who were near Blake's
ed there would be fuss between the men: l
didn't think it my duty to stay and prevent
fuss or go for the policeman; can't say whether
spoke to SWEET; heard the lie given just as
was locking the door; can't say that have ever
given any different statement of this affair to
any persen; don't think it possible; l think
since this trial begun prisonerss brother was
coming down Exchange street, I asked him
about the progress of the trial; had no further
talk with him.
WiJord r. CogginS-Live ON Locust street;
was at Blake's shop the night of the homicide;
knew SWEET and Loveitt; the tall man was six
feet or over; very large man; stranger tome;
don't recollect what he had on; recollect of his
coming from the back shop and going
out of the store by the front door; didn't see
SWEET go out; heard no quarrel between Loveitt
and SWEET; saw Loveitt when he went out; it
was about 20 minutes or quarter to nine; Low
eitt came back in five or night minutes; he
stood by the door; asked me if I was going up
town; said not just yet; asked him if he was
coming back; said he thought he would: we
were accustomed to walk up together he went
in the direction of Silver street; this was about
9 o'clock; twenty minutes or half an hour after
that was appraised that SWEET was knocked
down; went to him; he was in the doorway of
Donnell's shop; went to Stafford block for
Black and came back with him; went to Cor
don's stable on Pearl street; raped and tried
the Pearl street door; got team-a horse and
express wagon; harnessed as quick as l could;
Black and James Gould drove out the Pearl
drove him to the station; did not go to the po-
lice station on Monday last at Strouts request
went through the same movements from the
shop to the stable, etc. /; it took me eleven min
utes to do this; after Loveitt leftland went up
Silver street, he came back; the store was lock-
ed; he knocked and was admitted; in one or
two minutes L shut up and we walked home to-
gether and separated at the Park; heard the
clock strike 10 when we were at the corner of
Pearl and Middle streets.
Cross-eeGmined-I testified before the grand
jury; the fisherman left the shop at 20 minutes
of or whereabouts; have no better information
on this point than when 1 testified before the
coroner; think 1t was about three-quarters of an
hour after the sailor went out that L heard
man was knocked down; don't think / have
ever said that it was just AFTER didn't see Low
eitt just after; don't recollect that have ever
given any different account of the affair; don't
remember of hearing the bell ring or clock
strike did not look at the Clock judge of time
from passing circumstances.
William A. Stillings-Am city bell-ringer;
usually give the first stroke of the bell so that
it shall be uniform in time with the cadence of
the clock strokes; usually ring from three to
five minutes.
Cross-eaan,iaed-Can't tell just how long
rung; don't vary half a minute in time; the city
clocks vary half minute.
EdoUdrd A. ChdSe-Knew Mark Gibbon; in
September think he was connected with a fish
ing vessel lying at Custom House wharf; he
was Nova Scotian; a tall, dark compexioned
IL
fishermen in port at that time; first saw Glib
bon about the time this affair; haven't seen
him since. La
Mrs. Eliza Bro,cn-Live at % Adams street;
recolect the night of the SWEET homecide; / was
in my house; Edward Payson was there spend
ing the evening; when the bell rung my hus-
band and stood at the door talking with him;
he left Immediately; my husband was to go on
board his vessel at 10 o'clock, prepared to go to
his vessel with him. Near the Bethel church
we met perhaps dozen persons; should judge
it was half past when 1 left my house; had
reason to believe from what we heard that
there had been difficulty; my husband went
with me to Foxon's boarding house, and left
me; returned in about five minutes; when we
were going along by the corner of Pearl street
on the way home the clock struck.
James Ell Broaon-Am pump and block-mak-
er and fisherman Witness corroborates his
wife's statements; started from Foxon's and
went to the vessel; did not go on board; return
ed to Foxons for my wife, and started towards
home. When we passed Pearl street the clock
struck ten; it took me about eight minutes to go
to my vessel and back to Foxon's Have since
gone over the same ground at request of Mr..
Strout.
JohnF Green-Live at No. 125 Congress
street; am cooper; the night of the homecide
was at the Cooper's Union, on Congress street,
just above Oak; left the Union when the clock
struck nine; met .Loveitt at head of Chestnut
street; we went into Daltons, two doors from
the corner of Chestnut stopped there just long
towards Deering block. Have walked from the
Coopers Union to Chestnut street at Strout's
request; it was about ten minutes past nine
when met Loveitt: saw no appearance of ex-
citement or anything unusual about Loveitt
Cross erdnained-Dont recollect whether the
bell was ringing wnen / came out of the Union
walked down street moderately.
| Ellen c. Jordan-Have known Loveitt a year
last May. The night of the homecide was at
prayer meeting at the Methodist vestry ON
| Chestnut street; meeting broke up about five
minutes past nine. Mr.. Luce was making his
| closing prayer when the bell was ringing /
| did not hurry away from the vestry next day
| mentioned the fact of seeing Simon in the shop
| Live in John Lovett's family.
! Daniel W. Loueitt-Am brother of the accus-
| ed; am retail fish dealer at No. 300 Congress
street; my shop is nearly opposite the Preble
| House; a little above; on the night of the hon.
icide, when the bell rang, made up my cash &C
count, cleaned some fish and cleared up the
| shop, closed, walked down to Lancaster Hall,
| crossed over, met my brother about half 49,.
! down to Elm; spoke with him; went h >....,
he went up street; from the best of my .o".-
| edge it was from fifteen to twenty minute
nine.
| Court adjourned. f.- past
| The trial has excited considerable interest
and the court room has been packed at all its
| sittngs.
OCEAN HoUsE-A donation party was held at
the Ocean House, Cape Elizabeth, Wednesday
evening in aid ofthe Methodist church at that To-
cality. Mr.. Chamberlain prepared an excellent