The Portland daily press., 1878-09-19
SUPERIOR Court.
SEPTEMBER CRIMINAL TERM, 1878, sYMoNDs, j.

6EPtEMBEb CblMlNAL Term, 1910, 51MONOoy
PRESIDING.
WEDNEsDAY.-The court room was crowded this
morning in anticipation of the trial of Charles Elias
Prescott for the murder of James Goddard alias
Harry Williams. So great was the press that it was
necessary TO lock the doors sometime before the
court came in. Inside the bar the crowd was as
great as outside. Prescott was seated just outside
the bar by the side Of his counsel. He appeared
concerned and seemed tn pay little regard to what
was passing.
Charles f. Libby, Comfy Attorney, appeared for
the State and Col. A. W. Bradbury and D. w. Serb
ner for the prisoner,
Cards containing the names of twenty-eight jurors
who were in attendance were placed in a box and
the clerk drew therefrom until the PANEL was full.
As the jurors were drawn they were sworn to make
true answers, and such answered in the negnatve
the statute questions, to whether not they
related to the prisoner the deceased, whether they
had formed an opinion of the guilt or innocence
the degree of crmnality of the accused from the
counts they may have read in the newspapers. etc.,
were sworn in chief The jury as constituted is as
foil ows:
Asa L. Ames, forem An, Moses Waterhouse, Eph-
ram B. iIlson Charles b. Lamb, Asa Russell, Chas
g. Files, Charles Pritham, Daniel H. Cole, George
A. Avery, Reuben G. Ghadbourn, Milton L. Holt,
John Maxwell.
Mark Dingley and Samuel Witham were challeng.
ed by the counsel for the respondent. John d. Lord
and Sylvanus d. Merrill were excused for cause.
MIR. Libby then opened the case for the govern
ment, in which he gave the jury very clear and
lucid exposition OF The law relating 20 self-defense
he also stated to them the facts of the the
government claim them to be, and which are sub
stantially the same as have heretofore been pub
lished. Court then adjourned until afternoon. Nine
teen witnesses were called for the Government and
sworn.
The first witness called to the stand was Dr.
post-mortem examination of Harry Williams, the
deceased; THAT he found four external wounds and
fractures corresponding with those wounds that all
of the other organs of the body with the exception
ton Of the kidneys, which indicated some previous
disease, were in a healthy condition; that he found
nothing which would account for the death except
the wounds upon the head, but that any one of thu
fractures would have been sufficient to have caused
death.
DR.. Charles W. Foster of Deering, assisted DR.
Weeks in the post-mortem examination, and agreed
with him in his testimony.
VIM. f. Seele testified that he resided about
mile from where the body was found; that he ant
John Skillings, week ago Sunday, were black
berrying and at about halfpast three in the after
noon passed through wood road, in what is called
the Mason woods; that he discovered tue eartn dls
turbed and covered with brakes; he called his do
and he dug until he discovered the blanket; Skill
lings and he made hole and discovered the cloth
ang, which satisfied him there was some persol
there; Sklings wanted to dig it up, but he said W
have no right, let people mind their own business
he said the grave was about as wide as a shovel; d
not see the position in which the body laid; that th
nearest house was three-quarters of a mile off tina
he left and went for the officers
John Skillings' testimony was substantially cor
roborative of Seele's.
d. f. Chenery, collector and treasurer of Deering
testified that he heard Of the matter between feu
and five o'clock; got shovel and went to the plac
in Mason's woods, and dug until he came to the qu
and removed it, exposing what appeared to be
body; did not notice the position OF the head hougt
a person might be easily concealed by the thickne'
of the woods while burying the body there; that l
saw pair of pants, pair of stockings and shirt; di
not notice anything else except the quilt in whit
TO Deering poor-farm; the quilt and other artic
were produced and identified by Witness the gra
was not over two-feet and a half wide
Soioman Stewart, seiectman of Deering, testf'
that he found on arriving at Mason's woods a be
about four feet long and two wide, very near t
bushes by the side of the road; he helped clear t
dirt OIL the bodyj the head was lying doubled
Under the chest; agreed with Chenery as regard
the clothing found upon Williams, and identified t
articles he asked Skillings to go and get team a
stayed there until they came back chad seen respon