The Portland daily press., 1875-04-14


industrious and very negligent man. and even
the palliatipg circumstances that he had given
his unfortunate and crippled wreck or a wire
the choice of being tied in warmed room-or
liberty to crawl about in this airy apartment, at
such time as the 2Sth of last January, without
a fire and with such scanty covering as was
found about her-only corroborates the state
ment as first made, and both stories prove the
same crime-gross neglect.
To what a degree this has been carried, the
terrible condition Of tie woman at present, her
rapidly approaching dissolution, and the volun
tary statements of those who discovered her,
will best decide.
These statements are from the resident
neighbors of Hugh Smith; most of them are
personally known to your correspondent; they
are possessed of unimpeachable moral charac-
tiers, intelligent and in all respects as worthy
and correct citizens as any in the town.
j. M. MARSHALL.
Buxton, April IL, 1875.
MR.. TOWNSHIPS STATEMENT.
I, William P. Townsend of Buxton in the
County of York aud State of Maine. aged
twenty six years, hereby state as follows:
L have been acquainted with Hugh Smith
and his wife Lucy A. Smith from my earliest
recollection l think Lucy A. Smith has been
derauged, more or less for twenty years past.
A part of the time (some years slnce) she was
at the Insane Hospital at Augusta, but has
lived at home ten years more or less. have
no personal knowledge of her situation or
treatment until the present winter. On the
18th day of January 1875 L went to Smiths
house to see his son Charles ii, and saw him in
the shed and talked with him there. While
there Charles went up into the shed chamber,
and while he was gone heard grooming and
shvering noise which seemed like some one in
great distress 1 had heard that Mrs. Smith
had been confined in the room from which the
sounds proceeded, but had never seen her there.
felt impeled to open the door of the room
which opened into the shed where was, and
saw Mrs Smith on the opposite side of the
room, lying against a brick chimney, on the
floor, upon which there were only few old
mouldy husband over her was a piece of
coarse canvas which was the only covering
could see upon or about her, could see moth
ing else in the room but the husks and canvas
besides Mrs. Smith, who was shaking and
grooming. There was large place of ice
where her breath had frozen on the wall near
her mouth. did not go to her, but only saw
her across the room. The weather that day
was very cold and freezing. L Immediately
shut the door without speaking again to Charles
and went direct to West Buxton Village, about
three-quarters of mile from Smiths, and
saw George Elwell and Allen Harmon, VINO
lived in Smiths neighborhood and told
them and several other people what L
had seen, and told them that she should
be seen to right away as she seemed
to be suffering. The same day l reported
the matter to Warren McCorison, who is
Smiths nearest neighbor, and to others in that
neigbborhood. Nothing was done however to
relieve her at that time. About ten days after
Smiths son Albert was brought home badly
frozen, and [ went to Smiths to see him the
day after, February 9th. saw him, and while
l was there Frank II. Dunn and Charles Hig-
gins came there and wished me to state wheth-
er the report had circulated about Mrs. Smith
was true. told Mr.. Higgins if he did not
believe it to come with me and would show
him.. He went with me to the shed and
opened for him the same door which had
before opened as before related. We then
looked in and saw Mrs. Smith in tine same
place as when 1 saw her before. There were
the same canvas and husks, and there did not
seem to have been any change in her or her
surroundings. 1t was extremely cold and she
was shivering and groaning as she was the
first time l saw her.. Higgins then called
other neigbbors that were at the house, Nath-
aniel Parker, Frank II. Dunn, Henry Ridlon.
and John Cole. The y all came and looked
into the room. Frank 81. Dunn then started
at once for the Selectmen of Buxton and found
one of then, Daniel Townsend, at the nearest
neighDors, w. MeCorison's, and very soon re-
turned with him. The room in which Mrs
Smith was adjoined the shed and was very
open, so that one could see out doors in several
places, and the wind was blowing in freely.
/ assisted Oliver Parker to cover the holes with
boards to keep out the wind. was very cold
there while doing it. The room was exceed :
ingly filthy the husks and dirt being scattered
over the whole room. Smith had gone TO Port.
laId with his team that day and returned
about ten O'Clock. Mrs. Smith had been cared
for before that on the same day, under direc-
tions of Daniel Townsend, by the neighbors.
A stove and comfortable bed had been put
into the room. The next day an old bedstead
was found, and William HI. Rounds and cut
it down so to make low bedstead and got it
into the room. Smith objected to having the
bedstead put into the room, and said she would
ha hattie off "a n
ton to him but set up the bedstead, and then
left the house. Mrs. Smith complained that it
was very coId and that her teeth were falling
out with cold. and that she had suffered terri
bly, all winter. She knew US, as she called US
by our names.
The above statement 1 am ready to verify
under oath whenever legally called on to do So
VIM. P. TOWNSEND.
We have no room to devote to the other
statements, five in humber, made by Messrs.
Frank FL. Dunn, Charles E. Higgins, Henry
G. Redlon, Oliver G.. Parker and William
Rounds. Some of them set forth the shocking
condition of the woman, the fithiness Of the
room, and the severity of the cold, in terms SO
revolving that were it not for the fact that the
men making the statements are reliable and
declare their willingness to swear to them,
one can hardly bring himself to believe that
such shocking cruelty could be practiced.
But the most shocking statement is one
signed by several ladies who visited the woman
directly after her condition was made known.
The women went to the house to try to make
the woman comfortable. When they first went
there the housekeeper refused to give them
permission to enter the room as the woman
was not fit to be seen. The woman was ra-
tional and had been taken from the floor and
placed on bed. She had no kind of clothing
on. She said she was almost frozen and asked
them to put something over her. They found
that her feet had been badly frozen and were
maturated, and taking the whole room, it was
the most revolving sight they had ever seen.
DR.. Cobb called at the house the next day to
see another person, and at the request of the
women went to see Mrs. Smith. He said that
some of the woman's toes would have to be
taken off, Several days after, one of the wo'
men saws that the toes of the woman began to
drop off, and on the 22d of March several wo-
men visited the house and found that she had
but one whole toe on her feet, and the bed was
full of the decaying remains.
1t is said that the husband of this woman
has for some time been confined to the house
by sickness, but that writ for his arrest is
nrenared against his recovery.