Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-07-15
RuM's RUIN.
Benjamin Il. Crossman Of Boothbay
Brutaily Assaults His Wife
And Beats Her Nearly to a jelly
With a Battling Scoop.
Fishing Dory the Scene Of the Tragedy.
The Murderer Arrested and Lodged I'm
Wiseasset Jail.
Another Victim to the Demon Of Drink

LAST MONDAY morning man named Ben
min IT, Crossman, about 35 years of age. a
shoemaker nv trade. living on Barriers island
In the town of Boothbay. hired team at Wis
casset and drove to Augusta. accompanied hv
his wife. His business was to consult with
Messrs. Weeks & Blanchard of this CITY abour
procuring pension. When he first came
INTO their office he was perfectly sober, but
when he returned few hours later to execute
his declaration he was under the influence of
liquor. After completing his business. about
two o'clock that afternoon. he started for
nome, stopping at saloon in Gardiner to get
dinner There he purchased half pint bottl..
ct whl>key, which he drank on his wav to
Wiscasset. He arrived at Wiscasset about
halfpast six and driving the team to the sta
bile he dropped into saloon and got a half
goblet fall of rum and his bottle refilIed. 1t
was about seven O'Clock when Crossman and
his wife stepped into their dory, and rowed
out of Wi.casset harbor. Everything passed
| pleasantly until they had sailed about four
| miles IN Cross river. when the liquor began
10 craze the man. He began to talk loud and
angrilv about the devil coming after his wife
and that he had thrown her overheard She
partially Succeeded in pacifving him. but soon
he grabbed her. exc!aming. ''You are the
devil, and then committed the terrible as
sault. striking. bruising. and nearly killing
feet he seemingly came 10 himself and said
| Good God. won are not the devil. YOU are
nv Abbe.' He then padded the dorv about
one half mile M stream with the thwart the
oars having been lost in the struggle, and
landed. carrying and dragging her quarter
of a mile or so when he laid her down under
| an apple tree and went for assistance TO the
house of Alden Pinkham, and finally persuad-
ed Mr.. Pinkham TO accompany him to where
the poor woman lay. She was taken in
| carriage to Pinkham's house, and the hus-
band, only half sobered. took Pinkham's dory
and rowed down to the honse of his father-in-
law, Phineas Slower. arriving there about
thr1e o'clock and waking them up, and get
| ting them to go down and tell his children
and neghbors. He himself spent the rest of
| the night at Mr.. Stovers, and in the morning
went back to where his wife was. and after a
short stay there he returned to his own home
and remained there until arrested.
A Mosr IIoRRID MEDITATION.
| As soon a. the tidings of the tragedy reached
! Bath, the Times of that city despatched a spec
ial reporter to Boothbay with instructions to
ascertain the full particulars. The reporter
interviewed DR.. Hezekah Atwood of North
Boothbay. who, assisted by DIR. Cushman of
Wiscasset. had spent all Tuesday morning
with the injured woman, dressing her wounds.
do to alleviate her terrible sufferings. The
doctor said he was called on, early in the
morning by some of the woman's neighbors,
who informed him of the sad affair. and de-
sired his professional services. He started
at once for the house, to which the woman
had been removed. that of Alden Pinkham in
Edgecumb, and arrived there about o'clock.
Entering the house he encountered a sad
sight: on a couch lay human being
banged. and bruised. and cut, and with face
and bead tearfully swollen, as not to be
recognizable to even those who had been
intimately acquainted with her. Approach
| ing the couch. he made an examination of
her injuries, and found them very serious. if
not fatal. The woman's head had been
most terribly beaten by her husbands
| fists as she said, hut the doctor was of the
opinion that some instrument must have
| been used, to have occasioned such severe
wounds as were there presented, and as
further investigation developed the fact that
baling scoop. from its appearance. had
been used. the doctor was undoubtedly cor
rect The nose was severely fractured, and
a punctured wound appeared the side of
that organ. how occasioned no one can tell.
Back of the right ear scalp wound three
inches long, as clean cut as though made by
n knife, existed. and the scalp in the vicinity
of the wound has separated from the skull
so that a finger could be passed in and around
between the skull and the scalp. The upper
lin was cut nearly in two. and the whole face.
arms. shoulders and breasts were beaten
black and blue. The woman was conscious
and most bravely submitted to the operations
which the surgeons were obliged to perform.
| The wound back of the ear had to be sewed
up. as had the wound in the lip. One eye,
the right one was seriously injured though
the SIGHT was not destroyed. The doctor
said that she must have bled most profusely
from her wounds and he wonders she sur
vived her injuries. At the time the doctor
was there the woman was bleeding through
the eve and ear, and could not swallow unless
her head was raised; and another fact which
makes the case more terrible and which rem
d.rs the chances of recovery more doubtful
is that the woman is eHeieafe
THE STORY OF THE CRIME.
The Times reporter then drove to Wis
casset where he called upon DIR. ). Is. Cush-
man and Rev VIM. A. DePew VIII" was with
the medical gentleman when he fastened TO
the woman's assistance. They arrived al
Mr.. Pinkham's in Edgecomb about $50, and
while the doctors were engaged in attending
to the patient. the clergyman made inquiries
of the friends and neighbors gathered round,
as To the particulars of the dreadful deed.
From Mr.. Pnkham. he learned that screams
Il
had been heard off the point about midnight
but no attention was paid to them, OUT that
about o'clock in the morning. man came
TO his house and aroused him saying: IL
have done an awful deed. | have killed my
wife and deserve to be hung. l hope some
one will hang me"
| He wanted Mr.. Pinkham to come to his as
sistanee and GO find his wife. Mr.. Pinkham
refused but finally he and another gentle
man named Caswell started. and guided by
Crossman they travelled half mile or more
| and finally found Mrs. Crossman lying under
an apple tree on the side of hill some 400
wards from the river,-Crossman having
dragged and carried her that distance after
ne came TO himself. Mr. Pinkham was
obliged to return to the house for his team.
leaving Crossman supporting his wife's head.
and protecting her from the cold. OF which
she complained. Returning with team
Mrs. Crossman was removed to Mr. flnk-
hams house, where she no lies. How
team could make passage through the deep
ravine back of the hill. even in the daytime,
is wonder.
When asked by Mr.. Pinkham. as to why