The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-10-19
Horrible Murders in Bucksport.
Whole Family Butchered.

The thriving town of Bucksport which
has hitherto had a remarkable freedom
tram crime was startled last Saturday
morning by the report Of terrible muir
der investigation has since shown it to
have been one Of tho most shocking crimes
ever committed in Maine The locality
is AT Backs Mills. two or three miles East
or the village. and the victims were Capt.
Robert T. Trim, Il man over 20 years of
age, his widowed daughter Melissa Thay-
er aged 81, and her little daughter four
wears old. The following are the partic-
uarS, as we gather them from the report
OF the Bangor Wing and other sources
The object Of the crime is supposed 10 have
been to gam possession OF some $3.50 which it
was known i'll the ntighborhoOd the family
kept in the house. Mrs. Thayer'S husband
died last February, and this money was the
proceeds of his estate. She had sold the farm
on which she lived in Hampden, and gone TO
her fathers, who was Il widower. to keep his
house for him. On the evening of the murder
Mrs. Thaycr went out TO call at ChaS. Harr-
mans and on her way was joined by Miss Ada
snow. The two women Went to Harriman's
step-fathers, Andrew Harriman's, where the
murdered woman remained but a few mo-
mcnts, starting at half past seven for her
home, distant about ~ or more rods. This
WAS the last known OF her alive. During her
absence two Young fellows. Benner EmerOn
and Rufus Moore We're in the house with Mr.
Trim and the little girl. having called after the
mother went out. They remained until 0
o'clock, and on going out the Old man asked
them TO see where Melissa was, but they,
slin in hf,,
went to their homes.
About H. IN. Saturday, Mrs. Emerton. who
lives directly opposite where Trims buildings
stood, was awakened by a bright light, and get
ting up saw those buildings in flames.
NclshbOrS were aroused, and they concluded,
as more Of The family were seen. that they must
have persisted in the flames. A horse and COW
in the 'Ge up OF the barn We're gotten out, but
no thing else was saved. The horse WAS partly
harnes>ed and the carriage WAS burned outside
the carriage house, but nothing was thought of
this till the horrible developments. which the
morning light brought out We're known. At
daylight. i'll looking about the premises, Il party
discovered, about ten rods below Trims house,
on the side OF the road which Mrs. Thayer
must have travelled after leaving lIarriman's,
Il spot of blood and bloody stone. At the
fence was found Il cloud, comb and pair of rnb-
beers worn by the murdered woman. The body
as shown 10y the grass iramped down and
SuccPsSlondi spots of blood on stones. logs. &c,
was dragged from this place to the barn
Starting thus the theory of the murder is
this: Some parties familiar with all the facts
above given laid in wait for Mrs Thayer. killed
her, and leaving her body in a little hollow over
the fence, awaited the departure of the young
men from Trims house, when they completed
their deeds of blood by killing the old man and
perhaps the little girl, and ralsacking, robbing
and firing the buildings.
After the discovery of the bloody trail the
people waited the dying out of the shoulder
ing fires when their search revealed in the
ashes Of the barn, where the trail stopped. Il
few human bones a d a number eff hair pins.
which are supposed to be all that remains Of
the woman, Melissa Thayer. In the ruins Of
the carriage house, the charred trunk Of Mr..
Trims body was found. and in the cellar of the
house a few small bones, supposed to be those
of the little girl Josie. The finding of these re-
mains leads to the supposition that the muir
derer or murderers deposited the body of the
murdered woman behind the fence, and as soon
As the boys had left the old man, ran out the
carriage, which was a ruse to attract the old
man to the carriage house, which he could en-
ter from the dwelling, and here he was killed.
some think the little girl was asleep and per-
haps was not awakened by the robbers, but left
to perish in the flames.
The following diagram will give an
idea OF the situation of the premises