The New York herald., 1879-02-03
A Detective Who Scouts the
Suicide Theory.
THE CASHIER MURDERED
Professional Burglars Seen at Dexter
Before the Tragedy.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HEnALp.l

horty of Detective Albion p Dearbon in the Dexter,
Me- bank my ystery naturally attracted good deal of
attention throughout New England. The experts who
have been employed the case. well private
citizens who had formed their opinions to the
probable solution of the mystery, deeply inter-
cscd in the revelations made i'll Dearborn's story,
and not slow to give their ideas when questioned
the probabilities of suicide murder in the cce
bratod case. Detective Z. L. Wiggn, who first
employed by the authorities in Dexter to investigate
the matter. had made statement of the facts in the
case Numerically opposed to that advanced by Dear
born and Chapman. maintaining that the suicide
theory is absolutely false and that Barron, the cash
icr, murdered originally stated. In proof of
this position he asserts that all the evidence taken
at the inquest went to show that violence
used, that robbery had been committed and that
Barron killed by the burglars for refusing to
disclose the combination of the safe. 1t will be
membered that of the strongest points made by
Dearborn. outside of the defacation story that
strangers had been noticed in the town of Dexter
during the week preceding the tragedy.
wIGGIN's COUNTER STATEMENT.
This statement Wiggn undertakes to refute by
positive evidence. He says after reviewing the cir
cumstances of the alleged murder and the efforts
made to capture the perpetrators that he went to
New York city. While there, he says, the captain of
detectives the Central Office inspector and two
detectives did all in their power to assist in bringing
the murderers to justice. These interviewed
in New York by Mr. Bradbury president of the bank,
County Attorney Hutchns and the Attorney General,
all three of whom knew just what was being done,
land here say they expressed perfect satisfac
ton with my efforts. The following month says
wiggin, 'the looking for, and who in my
opinion, with the aid of his pals did the job
jumped away to Europe he having learned of my
arrival in the city, and knowing that had papers
| for him for being concerned in the Barre Vt.)
Bank robbery The refer to is Sam Ferris alias
| Worcester SAM. 1 then notified the bank
! officials, county attorney and Attorney General
that it would be useless to make any further
Efforts IT'S at % cs eeiase M sress nf aI dn on 9aa I
fact that the key to handouts also the other keys
| was found in rear room. hidden behind a pile
| of rubbish, Messrs. Dearborn and Chapman saying
it extremely improbable that professionals would
stop to hide the keys Let us examine that little"
| DETECTIVE LOGIC.
| eff Mr. Barron had put the handouts his own
| hands the key would undoubtedly have been found
in the SAFE ratchet cuffs lock very easily and be-
fore he had reached the safe they might be locked.
| Then again. assuming that professionals did the
ob the first m , thing % they would think hi t,. of
should happen to be taken into custody the finding
! of key to the handouts would be strong evidence
| not go into a town to do job of that kind
unless they &c. in team % and leave a
| the case. At Milford n H.. they had team, and
Barre but when the winthrop tNle.1 bank was
| robbed they entered the town foot. broke into
blacksmith shop and after the job finished left
| on foot and lived in the woods for three or four
| days. At the expiration of that time team
| procured in which they made their escape to Can
ada The who robbed the Dexter bank had
| they supposed from O'Clock in the evening
until the following morning in which to escape, and
a. the nearest railroad station was only fourteen
miles away it will be seen how easy it was to escape
| STRANGE MrN SEEN
| Now" says the detective, were there any
strangers in town on that day? Henry c. Parsons,
fxvho hn1a nffce in fhah hanG
said that on February % he went to the Post Office
at about five o'clock. leaving Mr. Barron
during the afternoon of the 22d aud at about half
| past four p. NJ. heard two more parties come to
stairs that led to Masonic Hail. in the upper part Of
| the building. Now, the Masonic Hall had not been
open for two days. and certainly was not opened
to '' do 80. Matilda r. whitney testified that
on the 10th 18th of February, about three o'clock
in the afternoon she was in the bank for the pur-
pose of transacting business. When turning to
| leave she heard the door open. She looked to
who was coming in. and saw three One had
hold of the door, and had pushed it open
| far enough to who inside All three
stood on the threshold long enough to see who
was in the bank. They then shut the door and went
away talking among themselves they did So Mrs.
Whitney they were entire strangers i'll
said, between forty-hve and fifty years old.
! very stout and had brown beard all his
dressed in dark check pants. dark coat and round
| top hat. The second man was to all appear
ances between thirty-hve and forty years old,
| with a round full face light complexion,
brown mustachc and a large dimple in his
chin. He dressed in dark clothes.
| and answers very well to the description of
| worcester SAM The third man five feet six
or seven inches in height. and perfect description
of him could not be obtained owing to the fact that
| he stood behind the other two but he is supposed
| 10 be John Dobbs. well known cracksman.'
| ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE.
Kate A. Russell testified that between past six
and seven clock on the evening of the I'D she
at,Ix itst ntt.t 10 n.
| bank when she two men step out of the door.
| She was within six feet OF them at the time.
| and was very they were strangers in
the town Alter stepping on the sidewalk they
| walked along short distance and went into the mid
die of the street Mrs. Russelis attention was at
racted by their strange actions ana she Immediately
turned and followed them as far as store kept by
one Durgin, when she retraced her steps.
was that some time before the supposed
| murder of MIR. Barron the express Office
| I'm the town was robbed. Just before that
| robbery she was very much frightened ut about
| hafpast twelve o'clock one night by strange
who was standing on the sidewalk near the express
| oacc and one OF the men whom she saw coming
from the doorway of the bank on the evening of the
day the treasurer of the Dexter Bank was murdered
answered the description OF the man by her prior
to the robbery of the express office: the similarity
| flashed upon her in moment and saying to herself
| ~ will find out that man. she turned and followed
| him. Her description of the men follows:-
one of them about five feet eleven inches six
feet e ~ darS sSes viii SS d sss
! Mr. wggin. that both these the des-
cription Of the men seen In the bank by Mrs. Whit
| ncy.
| STATEMENTS or OTHER WITNESSES.
J. d. Dcnslow, hack driver, testified that about
| Ave o'clock on the day Mr.. Barron murdered he
! met strange man near the bank building who was
described about six feet In height and between
forty-iivc and fifty years old. He was dressed in
dark clothes. broadcloth overcoat and slouch
| hat and had very thin face, sunkcn
checks aud long, brown whiskers.
The description given by Dcnslow is very good
| description OF the men who opcrcd the bank door
aud looked In ON the day Mrs; whitney was there.
Mrs samuel Farrar and Miss Abby Putnam also tcs-
titled that ON the evening prior to tha murder they
went to the Post Office together and when directly
opposite the door to the stairway OF the bank build
| ing. q man and woman came out of the entry
upon the sidewalk and separated, the woman going
| in direction and the man in the other Miss
Putnam said she noticed them they came from the
stairs inside the entry. and when they came she
| noticed them. The of good size and had
pale looking countcnancc The woman was large
perhaps larger than the manso large in fact, to
h,su tl.t 81.