Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-11-12

THE CHARLES RIVER MURDER.

Inc man who has met with this terrible
death 1H, is now known to have been Mr.. Abijah
ELLIS, native of New Hampshire, who some
years ago was tin peddler, in the pursuit. OF
which business he amassed some little prog
erty, finally leaving his cart to embark in
the business of buying and selling real estate.
During the past ten years he has lived in this
city, and at the time of his death roomed In
the house l5l East Dover street, of which he
was the lessee. He was a bachelor, and for
the past two or three months has taken his
meals in house on Kendall street. For
aoou tfour years previous to this, however,
ne lived with Mrs. Porter on Dover place
and this lady immediately recognized him
from The description given. She says thai
he was close man in business transactions
and self opinionated in his talk, making
great many enemies by his strong and forci-
bic language when under excitement. He
was IN the nabit of carrying considerable
sums of money about him, anI he had often
allow red her little girls to count the rolls ot
bills which he carried in his vest pockea,
sometimes amounting TO over a thousand dol
lars. lie was man of strictly temperate
habits. She never knew of his taking elas.
of any kind Of intoxicating liquors during all
the time he was with her.
1t is now ascertained that the deceased wa.
last seen at his boarding house about six
O'Clock on Tuesday evening, when he ate hi.
supper. At half-past seven O'Clock he was
seen on Washington street by Mrs Porter ard
her little daughter. They were walking W
the street at the time, and passed Mr.. Eli,
near the engine house of steamer No. g. The
parties recognized one another, but no word.
were exchanged. Mrs. Porter is the last per
son as yet known TO have seen Ellis alive.
The inquiry is row narrowed down 10 TIE
discovery Of the murdered mans whereabout-
after hsli'pas o clock on Tuesday evening y
There can be no doubt that robbery was the
incentive to the crime, as no money va.
found upon the body, and the wallet and
memorandum book which he habituaily car
ried were both missing. The theory that is
received with the most favor is that Mr.. Ellis
went directly to q stable on Cherry street,
VIII re he kept horse, for the purpose of at
tending to his wants, that he was followed
thither by one or more persons who were IA
miliar with his habits, and was there knocked
down and robbed. After committing the rob.
berry and discovering that the man was dead,
the body was got rid of in the manner previ-
ously described. The fact that the remains
were found eneased in horse manure and bed
ding such as is used in barns gives promi-
nence and apparent reality to this theory.
The question OF who was the murderer is now
in fair way of solution. Suspicion points
to two parties.
A clew to the probable locality of the mur-
der has been obtained. The fact that Ward
10 election ballots were found on the person
of the deceased, coupled with the circum-
stances that billiard table pocket, several
bevelled pieces Of wood used in the manu-.
facture OF tables, and brown paper wrapper,
bearing the direction, IN. Schouller, Albion
building, lO49 Washington street," were dis
covered in The stable rubbish with which the
remains were packed, have led to close in.
vcstigation in that section of Boston. At
the place designated by the marks on the
wrapper, the manufacture of billiard tables is
carried on by Peter Schouller & Son. They
employ Leavitt Alley to do their trucking.
Alley has stand nearly in front Of the man
ufactory and stables his horses in Zimmerman
street, Roxbury, residing in Metropolitan
place, nearly opposite Zimmerman street, in a
house recently purchased of MIR. Ellis. Some
three weeks ago Mr.. Peter Schouller had his
cleared of rubbish, and this was
carted of, the major portion going to the sta
BILE referred to. 1t is likely that one or more
billiard pockets, worn and unfit tor use, wen,
out of the establishment at the same time
But further than this is the fact that from that
time to the present neither has dsu sed bill.
lard pocket been taken from the place nor
one answering the description brought within.
Among the rubbish then taken away was u
large quantity of shavings which Mr.. ALE,
had previously used as n substitute tor straw
in bedding his horses. A search Of the sta
bic has been made by the police, who there
found a pile of shaviIgs answering the de-
scription of those taken from Schouller's fac
tory. A number of barrels were also found
on the premises. MIR. Alley is Of the impress
sion that two Of them are missing. All the
circumstances thus Tar elected go strongly to
bear out the supposition that the material
used tor the secretion of the remains was ta-
ken from this stable, and as the barrels con.
tanning the body could not have been carried
to the river by men unaided. it is reasonable
pose by the murderer or murderers.
An autopsy of the body was begun yester-
day morning in the Armory building, under
direction of DIR. T. l.. Hildreih. The body
is still in good state of preservation. The
hands are clenched tightly and begrimmed
with dirt, and the body is covered with bits OF
sawdust. Everywhere is exhibited tokens Of
the ferocity which prompted the murderer TO
his bloody work. The body was literally
hacked to pieces. 1t was evident that the
deed was committed in great excitement, for
several blows missed their mark and gashed
the body terribly. On the groin and about
the neck were several deep cuts, which could
have only been inflicted by mistake. The
mortal wound was in the head Bostoa .Ad-
aeytiser, Saturday.