The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-02-25
NATL Bank Safe.
Savings Bank Safe.
Diseoverv of the Traaesx.


Mr.. j. W. Barron, the Treasurer of the
bank, and the victim Of the tragedy, left his
home on Friday morning at about 10 o'clock,
telling his wife that 1T was holiday (Washing-
toms Birthday and that there would not on
that account be any public business to traDs-
| act. but that he had considerable work on the
books to attend to, and would not probably
! come home to dinner, but would return at about
/ o'clock. 1t does not appear that any one saw
him again till he was found lying senseless in
| the vault in the evening AS he did not return
home at the appointed hour, his wife grew
anxious, and as the hours went by her anxiety
became alarm. He was sometimes troubled
| with heart disease and Mrs. Barron feared that
/ he might have been attacked while alone and
been locked into the Office, as he was in the
habit of turning the key after banking hours.
Accordingly about o'clock she informed
neghbor, Mr.. w. Fl. P. Bement, of her appre-
tensions, and requested him to go down to the
bank and look for her husband. Mr. Bsment
started, and on arriving at the building found
that the bank light was not burning, and that
the bank had every appearance of being closed.
He next made inquiries of Mr. Parsons, who
has an insurance Office 10 the bank building,
but could learn nothing. He next went to the
town hall and there inquired of Mr.. Charles
W. Curtie, the cashier Of the National Bank,
and ascertained that he too had been informed
of Mrs. Barron's anxiety and was searching or
the missing treasurer Mr. Curtis went imms-
diately to the post-ofice, which is in the bank
building, and made further inquiries of Mr..
Parsons but getting no Information he deter
mined to search the bank. Taking Mr..
Hamilton with him, he entered the office of the
national bank, it occurring to him that as he
could not get into the savings bank door, he
might enter the vault from his bank, squeeze
between the safes, and, if Mr.. Barron had left
the 6oors to the vault open, gain access to the
savings bank room. Accordingly he unlocked
the vault doors. AS soon as he had stepped
into the vault he heard groans from the other
side. A Mr.. Crowel, who had come in, tried
to pass between the safes, but he found the
door of the savings bank safe swung open, and
when he attempted to shutt he found it pressed
against some obstacle and would not close.
This obstacle, it was soon discovered, was Mr..
Barron's body. Meanwhile an alarm had been
given and the door to the savings bank room
had been broken 10, and Mr. Hamilton and
of their surprise when they found that the
doors leading from the savings bank into the
vault were shut and locked. Finding that they
could do nothing here, they went round to the
national bank. There they found that Mr..
Crowell had succeeded in squeezing himself
between tho top of the safe and the ceiling and
in getting in to where Mr. Barron lay. The
wounded man was stretched upon his back,
with his head on small trunk, with his hands
secured behind him with pair of patent hand
cuffs, with gag made of piece of wood like
that on the bail of a pail tied in his mouth,
cord around his neck and several bad cuts upon
his head. Ha was utterly unconscious. He
had been shut up probably some three hours
and the only air he breathed was what was in
the vauls when the doors were closed, as the
vault is alright. Mr.. Crowell Immediately
called for knife aud with it cut the gag from
the dying mans mouth, and moved the body
so the door OF the safe could be shut, and then
with considerable difficulty got it out into the
Office of the national bank. There the man.
aces were cut from bis wrists with cold
chisel, and Drs. Clough, Springall and Mudgett
and Mrs. Barron called. The latter's grief was
almost nsupportabie and the scene was very
touching one. A cot was prepared and the
dying man laid upon it. Everything was done
to resuscitate him which medical skill could do,
but he never spoke again, nor recovered con-
seriousness sufficiently to recognize his wife. |
He fingered, breathing heavily. till a quarter |
before six the next morning, when he died.
The circumstances of the Crime.
An examination of the savings bank premi- |
ses Immediately after the discovery shows. be-