The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-03-30
A Shocking Crime.

One of the most inhuman outrages ever
recorded recently came before Judge
Peters, who is holding the March term of
the Supreme Court in Knox county. 1t is
the trial Of Albert O. Hall, for rape upon
Nettie Wright, little girl of only eight
years Of age-the accused being daughter
of Halls deceased wife. The Opinion has
the following sketch of the case
The case was opened to the jury by County
attorney Staples, Tuesday morning, in a briet
but able address in which he sketched the out
lines of the case, and presented the points in
clear and lucid manner The prisoner is step
father to the girl upon whom he is accused of
committing the inhuman crime. The family
lived in Union, near HIPS Mills. The mother
of the girl died last August, when Hall deserted
the child, and she was taken charge of by tho
authorities of the town of Appleton. In the
Fall, she was adopted by Mrs. Andrew Fowles,
of Camden. Soon afterwards Mrs. Fowles dis
covered that rape had been committed upon
the girl, her condition being horrible in the ex-
IRENE. Upon being questioned, the girl very
reluctantly told the fearful story, which she re-
peated upon the preliminary examination and
again at the present trial, the story being SUBJ
stantially the same as told by her each of the
three times. She is remarkably bright, intel
ligent girl, and quite prepossessing in appear
ance. Her complexion is light, with brown
hair and gray eyes, and. though rather small of
her age, she is quite fleshy. She was upon the
witness stand nearly all day Tuesday and part
OF Wednesday, and sustained the long and
searching cross-examnation conducted by John
e. Hanly, wonderfully we'll, never faltering in
the least upon the principal points of her test-
mony. II her story is false, she is entitled to
niche in the temple of fame besides the notori-
Gus Jimmy Blanchard. She says that one day
last june her mother being absent, the prisoner
threw her upon the floor, put his hand over her
mouth to stife her cries, and outraged her. The
next day he attempted to repeat the act in the
presence Of her mother, who, when she endeav-
ored to protect the child, was knocked down.
Hall then took the girl up stairs and accom-
plished his purpose. She says he afterwards
repeated the act nearly every day for a long
time. One day afterwards he took her into
barn, a boy named Charles E. Harris, 10 years
DID, being with them, and after himself vioat-
ing her person, invited Harris to do so, which
he did. Harris was arrested for the crime and
indicted but has turned states evidence, and
corroborates the girls story fully. According
to the evidence of both, another boy afterwards
outraged her, being induced to do so by Harris.
His name is Clifford Thompson his age is 49,
and he has gone to parts unknown. His home
is in Appleton. A man named George D. Cox
is also alleged to have participated in the crime
in July, and was indicted with Hall. He pleads
not guilty, and his trial will take place at the
close Of that of Hail. Drs. Hitchcock and
Banks, Of Rockland, and Chase and Levensaer
of Thomaston, testify that rape has undoubt-
eddy been committed upon the girl. The de-
fence was opened by John E. Hanley Briefly,
it consists of q variety of evidence going to show
that it impossible for the girls story to be true
Their theory is that the rape was committed by
Isaac Metcalf of Appleton, Nov. % last, Har-
riet 7. Sleeper testifying that the girl told her
something of the kind, the girl denies that it
was so, or that she said so. Drs Alden, of
Union, and Estabrook, of Rockand, testify in
support of the theory of the defence. Hall is
rather good looking man, 80 years old. Cox is
"a wears