Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-10-10
State N ews.


iuutueT oi MTs. SaThH H AteetNtN, AZ
ST. George in December last began in
Rockland Tuesday. Attorney General
Emery and County Attorney l.. NJ. Sta
pies appeared for the State, and j. III.
Montgomery of Camden, and II. Dun
ton of Belfast, for the defence. The
County Attorney opened the case tor
the State. We copy the opening from
the Rockland Free Press:
He said In ST George lived Sarah IL,
wife of Luther ii. Meservey, a woman tor
ty-dve years CT age. She entered her
house between six and eight O'Clock on the
evening Of the 2ld OF December. 1877,
having been last seer at the Postofiicc at
six O'Clock L. NJ. That night she was mur-
derrd The cody wss rot discovered till
about FIVE weeks sterwsrd. The next
morning person went To the door. found
curtains down. and rapping, received no
response.
That night. Mrs. Meservey wore rub
beers. upon going out. aud when found
they were still on her feet. The person
who vent there went for plumber. knew
the situation OF things. and also knew the
| meeting that evening called the neighbors
away.
| live alone. No suspicion Was excited till
letters accumulated At the Postnfiice dlrec-
| ted to her. Questions arose. and finally
! application was made To Whitney Long.
! chairman of the sclsCtmeu who with 9th
yrs went to the house g. investigate as To
| III. whereabouts OF Mrs Mesvrvey. Found
window on south side opened. On the
| floor Of the bedroom. 10 front part OF the
| hous'. found the body OF the missing wom-
| an with hands tied above her head, a cloud
/ wound three times around her neck aud
| tied under her arms There were marks
OF violence on the body. the looking glass
| on the floor broken. aad the room aud fur
| nishings In confusion. Much excitement
| followed the iindIr z OF the body, which
took place on the 10th of January, Mr.
Long teiegraphed To Coroner Chss K. Mil
lard of Rockland, who next day held an
/ inquest.
| The theory Is the murderer went into the
| house for money while the woman ~ss
away She came home and the murder
| was committed to conceal the minor crime
IL must have been done by an adept al ty-
| ing knots. a codlne was used to tie the
victims hands. When n. +. Hart (pris-
oner) told certain things. suspicion iastcu-
| ed on him.
| Capt. Croker found on the door Of Mrs
/
brown paper, dated Dec. -. Monday eve
ming. We find Hart al home that night at
80 10 slippers, then going three miles to
| Harris Neck, past MeseTyey's and return
| Ing home 81 II O'Clock I. VI. The Gov
ernmeu, claims that he put the writing in
| Mcserveys house At that time lie. Hart,
| said that very night he met 4 msu with an
| overcoat over his head. He told two par
ties after the body was found. Find pris-
oner conversant with his whereabouts till
nigh, of murder. when be explain, It with
| difficulty. Tuesday the body Was found.
! Wednesday the inquest was held VIII
| show that the prisoner on night of iiudin =
body told \ man just how she was murJcr-
ed VIII show Hart sad be had certain
dream about SarAh's murdcr-that two
! men beside him were there-that they
| pushed her over upon him and strsngled
her, and that her struggles woke him up.
| February 10Th. 1875, Mrs. Levi Hart re-
ceived 4 letter mailed at Philadelphia. VIII
show Levi Hart lived near Philadelphia.
| H. the letter spoken OF. the writer say. IN
three montl another letter viii be receiv.
ed. Three months thereafter another let
ter was received. VIII show that the pTis-
uuer write these letters aud wrote on the
brown paper found In Mrs. Mrseryey' :
| house.
how the murder took place. and the ex-
preston. Would like TO tie him to a z z
| and drag him who committed crime" was
| a remark made before, There are other
letters written by Hart 10 be put in"
Witnesses were called 10 prove that at
the inquest Hart could not account for his
whereabouts during the evening OF Decem-
Der I'D. but gave particular account
which i the date on tho paper found 10 the
house, on which were the words. II came
a woman when she was out: wait tiIl
she came back, not for money, but Killed
! her"
Experts testified TO their belief that tn.
letters were In Hart's hand writing
Witnesses also testified 10 Hart's telling
dream TO the effect that two other men
and himself were in Mrs. Me.ervey's house.
The others strangled her. and she fell dead
IN his arms, and he awoke.
Hart is about 80. thickset, STOPPING. with
iull face and mild but stolid expression.
dark brown hair sprinkled with gray and
| cropped. sandy-gray whiskers.
In the trial Friday A. NJ, witness tes-
| titled that Al the gate OF the Meservey
| house, on the day OF the discovery OF the
murder. he saw Hart and asked him who
| first put them up TO open the house. Hart
said, II did. We have been putting Me
sersey up all winter to have that damned
| tomb opened" The witness asked why he
called q, tomb, and Hart said" Because
! Kew she was dead in the house"
The government stopped here, and the
defense was opened by X. F. Duntou, the
| junior counsel.
Lydia A. sylvester, Harris step daughter,
testified that the prisoner was at home on
| the evening OF December ~ when the
| crime Is supposed to have been committed
| irom o clock till about >, when the wit
ness retired.
On cross-examination the witness said
| that she testified at the inquest that she
was not at home that evening, but since
remembered she was on being reminded
by Mrs. White house that she called at
uar's that evening.
Mrs. Whltehouse testified that she called
at Harris a little after eight that evening.
and heard Hart ana his step-daughter talk
ing In the next room.
The wife of the prisoner also .estined
that her husband was at home that even
ing al her request. At the inquest she tes-
Tined that she was at home, but did not
remember that her husband was at home
She afterwards remembered that he was at
home upon Mrs. Whitehouse telling her
that she was at her house that evening
Mrs. Sarah Gardiner, sister OF the pris-
oHcI, utuicu THAT Alien Auurews told her
Hart had said he put up Meservey to have
the house opened, or that he (prisoner)
knew Mrs. Merservey was dead 10 the
house.
Nathan +. Hart (prisonerl testified that
he was at home the evening of the 22nd OF
December; told the story of going to Harris
Neck. Monday evening, the cath. substal.-
TALLY as other witnesses. Testified twice
at inquest. Didn't kaow he was suspected
the first time he testified; did not testify
then he WAS at home the evening of Dec.
22nd but that he was at home or at the
village.
Some two or three weeks after remem-
bered he was at Meservey's house twice
the day OF the murder; saw Allen An
drews, but did not tell him he tried TO get
Meservey to open the house, remembered
Vinal Wallis bringing him n deed; told
him Mrs. Meservey had been found murd-
cred, but told him nothing about the scarf
round the neck OF the body, aud knew
nothing about II at that time: told his
dream. about Mrs Me.arv.y an. -