The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-11-29

On Saturday, Sept 9th, q horrible murder
shocked not only thu communities of Portland
and Cumberland but the county at large. Its
cold bloodness was almost unparalleled in the
annals of crime.
THE CRIME.
Joseph A. Low, a young farmer, unmarried,
aged about 30 years, and possessing the respect
and esteem of all his neighbors, in the town of
Cumberland, where he resided, escorted his
sister the evening previous to dance given as
close to the West Cumberland fair. After
the dance was concluded, about $50 a. M,
Saturday, brother and sister drove back to
their house two miles distant, accompanied by
neighbor, Mr.. Geo. w. Morrill,. Arrived at
the house Mr.. Morrill, left while Joseph went
in to the house to open the back door for his
sister. To his surprise the door was open.
Fearing tramps he searched the house but
found no one there except the regular inmates
his mother. a married sister and her husband.
Mr.. and Mrs. Ramsey and their children.
The sister went into the house, while Joseph
drove the wagon to the barn, a little distance
off, to put up the horse. The sister partially
ldressed and finding Joseph did not return
called to him. The mother had also gone to the
window but turned away, at the call OF child
who slept with her, just as Joseph opened the
the barn door. That was the last ever seen OF
Joseph A. Low alive. AS he did not return to
the house the sister aroused Mr.. Ramsey who
went to the barn, saw bloody body, came
back in fright, procured lamp, and with Mr.
Cylus Shaw, a neighbor, returned to the stable
and found Joseph murdered. His head almost
severed from his body with an axe, viii n lay
beside him and his smashed lantern and the
harness. were close at hand This is the story
of the murder in brief.
The suspicious of the neighbors and detec-
tives all pointed to some person very familiar
with the house and locality as the guilty party.
The name, in which the back door had been
entered was strong proof of this fact. The
door was kept hasped ON the inside and a cord
was fastened to the hasp and the other end
passed through knot-hoe in the door so that
person could reach up on the outside, take
hold of the knot in the end of the cord and
pull up the hasp. This knot was the color OF
wood of the door and not one person IN
million would ever imagine it was there, much
less seen it. Then again the axe with which
the deed was accomplished was kept in the
was the sharpest of the three, was rarely used
and stranger would have had to hunt all
round the shed to have found the axes at ALL
There were some tracks of footsteps leading
from the barn to the little bridge down by the
river, where marks of a wagon wheel were also
found. These were all the clues
THE ARREST.
From the very first suspicion has pointed to
the brother James F. Low as the murderer.
The neighbors of the murdered man have al
ways insisted that James hated his brother and
that he possessed a singularly vindictive
temper But Notwithstanding suspicion was
strong there was no positive evidence to as
sociate him with the crime On the night OF
the murder James and his wife stopped at the
New England House in this city, and the wife,
as well as James, declared that he was in the
house all night. Since the crime James has
tried to get work but he has not been very sue
cessful, and he has been around the police
station great deal and seemed very anxious
to ascertain if there was any clue to the guilty
party. The wife lately secured a situation at
the Cumberland House and has conducted her
self in very quiet and unsuspicious manner.
Immediately after the murder Marshal
Bridges took charge of the case With great
patience he worked up all the various points
he could get hold Of and later on the 9th of
October, Deputy Sheriff Wormell of Oxford
county, took hand. These two officers yes
terday afternoon became convinced they had
got their man "solid,'' not only by circumstan-
tial but by direct evidence, and, at little after
5 D. M, they arrested James F. Low and his
wife. the former as the murderer, and latter
as accessory. When arrested Low was very
much affected and was evidently in an ex-
tremely nervous condition. The wife burst in
to tears and remained in that state ost Of the
evening. Too much praise cannot be awarded
the Marshal and Deputy Sheriff Wormell for
their skill and perseverance in working up one
of the blndest cases ever given to the police.