Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-03-11


around the house, and heard Ansths shoul
Louis, Louis" be went back 70 To oouS
and got the axe and saw him strike he1
three times; could not zee the face, bat
could see the figure of q man, and knew
him to be Louis Wagner; jumped through
the window, and ran down around the hen.
merry; l tried to get Karen to come, but che
replied she was too tired; / ran down to the
dock to find dory, but found none; then
went out on the island and hid behind the
rocks; we went to bed about ten p. n. when
hid behind the rocks the moon was j1ss
setting; / stayed there till after sunrise, feel
| ing that Wagner was still on the island. I
| went down to the north side Of the island and
swung my skirts a. q signal for help; came
up on the Point and shouted, and . man heard
me and came over from . neighboring island,
where arrived at 8 o'clock, A. M. (, March g.;
we were all good friends; Wagner never
made any improper advances to me or the
others to my knowledge; the only time ssw
Wagner during the ARRAY was when he was
striking Anethe; I saw Aneths lying on the
ground when jumped out Of the window;
when l was running away heard Karen shout-
ing; the voice sounding out of doors; neree
heard Wagner speak at all.
1t is said that the eldest of the two wcmen
murdered, Karen Christensen, was between
twenty-five and thirty years old and unmar-
ried; Anethe was tweaty two years Of age.
Both were of irreproachable character and Of
marked personal beauty. 1t seems that Mrs.
Houtsel did not escape from the assassin un-
Ill after receiving two blows on the head and
shoulder, though not severe. She ned, 1t
first, to cellar near by, remained there for
few minutes until she deemed it prudent 70
aban on her hiding place, and, running to the
shore, secreted herself behind some rocks,
where she remained about sig hours in cold,
with nothing on but night wrapper. She
states that she was aroused about one o'clock
(she conjectures the hour by the setting Of
the moon) by the barking of the house dog.
She was accompanied in her flight BY the dog
and retained sufficient cool presence of mind
to keep the little creature hidden beneath hes
clothing all the time the murderer was search.
ing for her. that she might not be betrayed By
his barking at the light
Wagner was taken to Saco Saturday night
in charge Of Sheriff Warren Of York county,
City Marshal Durgin of Saco, and three dep
utes. The excitement at Portsmouth was
intense. AS soon as it became known that
the prisoner was to be taken from the city, an
imr,ense crowd Of people assembled In th0
streets, and when the escort of sixteen Oh.
GERS appeared guarding the prisoner, they
were greeted by shower of stones and brick.
bats. The officers drew their revolvers and
succeeded in making their way through the
| Infatuated crowd to the railway station, where
with difficulty, the prisoner was got on board
the train. During the melee Sheriff Warren
was hi. on the head by large stone. Even
after the man was got upon the train the mob
made an effort to rescue him, and smashed in
the car windows by volley of stones. On
Wagner's arriving at Saco he was taken i'm.
mediately to the new Jail and there iuearcs-
rated. special correspondent of the Port.
land Press at Sac0 interviewed him Sunday
morning, and furnishes US with the following
account: / found Wagner seated upon ~
b, dstead, and apparently very much annoyed
| BY the looks which his many visitors, the
greater part Of which were women, cast upon
him. He is young, blue-eyed fair-hairsd
man, with very mild expression Of counter.
ance and easy assured manner. He posses.
ses one of those faces to which you would
naturally take liking. though there Is about
it weak appearance which grows upon you
the more you look upon him. I offered him
cigar and addressed few words to him In
his native tongue. He seemed quite pleased
and readily entered into conversation. There
was about him no marks of gilt, and the quiet,
composed manner in which he spoke went
far to induce belief in his innocence. He
betrayed but little emotion, except in speak
ing Of the mob at Portsmouth, when he trem.
bled and turned pale. He INDUCED in bitter
complaints of the many thousand people who
come to look at him in Portsmouth, and spoke
in a sad tone Of the taunts and insults which
they hurled at him. He stoutly maintains his
innocence, saying that he can explain where
he was at the time of the murder, though
shortly after that he drank two glasses Of
ale, which so intoxicated him that he can re.
member nothing further. He claims that the
blood upon his clothes came from cleaning
fish. Speaking Of the murdered women,
Anethe, Mathea and Karan Christensen, he
said that they were always his good friends,
and particularly exclaimed "My God, how
think you could ever go to kill them? Its
not So" The sad tones in which he said this,
and the slightly marked accent, made it very
effective.
l came away, certainly not impressed with
conviction of his innocence, but still cher
ishing reasonable doubt" and feeling
much kinder toward him than on entering the
cell. Great crowds Of people have been to
see him, the majority of whom the officers ad-
| mitted