The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-12-18


Almon and John Gordon were the sors OF
a small farmer, living in Thondike, Waldo
county, Maine. Something like the old II
valry Of Jacob and Esau seems to have
grown up with the young men. Almon was
thrifty, industrious and ''elOscn-a man
after his old fathers heart, John was a
mo account young fellow; he liked squir-
rel hunting and sleighing, bat was aversc
to hard labor. The old man, after various
experiments, decided to lease his little farm
to Almon, who wrought industriOusly in
the field and wood lot. John, meantime,
had .'done chores" about among the neigh
bors, had let himself at intervals as q hired
man, and had lived generally thriftless
and shiftless life. Almon finally secured
from his father certain writings which gave
him absolute control, If not ownership, of
the farm. At this John was exceeding
wroth. He had also been unprosperous in
his little love affairs; and he was embittered
and disappointed. Some person, had writ
ten anonymous letters to the object Of his
affections. warning her that he was a ne'er-
do-well and a vagabond. This meanness he
charged to his sister-in-law, the wife of
Almon. He swore he s'would be even"
with the whole family. The feud eliminated
in quarrel about a saw which belonged on
the farm, and which John took, without
leave, to saw wood for one of the neighbors.
One night, after some bitter talk, the broth
ers went to bed under the same roof To-
ward morning, John rose up stealthiiy and
crept into the room where Almon was
sleeping with his wife and two little chill
dren. With an AK from the wood shed,
this sordid Cain slew his brother, the wife,
and one of the children, leaving the second
child for deed. He then fired the house
and alarmed the neighbors. His alarm was
premature the fire was extinguished; the
horIid butchery was manifest; he was ar
rested, tried, and on Wednesday last con-
victed of murder in the first degree
The details of this sordid story, brought
out In the course of the trial, give glimpses
of mean and commonplace life which
only through violence and blood rose into
the dignity of a tragedy. There was the
weak old gaan beset by his natural affection
for his sons and their selfish greed. There
the brothers wrangline over petty details of
homely farm life and infiamed with heart
burnings about the ownership of field and
wood lot, and the use Of q saw And there
was the poor old mother trying to keep
peace in the family, and secretly telling
John that he should have $500 as his part Of
the birthright The covetousness and ran
cor of the disappointed brother famed un-
til he was on fire with desire for revenge.
He was not violent man, nor Of dull moral
perceptions; but he hated his brother, and
so wore the brand Of Cain before he lifted
the fatal ak. Nursing his wrath, he fancied
himself most ill-used and outraged by a
supplanter His passion grew on him as he
unused over his wrongs, and the sight of
his brother enjoying tile comforts of a
frugal homestead drove him wild. So for
the poor sake of revenging himself for a
few hundred dollars he imbrued his hands
in his brothers blood. Just as men moro
delicately nurtured and more profusely
tempted become defaulters, thieves, or
murderers for the sake of thousands this
young Maine farmer brought three awful
murders on his soul, desolated what should
have been a happy home, and threw once
moro lurid light on the old, old proverb,
''The love OF money is the rootof all evil. .
N 7. Tribune