The Portland daily press., 1880-02-04
Alleged Tramp Outrage.
THE TERRIBLE TALE OF A SICKiwOM-
AN
Falmouth Supplements Cumberland with
It's Crime.

| A terrible tale of mans vllainy comes t,
the PRESS from Falmouth which, in its way, i
| even worse, if true, (and the circumstance
| apparently warrant the statement than thu
| Lowe murder in Cumberland.
| In yesterdays PRESS appeared the story o
| one James Anderson who sought lodgings a
| the police station among the small hours o
| Monday morning, claiming that he went from
| Kennebunk to Augusta to serve in the fusion
army on receipt of an anonymous communica
ton enclosing S15, to pay his expenses. An
derson stated at the time that his money wa.
| used up and that he had footed it to Portland
coming last from Brunswick. He was offered
lodgings, and left the station Monday moor
saying he might 90 home that day, and he
might remain in the city,
Monday afternoon the police authorities
were informed that terrible outrage had been
perpetrated in Falmouth and Deputy Marsha
Black with Officer Freeman T. Merrill pro
ceeded to the spot, and made a thorough in
vestigation, of which the following story is
the result:
Elias Herrick is a laborer who occupies a
small house situated just this side OF the COW
and at least quarter of o mile from any oc'
cupied dwelling. There is an unoscupied octa-
gon shaped house that stands near. Mr.. Her
rick's family consists of wife, aged about %
"a woman in delicate health,- and five young
children. Sunday last Mr.. Herrick was absent
from home, as he is employed in Gray. That
afternoon man came to the house and asked
al NH ia into
conversation with the children and gradually
drew from them the fact that their father was
away from home and would not be back that
day. He told Mrs. Herrick that she seemed to
lack good many necessaries of life and thst
he could not bear to see her and her family so
poor. Mrs. Herrick, according to her state
ment did not like the appearance of the fell
low. and hoped he would go off and stay away.
She did not take any stock in a subsequent
statement of his that he should go to the viii
lage and buy them some things and bring back
an axe with which to cut some wood for the
fire. About dusk he departed, to Mrs. Her.
rick's great joy, and about half-past nine, as
near as she can judge, she went to bed, while
the children had previously retired. She
thought one of the children had fastened the
front door, but now concludes that the bolt
did not shoot into the slot.
Some half-hour later she was suddenly
awakened by hearing somebody in the ROOM
AS she called out "Who's there" the visitor of
the afternoon sprang at her and seized her by
the throat. He had removed a portion of his
garments in the adjoining room, and had an
axe in one hand. The first words he said were
"If you make cry / will murder you with
this axe and kill every one of your children"
The poor woman pleaded as we'll as she could
with his clutch on her throat for her children's
lives. She told him they could do nothing
without her. In reply he told her that he
meant to have what he wanted and that if she
gave the faintest sound he would not hesitate
to put them all out of the way The poor
woman, sick and delicate, weak as child in
the mans powerful grasp, knowing that there
was not a soul in hearing distance to rescue
her, and frightened to death, nearly tainted in
her fright, during which time the villain
wreaked his will upon her. He remained, as
near as she can tell, about an hour-for soon
after his departure she heard the whistle of the
locomotive ON Grand Trunk freight train
that passes the bridge near Inidnight-and
when he left said if she dared to give sign he
would return with the axe and kill them all.
The poor woman remained more dead than
alive until Monday morning when the children
notified some of the people in the village, in
Guiding DR.. Ingalls,, and the Portland police
were given description of the man. DR.. In
gals visited Mrs Herrick twice Monday and
says she is in a very critical condition
When the police were notified Deputy Black
thought the description answered perfectly
that of James Anderson, the tramp who pre-
tended to have come from Brunswick. The
hour he applied for lodging Monday morning
would have been just about the time man
would have taken to walk into Portland from
the scene of the outrage. Consequently he,
and Officer Merrill laid for Anderson and cap
tured him Monday night. Anderson answers
the description exactly and admits he was at
Herrick's house Sunday afternoon but denies
the outrage.