Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-11-14
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH
TO THE
Daily xennebee Sparnal.
Tho CnrdOu Murdnr Trial
The Gordon Murder Trial.
FOURTH DAY.

The proceedings of the fourth day of the
Thorndke murder trial commenced with the
evidence Of the keepers over the prisoner on
the day of the arrest, which was corroborative
of that already adduced. Stephen Rand, the
venerable father of the murdered woman,
testified to seeing blood on the prisoners
wrist. The vest worn by the prisoner, stained
with blood, was introduced. One of the
keepers swore to threats made by the prison.
er against his brothers wife, in May last.
That lie thought that she had written anony-
nous letters about his character, for which he
meant to pay her, and that she had caused all
the trouble between Almon and himself. Ray
mond s. Rich, the magistrate who arrested
Gordon and took charge of the premises, tes-
tilted to securing the axe, clotted with blood
and hair, to the condition Of the victims,
mutlated and half roasted, and to the appear
ance of the infant, then breathing, but who
soon expired, to the room sprinkled with
blood and to the discovery near the bed of a
bottle which bad contained kerosene oil. The
detail OF these horrors produced a manifest
effect upon the prisoner. For the first time
during the trial his countenance indicated
emotion. He leaned forward and during the
remainder of the forenoon concealed his face
with handkerchief.
Drs. Williams and johnson described their
postmortem examination of the bodies and
testified that the sharp wounds upon the head
were sufficient to cause instant death, and
that the blunt ones were made by the back of
the axe. The faces were literally mangled
to pulp, and the bones crushed.
Col. Hiram Chase, one of the coroner's
jury, described the blood upon the walls of
the room and identified candlestick found in
the crib. Three additional witnesses were
examined, whose testimony was only cumula.
tive. This afternoon different branch of
the case will be entered upon.
AFTERNOON
At o'clock this afternoon the absence of a
witness caused an adjournment of the Thorn
dixie trial until morning.
Among other material matters proved was
the fact that the hair and night dresses of the
oil.
Miss Julia p. Edwards, to whom the pris-
oner had been paying attentions, identified
three anonymous letters defining his charac
ter which she received q few weeks before
the murder, and which he attributed to his
brothers wife. A lady spiritual medium
from Bangor, testified that about the first Of
last June the prisoner consulted her profess
sonally about their authorship, stating that
he was in trouble, that his parents had turned
against him and settled their property on his
brother, whose wife he suspected of having
written them, and that if he ascertained tor a
certainty he would take her life.
A sister of Miss Edwards swore to the dec
laration Of the prisoner the evening before
the murder, that he had found an envelope
directed to Julia in his brothers wife's room,
and was satisfied that she had sent the letters
that had been received. (The court exclu-
ded the letters as evidence for the presently
Elisha Gordon, Jr., a cousin of the prisoner,
testified that on the day previous to the trag-
edy, the prisoner, in a conversation upon
other subjects, suddenly exclaimed, Zone
thing l know, and that is. Almon's life or
mine is damned short in this world"
The public interest in the trial continues
and the hall has been constantly crowded. 1t
is thought that the evidence for the State will
be finished tomorrow forenoon, and that the
testimony on both sides may be completed
this week.