The Republican journal., 1873-06-19
Shocking Murder in Thorndlke
a Father, Mother and Child Killed wit h
an Axe. Another Terribly Wounded

Our city was thrown into excitement
on Monday morning. by the report that
whole family had been murdered in their
beds IN the town of Thorndike. about Is
miles from our city, on the line of the
Belfast Branch of the Maine Central Our
reporter at once proceeded to the spot.
and found the terrible report to be only
too true.
on collection of fertile and grassy
slopes. on q finely cultivated farm is the
old Gordon homestead, so called, on which
John Gordon lived and raised family of
seven children The buildings are large.
well cared for, and give evidence of pros
perity The homestead has been for some
ume past occupied by Almon NJ Gordon.
me Youngest son, his wife and three
children who had received deed from
the father, in consideration of support
during lie. There they lived in peace,
r"ntentment and happiness until the hor-
lple affair of Sunday night The oc-
SGpantS OF the house on that night besides
those named. We're John + Gordon. single
man, who is an elder brother of the muir
dered man; Eden Ward a hired man:
and Anna Gordon, neice of the mur-
dered man. AlmOn Gordon, his wife and
two children, slept in bedroom on the
itfSt noor, the Youngest child of Il months
"a bed with It's parents the other a boy of
%. N crib in the same room. and the
"'her child of three. in a room above
with the neine. Anna Gordon. John T.
'rorion. and the hired man. in separate
rooms above. Gordon the father, and his
wife, usually made their home there. but
were absent on the fatal nj ght
The first that was known OF the oc-
rurrence by any person outside the house.
was that the family OF John N. Harmon,
ia the neighborhood. was aroused by the
cry OF ire from some one outside. This
alarm came from Young Ward. who
worked for Gordon. He informed them
hat Mr.. iiordon's house was on fire Mr..
Harmon and mis- two sons at once ran to
The house, nearly halt mile away What
'1eY saw and heard appears in their test
mony with that OF other witnesses before
the Ccroner's Jury
The bedroom where the awful deed
was done, presented fearful sight The
door Was swimming in blood mingled
with the water that had been used to
4uench the tire. The bed. despatched
with blood, with the frame work at the
mead Knocked off as if by the blow of an
axe. stood at an angle across the apart
ment From it had assembled on that
hloodv morning the souls of three innocent
human beings The crib in which had
reposed the little boy. now struggling
between life and death, with the fearful
cash OF the axe on his young forehead,
stood in the tar corner the cotted gore
still clinging to it's frame Along the
castings of the door and window and up
lie paper hangings had run the flames
kinded by the man whose demon work
an this was
In the long shed leading from the house
10 the barn. lay the bodies so bravelv
snatched from the burning room by Young
Harmon. Two stained and bloody sheets,
'hroudng with their CHASTITY folds, and
rndistinctly revealing the outlines OF two
human beings, lay upon the floor. Lift
ing these. through which the stains OF
blood and brains had spread the blackened
and bloody remains We're discovered.
Gordon, fine specimen of a young ath-
letic man, lay upon his back the flannel
shirt buttoned about his tull neck, his
auburn hair matted with blood, falling
over his face, and two horribly gaping
wounds cleaving the skull to the brain.
The fire had spared his face but its backen-
lng traces were over his chest, and person
generally. The wife, a woman Young
lay upon her side, her long dark hair
falling in curled masses upon the floor,
saturated with her life blood. Our guide
lifted the head, and oh, horrors the once
beauuful face had been crushed out OF all
human resemblance by the cruel blows OF
The axe. The beautiful hair and the tull
cheeks were there, but the features ewes.
pose, mouth, were driven a CORY mass
into the head. The bosom, the round
srms and the delicate hands were burned
I'D blackened cinders. AT the sight strong
men wppt and women sobbed convulsive-
lv. Reverently, tenderlv, the coverings
were replaced, and we went to the room
where nv the murdered child, babe of
seventeen months The cradle sat in a
'front.' room. Over it was drawn a cover
ing white rs its Young lie. Putting it
aside there were cold remains of as sweet
Il babe As ever made glad a mothers
heart. Light auburn curls, eyes closed in
death, chubby features composed. A
cruel blow had depressed the side of the
head while over arms, dress and face
were spatters of blood The legs were
ieartully burned. In another room lay
the boy of six, a bloody bandage upon
his head; he moaned in pain while a nurse
carefully tended and famed him.
The hero OF the occasion is young
Asbury Harmon, who at the risk Of his
life, rushed into the burning room and
dragged out the bodies, severely burning
his hands.
AS soon a. the facts of the case became
apparent, suspicion fixed itself upon John
r Gordon, as the author of the awful
crime He is an elder brother of Almon,
the murdered man. and has not borne a
good reputation His strange conduct at
the discovery OF the fire, anxiety to work
at getting furniture from the 'front.' rather
than to extinguish the fire, or scare CHI for
the family at the rear, seemed not to be
explanable on any theory except that of
guilt a motive is found in the fact that
A lmnn the Younger and Steadier brother