The Portland daily press., 1875-06-25

being opened, and all the money taken except
booty of this hard nights labor and butchery
being only 800 Wagner was back at Ports
mouth by o'clock in the morning, but IN
such plight as to excite EXPLANATIONS OF sur
prise among the family where he had been
stopping. His hands were blistered, his
clothing wet and icy, and his general appear
ance such that one said to him: "Why. Louis
where have you been? You look like the Devil"
You have been on tramp somewhere. lie
gave strange account of his whereabouts for
the night. The dory which had carried him to
and from the scene of the murder was found
adrift with the new thole-pins worn a quarter
of an inch. By the first train Wagner hurried
to Boston, where he purchased some clothes,
shaved his whiskers off, and to friend at the
boarding house where he had been accustomed
to stop in Boston, he said he had run away
from numbering two sailors in New York, and
was Disgusting himself to elude the police. He
was arrested at this house the same evening
and carried back to Portsmouth, where he was
great difficulty protected from the violence of
with the exasperated peOplei He was tried at Al
fred in June, and the crcumstantial evidence
was SO strongly marshalled by Attorney-Gener-
al Pasted as to secure verdict of guilty.
After conviction Wagner was placed in AL.
fred Jail but at the close of week became tired
of confinement and walked out into the open
ar, with several other prisoners, and for sever
al days was at liberty. Hunger finally drove
MN W Tie farm mouse OF w. ii. fanner III
Pennington, N. III. Mrs Tanner suspected
his identity and informed the neighbors. Wag-
ner becoming alarmed fled to the woods where
he was speedily captured and lodged in Saco
Jail. From the time of his conviction to the
present Wagner has manifested apparent in
difference, stoutly protesting his innocence.
His department has been quiet and he has new
er given the prison officers any tronble. He
has persistently held to the idea that in some
way he would escape the galows 'God will
fNraro hnh tr,,1 ~3t 1,nC
been his favorite phrase for indicating his be-
lief that be would be saved. AS
one after another of expedlents of
his counsel, Judge Tapley, has failed
he has never lost heart and but few days
since was still protesting his innocence and his
confidence that he would never be hung. He
seems to have expected some miraculous inter-
position of Providence to save him, or else
has feigned such belief in hopes of giving
additional force to his assertion of innocence.
Though convicted of but one murder there
were suspicious that Wagner was concerned in
the death of German fellow sailor by the
name of Ludwig. When they sailed from Bos-
ton Wagner prevailed upon him to take his
bank book with him, and when Wagner re-
turned Ludwig had been lost overheard with
the help of Wagner it was supposed, and the
latter had the bank book and attempted to
draw the money but without success.
Nagner's counsel, ex-Judge Tapley, with
whom was associated Max Fischacher of Bos-
their Giants neck from the gallows. They first
fought the facts with untiring ZEAL beaten
here they attempted to get the verdict set aside
on the ground that Smutty Nose Island was in
New Hampshire and not in Maine. Again de-
feated they still had hopes that the legislature
would abolish capital punishment When these
hopes tailed, as final resort and evidently with
the feeling that it was but a forlorn hope they
took exceptions to the method of sentence and
applied for writ of error, but their exceptions
and their annlicqtJon 6iSn1iccud hv tha
Supreme Court and nothing is now left for
Wagner but to expiate his crime upon the gal
lows.
THE CRIME OF JOHN TRUE GORDON.
Following the crime of Wagner with an in
terveniDg space of but few months came the
triple murder in the town of Thorndike in
Waldo county. The details of this murder
were of the most horrible description. The vic.
Tins were the murderer's own brother his
brothers wife and infant child. John True
Gordon, the murderer, was the younger of two
brothers, His reputation before the murder
was not very good though nothing of a very Sc
rous character had been alleged against him.
The motive of the crime was twofold. Gordon
hated his brother because their father had CIV
en- him the larger part of the farm, and was
still more incensed against his brothers wife
because she had revealed to his affianced dam
amaging stories in regard to his character
which led to the breaking off of the match.
Before the murder Gordon had been heard to
lCudIh tudt AluOu lllc VI LIS WAS SuOrG anu
also if he should learn that Almon's wife had
written the letters to his affianced he could
murder her. With the purpose of discovering
the author of those letters he submitted them
to Mrs. Toward, a female clairvoyant in Ban
gOr, who described the writer as his brothers |
wife, and on the day before the tragedy he said
he had thoroughly satisfied himself on this
point. On the 18th of June the elder Gordon
and his wife went to Bangor, leaving at home
Almon Gordon, his wife and three children and
q hirad MOI nc cd Warh
John True Gordon selected for his helish
work. Armed with an axe he entered the
home where his brothers family were quietly
sleeping. and murdered Almon, Almon's wife
and the babe sleeping in crib beside them. He
also inflicted severe blow upon the head of
one of the children but did not succeed in kill
ling him as he doubtless intended After COM
hitting this triple murder he sought to destroy
the traces of it by saturating the be on which
his victims lay with kerosene aud setting fire
to it, Then he assumed the role of rescuer and
wrapping the children who remained alive in
blankets bore them from the burning house.
The noise and confusion finally awoke Ward
who was sleeping in the upper part of the house
and fastening down stairs he discovered the
flames and FASTENED to inform the neighbors.
The murderer attempted to stop him bat he
persisted and they gathered before the fire had
effaced the marks on the bodies of the victims.
Johns manner was SO singular that suspicion
was excited and he was taken into custody.
On his clothing were found blood stains which
he had vainly attempted to wash away.
Gordon was placed ON trial for murder of his
brothers wife, County attorney Fogler and At
torney- General Plaisted appearing for the gov
eminent and w. III. Mcclellan and George E.
Wallace of Belfast appearing for the prisoner.
The evidence for government was mostly Cir
cumstantial, but was overwhelming. The prs-
oner took the stand in his own behalf but did
not directly deny his guilt. The jury returned
verdict OF guilty of murder in the first degree,
and the prisoner was sentenced to be hanged
While lying in Jail Gordon attempted to throw
doubt on the justice of the verdict by writing
some letters purporting to be confession Of
the murder by another person, and contrived to
throw one letter into the corridor Of the la
letter bore indisputable evidence of being Cor
don's production and only served to strengthen
the general belief in h 8 pult