The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-09-11
THE DEERING TRAGEDY.
A Terrible Story of Mans Depravity.

|
weighs 245 pounds. He is By no means fool
but still he is not as quick of PERCEPTION as
some people. He has common place looking
face and is dressed very plain. The people of
Windham say that he had peddled of late
about the country and there have been strong
suspicious that all the goods Re sold were not
| obtsised honestly.
In conversation with orr reporter yesterday
| he talked about the crime quite freely. He
said to commence with that his confession
made to Marshal Bridges the night before was
made of his own accord, and that the officers
| did not resort to any improper means to bring
about. He felt as though all the people
knew he was guilty, and when he confessed he
| felt easier. He said that when the Marshal
| arrested him he supposed he would say some
thing about the murder, and he waited all TIE
| while for an opportunity to clear his mind of
the secret. He says the night of the murder
when they left the city it was with the iuten-
tion Of going out to raid on hen roosts in
Deering and Falmouth. They went out over
Turkey bridge nearly to the Marine Hospital
and there stopped and turned the horse out to
feed by the road side, while the men Toasted on
midnight when he stopped here. They were
both drunk and as Prescott says both inclined
to be quarrelsome. As they sat by the side of
the wagon they got into very warm dis
cuss'on as to the advisability of making a raid
on hens. High words were passed and Pres
colt says that he thought by the motions made
that Williams was goi ng to shoot. He was
enraged at this and seized heavy oak stick
and struck his companion over the head twice.
He says that he struck harder than he intended
to although he intended to give him couple OF
good sharp raps. Williams fell over after he
was struck and Prescott then saw that he was
badly injured bat did not suppose he was
killed. He took him up in his arms and
carried him into the bara near by and after
spreading out the blankets as was the custom
when they stopped in such places the murderer
lay down beside his victim and went to Sleep
When he awoke in the mornng he saw that
Williams had not moved and having to quite
an extent got over his liquor he
knew that he must be dead. He said that
then it seemed as though everyone knew that
he was the murderer and he determined to
carry the body to his fam lily and confess the
crime which already disturbed his peace of
mind. With the intention of going to Naples
with the body he placed it in the wagon and
covering it up with the quilt started into town.
He came through the principal streets and at
last went down to S. j. Hezelton's stable on
Portland street and halted his horse. Before
leaving his nights stopping place he went
through Williams pockets and stole the money
he had. While the wagon was standing on
Portland street Mr.. Hezslton noticed the
blood running from it but supposed that it WAS
from meat which Prescott sometimes carried
to market. After the wagon containing such
positive proof of the mans crime had stood on
Portland street something like an hour Pres
colt harnessed up and as he says stated to 60 to
Naples with the body. He went some ways
beyond Pfide's bridge when he changed his
mind and determined to bury II e body and
hide all trace of his guilt. He stopped at
store and purchased shovel AMI with this
started into the woods where he dug q hole and
buried the body together with his own coat
which was covered with blood. He thinks he
buried the body at about noon Thursday and
he then came into town and stopped at the
house of Nell Pray on Canton street. He
remained in the city until Saturday when he
returned to Windham. On the way out he
stopped on the Saccarappa road and demolished
his wagon which contained numerous marks of
blood. He says that he did this because
number of persons saw him with the wagon on
his way to the woods and he was afraid it
might get him into trouble if he used it again.
Now he says that he supposes that he went at
the work SO boldly that no one suspected there
was anything wrong about it.
Yesterday Marshal Bridges visited the barn
in East Deering and the location of the murder
and found traces of the men, and there are
numerous things which corroborate the con-
fession made by Prescott. The Marshal who
by the way has worked up the case with much
skill found the shovel with which the grave
was dug, On Fore street in a junk shop. He
also found the missing cap belonging to
Williams, the murdered man.
Deputies Black and Crowell mt cut to
Deering yesterday and visited the place where
the body was buried. They found every
thing just as Prescott had described it, The
boots worn by Williams have not yet been
found and Prescott cannot tell where they are.
He doesn't remember what became of them.
THE CoRoNER's INQUEST.
The arrest and confession of the perpetrator
of this deed has made an entire change in the
order of exercises The coroner's inquest was
adjourned until Thursday, but as the cause of
the mans death became known it was thought
best to call the jury together, render a verdict
and put the case before the grand jury at this
session of that body.
Accordingly Coroner Gould convened the
jury at the County Attorneys Office yesterday
afternoon, and sesS ion was held in the
presence of the grand jury, so that they could
have the benefit of the testimony and to save
repetition The testimony was in substance
the story as told previously In this paper. DR..
Weeks who made an examination of Williams
said that his skull was completely shattered
After hearing the testimony the Jury rendered
the following verdict:
The jury find that Harry Williams came to
his death by felony in DeeIing in said county,
on or about the 4.h day of September, by
reason of wounds and injuries inflicted upon
him, the said Williams, by one Charles E.
Prescott, and the jury do further charge that
said Prescott at Deering aforesaid on the day
and year aforesaid with force and arms
feloniously, willfully and of his malice afore-
thought the said Harry Williams did kill and
murder.
The grand jury will further consider
Prescott's case this morning and finally report
| in the afternoon.