Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-04-03
Full Particulars of the Fright
full Scene!

The first murder in the county of Kennebec
since the brutal killing of Latin by Hoswell, at
ITallowell, occurred in the quiet town of Chelsea,
on Saturday morning last. A husband murdered
his young wife, and the poor victim fell across
the threshold of their home, the murderer, with
bloody hands, rushed past the PROSTATE form of
his dying wife. ran towards the woods, and with
the dagger Of the suicide attempted to take his own
life. We visited the
SCENE OF THIS BLOODY TRAGEDY,
a few hours after the murder and suicide,
present at the thorough investigation and hearing
of witnesses before the Coroners jury, conversed
with the intimate friends and neighbors of the
parties, and will lead readers to the details Of
an event, which in its horror and bloody
quences has few parallels in the criminal history
of the State.
The murderer's name is Isaac l.. Page; his vic
tim was his wife. Mrs. Arletta II. Page.
They lived in the town of Chelsea, in the south
ern part, about one mile from the Pttston line, in
the vicinity of Searls' Mills. 1t is on the road
leading in the direction of Hallowell, two and
half miles from the Soldiers Home at Togus.
Everything about the house in which this couple
lived with their five children, indicates straitened
circumstances, and
ALMOST PINCHINd POVERTY.
The house, q one-story structure, with small ell,
stands end to the road 1t was never painted, and
is gradually going to decay. There is side
door to the main house and also to the little ell.
An old barn stands at little distance from the
house. About the door yard are rocks and piles
Of stones in the field beyond, these way-marks
of hard scrabble in life with unyielding soil,
peep through the snow. A little orchard near the
house shows considerable care. but the general
prospect of the little farm of forty acres is rath
err unattractive. When we add to this the fact
that there isl
MORTGAGE ON THE FARM,
which both man and wife were striving diligently
to lift, it may be seen that the surroundings are
unfavorable. But when we enter the house
whata place to call home we find want and pow
erty person6ed. There scarcely the necessaries
Of life. Below is the parlor and sitting room,
leading from each bed room, little open room
in the ell entered from the kitchen Not shred
of Competing, not even door-mat homemade
rug, common in the country, about the house.
The care Of five small children and household
duties left little time for the mother to devote to
the work Of ornamentin. or identifying her home.
The 'parlor' was bare. unoccupied with
out any furniture, the old-fashioned paper which
had years ago covered the walls, had been torn off
strip after strip. The bed room leading from this
"psrlor," contained simply bed; this room was
connected by door with the bed room adjoining
the kitchen, which contained bed, chair or two
. trunk, and Q lounge. The kitchen, a dingy
room, the wall paper begrimed with smoke, con-
tanned no superiuous furniture.
1t was to this home that Isaac L. Page brought
his young wife about eleven years ago. He serv-
ed his country
SOLDIER IN THE NINETEENTH MAINE,
and married Arletta II. Brann, who was between
seventeen and eighteen years Of age. She
was born in Jefferson, and worked for while
in a cotton factory at Lewiston; the task be-
ing too confined and wearing, was soon abandoned,
and she afterwards did homework. They had
five children-a boy 10 years old, girl s. two
boys and respectively, and little baby boy but
three weeks old. Mrs. Page got up speedily from
her last sickness, and was in very good health and
regaining her health three weeks from the birth of
her child. She was attended a nurse by Miss
Elizabeth W. Horn, maiden aunt of her hus-
band, 70 years of age. She had been there three
weeks previous to the tragedy, and was there at
the time the babe was born. She had been con-
slant in her duties at the house; was there the
night before the murder; on Thursday night she
was at horne, in the neighborhood short distance
below, to her sister Pages. Breakfast being over,
the dishes cleared away and washed, she left the
house on an errand to her sisters, about o'clock
On THE FATAL MORNING,
leaving in the house Isaac and his wife, the little
three year old boy, and the babe. She didn't see
anything unusual in Pages conduct on the morn
ing in question; only he trembled and complained
of being cold. She helped him put on his vest and
coat and told him to go to the barn and attend to
his milking and do up the rest of his chores. That
was the last she saw of him until
THE BLOODY TRAGEDY
was enacted. He had occasional pains in bis head
and at these times he seemed to be laboring under
q strange hslluciation, that some one was coming
after him, or that certain had had Illicit inter-
course with his wife. His wife, two Or three days
ago, hid tie razor, fearing he would kill himself.
She also feared that he would take her own life,
and often so expressed herself When some
was with her she had no fears. The tragedy &C.
cured about $50 o'clock Saturday morning, al
though the exact hour cannot be precisely known.
The sweet babe was. sleeping in its cradle, the
mother was sitting in the rocking chair in the
kitchen where they had breakfasted; Lottie May
Page, the girl Of eight years, bright. beautiful
child, and her little three year old brother, were
about the house. The other two children were
down to their grandmothers. Lotte May says
GATHER AND MOTHER DIDN'T sCoLD"
any that morning. In the presence of the sleeping
infant, the two little children Lottie and Harry,
and the wife, the husband emerged from the sleep
ing room, and without saying word to any one
AIMED A PISTOL AT HIS WIFE AND FIRED!
The mother screamed and said "Oh, don't!
Isaac! Oh, don't!" OF course the children were
alarmed and fed from the house, not knowing
whether two Or three shots were fired. Lottie
didn't see mother try to get up from tie chair.
The children ran screaming, bare headed down to
Mr.. Briery's, and told him that her father had
shot her mother. Lottie didn't her father come
out of the house after she left. The child told a
straightforward story, and was deeply moved to