, 1878-03-23
MURDERED.
4 Rank.Of.,cer suffers Death Rather than
he False 10 Ills Trust.

=
be False 10 Ills Irusi.
I DEXTER. Me-, February 23.-J- W Bar
ron. treasurer of the Dexter Savings Bank
was left alone Ill the office of Mr.. Parsons
an insurance agent, who has his Office in the
same room with the bank at about D O'Clock
on Friday evening. Barron did not return
home as usual, and search was made for him.
The doors of the savings bank room wert
found locked as usual. As no response was
made to repeated calls. Mr.. Curtis. cashier
of the National Bank, which has All office il
an adjoining room, sought to enter the say:
ings bank through the vaults which are con
nected, so that when the doors of the SAFE
are closed person can pass from one room
to the other. 1t Was at first supposed that
Barron had
FALLEN IN FIT.
As he had for some time been troubled with
heart disease. On opening the vault door.
in the National bank office, the outer doc,
of the savings bank vault was found open
and thrown back SO as to close the passage.
Some object was lying against the door st
that it could not be closed. Barron could be
heard sroaning bat even then foul play Wa;
not suspected The door of the savings bank
was forced, it being expected that the vault
doors on that side would be found open
but they We're found closed and locked The
intent of the burglars, and, as it proved
murderers, was then fully evident, as man
would soon die there for want OF air There
were no means at hand for opening the vault,
! so recourse was had to the entrance by way
of the vault OF the National bank. There was
4 small aperture between the door of the safe
and the roof OF the vault, and through this a
small person was passed with some difficulty.
He found the body OF Mr. Barron lying OH
the floor Of the vault and against the door OF
the safe He succeeded in moving the body
so that the safe door could be closed. When
Mr.. Barron was taken through into the Office
Of the National bank he was unconscious and
breathing heavily He was
GAGGED AND HANDCUFFED.
The gag was short piece of wood, such as
might have been taken from the bill of a wa
ter pail, and was secured by cord passed
through hole III the wood. The handcnii:
were OF Norway iron Of the latest patent,
finely tinished, and nickel plated, so con,
structed as to secure the prisoner more tight
ly should he struggle for freedom. A piece
of light rope about six feet in length was
around his neck He had one wound behind
the ear, another serious cut on the forehead,
and still another on the check, and several
bruises on his body. He l:ved until half past
FIVE this morning. After Mr.. Parsons left
Mr. Barron probably went through bach
room u a coa!-ciosct with the hol to replen
iSh his fire. Tor the night. The murderer>
evidently came up behind him seized hin
while he Was III the closet, as the cloSet-dool
was found open, and there was the partly.
filled hod overturned on the floor The KEY
Of the handouts was also found there. The
robbers found the vault doors and the outer
door of the safe open, bat the cash vault,
which contained everything OF value, and Ill
which WAS & combination lock, was closed.
They undoubtedly murdered Nr. Barron be,
caGse he wculd not disclose the combination
and having committed tEIS crime they
LAID HIM II TIE VAULT
Which he died TO protect, and then locked
the vault doors upon linn, leaving his friends,
rs they must have thought. littie chances II
seeing lin AGAIN alive All this must have
occurred between ) anl 6 O'Clock last even
ing. Nr. Cnr;is, tie cashier, WAS IN the Ne
tIoaal ia:ih at > clock and when he left he
tried Sir. larron door and found it locked.
Mr.. tnrllS went Oat, locking the outside door
at the foot OF the stairway, after him. The
ianIt0r OF Masonic Hall, which is in the third
story over the bank, discovered unlocked the
door opening from tie landing at the en-
trance of the stairway to the hall, and then
locked this This door was found open when
the robbery was discovered, thus making it
evident that the thieves had secreted them
selves i'll this part of the builliEg in prepara-
tion for their work. They mast have been
provided with keys to the doors of the nall
and the banking rooms. to the outside door
Of the building, as We'll as TO the rauit, as
they eoGld not have used Mr. Barron's keys
for locking these doors behind them when
they left the bank. They could not have
locked Mr. Barron IL the vault without the
aid Of ksyOf
YEky PECULIAR CONSTRUCTORS.
A citizen who passed the outer door lead
ing TO the bank about o'clock last night
| saw the door open and three men, strangers
TO him, standing in tine passage He, OF
course, thought nothing strange of this oc-
eurrenee, although they were probably the
men who did the murderous deed. a lady
passing on the street shortly after this saw
, two men step ont from the bank entrance
and pass down the street, walking rery fast.
Mr.. Barron was of slight stature, about A
yearsof age, and man of sterling principles.
His felloweitizens had full confidence in him
| a trust that was not misplaced, as his tragic
end shows. He had filled the Office of treas
| urer OF the town for many Yeas, and many
other important positions. He was deacon
| In the CongregatiOnalist church, and was al
so prominent IN Masonic circles. He mas
, an insurance of several thousands on his life
in the Mutual Life of New York, the New
York Life, the Connecticut Mutual, and IN
Berkshire companies. His
FIDELITY TO HIS TRUST
is showd by his life as well as his death. A
few years ago the savings bank made losing
| investment of 4 few thousands, which he
was no more instrumental in placing than
| any of the trustees of the bank, yet this
weighed so heavily on his mind that he III
| sured his life in favor of the bank to cover
their loss by this investment, fact which
they did not discover until his papers were
looked over to-day The funds of the bank
have been found intact, with the exception
OF about $50 in cash and check for 500
which he had in his cash drawer outside the
safe.-N. Y Sun.
ado you really believe, Mr.. Podkins,
that anybody could make head from
butter! asked the landlady. "WeIl, yes,
ma am, / should think they might" said
Podkins, as he pushed back his individual
butter plate: Somebody has got as far
as the hair with this"