The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-09-29


he would not have left the back door open as
he might easily have escaped by window or
by the front door.
THE WEAPON.
The weapon with which the deed was done
was an AK. 1t stood with two others in the
eastern end of the shed. The blades Of all of
them stood in groove which was made by
mailing a strip of board so that it did not come
quite up to the end boards of the shed. Two
of the axes had been used frequently for
chopping wood and were dull. The one
which the murderer selected or hit upon by
accident had been but seldom used and was
very sharp. 1t would undoubtedly require
considerable hunting for stranger to have
found the axes, though he might have done it.
1t would seem more reasonable to suppose that
a stranger going to the house for the purpose
of robbery and murder would have been
likely to have provided himself with weapon
beforehand than to have taken the chances of
being able to find one on the premises in the
darkness of night.
TRACES
The murderer left no traces behind him by
which he could be identified. Early Saturday
morning some of the neghbors discovered
traces of footsteps which led from the picket
fence Just below the barn-as described above
down to the little bridge crossing the river,
on the back road, if we may so call it, that
leads to the fail grounds and thence into Port
land. Just at the point where the footsteps
ended there were marks of wagons wheels
having been turned and left standing some
-. Al Ia, - 4l,o.o trool he
were measured. There were also marks of
another wagon, just beyond, whose wheels had
been turned in the opposite direction. Not
much attention would be given to these cir
cumstances-as there were 50 many teams
passing that night in one direction and an
other-if it had not have been that Mr.. Wins
low, who lives some distance off, had not been
passed shortly after a. m. by two men i'll
wagon who were driving their horse at high
rate of speed in the direction of Portland. One
was quite a large man, the other medium
sized but quite stout built.
MIR. MAINS STORY.
Mains, a neighbor, had been i'll the habit of
stabling his horse in loves barn. His animal
occupied the stall next to the door. Friday
afternoon he took another horse, which Lowe
wished to exchange for some reason, and had
requested Mains to do the business for him,
and he drove to Windham. He effected such
an exchange, and when he reached the Lowe
homestead on his return it was after midnight.
He put his horse in the stall and fed him, pre-
cisely as it is supposed Lowe was about to do
when he was attacked, but Mains saw no one,
or anything suspicious about the premises. He
then went home and retired. He spoke to his
horse several times while embarrassing, so
that person acquainted with both parties
would have been advised if hiding in the barn
at this time and lying in wait Tor Lowe, that
Mains was not the man he was expecting.
THE LOWE PROPERTY AND FAMILY.
The farm on which Joseph Lowe was living
at the time of the murder originally belonged
to Mr.. Amos Winslow, one of whose daughters
is the mother of the murdered man. Mr..
Lowe, the father of the deceased, and his wife
went on to the farm years ago, agreeing to
support Mrs. loves parents in consideration
of the ownership of the farm after their DEATH
Trouble arose and finally Mrs. Lydia Winslow,
Mrs. loves sister, came into possession of the
estate. Some five or six years ago Mr.. loves
oldest son Benjamin, who is now brakeman On
the Grand Trunk railroad, undertook to carry
on the farm, as his father was getting old. He
carried it on about q year, but there was dis
satisfaction and he surrendered it to the young
est brother, James. Matters were not pleas
ant aud Joseph, who until this time had lived
at home, went to Baldwin and took up black
smithing. James management did not give
60 nj fovv eo,,t, fha oil
folks entreated Joseph to come home and take
charge Joseph did not want to at first, but
neighbor advised him strongly to, and he
finally consented on condition that the
property should be his. His aunt Lydia til ere
fore gave him deed of it and he gave bond
that he would support her and his father and
mother during their life. 1t is evident from
what the neighbors say that there was some
i'll feeling in the family at the time of this ar
This was some four years ago
Since then Mr.. Lowe senior and Mrs. Lydia
Winslow have both died. The heirs of the prop
erty, as Joseph had no wife or children,
are his brothers and sisters. Benjaman has
for some years been a brakeman on the Grand
Trunk road. James has had no steady occu-
patton. He has lived with Joseph considera-
bic portion of the time. Recently he has been
at work in Scarboro. AT the time of the muir
der he was living with his wife, whom he mar
ried last spring, at the New England House i'll
this city. The neighbors Of Joseph describe
James as a somewhat shiftless fellow but do
not say that he has been guilty of any immoral
conduct. OF Joseph they all speak in the high
est terms. OF Benjamin they know but little,
I hut forc
years.
DETECTIVE HEALDS THEORY.
Detective John S. Head rode out to the
scene of the murder with City Marshal
Bridges yesterday morning and made such in
vestigation as was possible under the circum-
stances He is firmly of the opinion that the
deed was done by some one familiar with the
premises. He thinks that the murderer pro-
vided himself with the ak before entering the
house and that his original intention was to
kill Mr.. Lowe in his bed Not finding him
there he went to the barn and finding the
horse and carriage gone he determined to lie
in wait for his victim there. He thinks that
when Mr.. Lowe stepped out from behind the
horse the assassin spoke to him and then, as
Mr.. Lowe turned his head to see who was
speaking to him, struck him i'll the right tenn
pie and felled him to the floor. Mr.. Head
feels certain that after Mr.. Lowe fell the muir
derer struck two blows across the head with
the edge of the AK. He scouts the idea OF the
murder being committed for the purpose of
robbery and doesn't believe that it was the
work of tramps. Mr.. Head says his time is
so fully occupied with his business for the
Maine Central railroad that he will not be able
to devote much attention to the affair, but he
will probably make some investigation. Mr.. |
Head docs not deny that he has suspicious as
to who is the author Of the deed but he does
not wish to say anything definite at present
AT THE NEW ENGLAND HOUSE.
A reporter of the PRESS visited the New |
England Houso-last eyening-whcre Mr..
James Lowe, the younger brother, is stopping,
to get his theory of the murder but Mr.. Lowe
had not returned from Cumberland Mrs. |
RiDley who keaDs the house. said that Mr.. |