The Portland daily press., 1881-06-30
THE PARKMAN MURDER
The Details OF a Shocking Crime.
tFrom the Bangor Wing of Wednesday. )

(From the Bangor Wing of Wednesday,
From the particulars which we were on
abled yesterday to gather, it appears that Mr..
Alvin T. Watson, the murdered man, lived
alone on the farm where he was born-never
having married-some two miles west of Park
man Corner, in what is known in that section
as the "McKusick" neighborhood, taking his
meals at the house of Mr.. Daniel Libby, near
neighbor, but lodging in his own house.
About 8 o'clock Sunday night he left Levi
McKusick' S house, about a mile from his own
house That was the last seen of him alive.
1t now appears that Mr.. Watson retired soon
after returning home, and it is supposed that
his murderer entered the house about mid
night, and that upon hearing strange sounds
in the room adjoining his bedroom Mr.. Wat
son arose to ascertain the cause, and was in the
act of passing into the main room when some
one stabbed him with knife one or more
times, the door casing being spattered with
blood. 1t then appears, from evidence OBJ
tanned Monday, that he sprang across the room
to window, where he shouted for help, his
cries being repeated three times, which were
distinctly heard but, as it was soon very quiet,
the neighbors thought nothing of it. Here he
must have received several fatal stabs, as the
blood spurted on the wall four feet above the
floor and ran in stream across the floor; there
is blood upon the window sill, some of which
ran down on the outside of the house. 1t was
here he fell.
After having received five terrible stabs-
two in the throat, one on the left shoulder, one
in the right arm and one over his left kidney
and reaching to that organ ANY one of which
must have caused death in few moments, he
was stabbed four times in the bowels, five
more in his back, several on his breast head
and limbs, receiving in all hfty-two wounds, in
over twenty Of which the knife was struck to
the hilt 1t appears that the murderer stabbed
his victim over thirty times after death had
come to his relief
The body was dragged from the spot where
it fell across the room, through the front
entry, out through the cook room and entry
into the woodshed and left at q wood pile, a
distance of about five rods from the starting
point the intention no doubt being to carry
the body into the woods near by, but a light
appearing in a raised window the murderer
fled
The body Of the murdered man was found as
described early Monday morning, o most
CHASTITY object. With the exception of his
shirt the victim was entirely nude, and as he
lay there, covered with wounds and weltering
in his blood, feeling Of inexpressible horror
took possession of the spectators at the thought
that there were parties living in their usually
peaceful community who could be guilty of
such fendish butchery.
The citizens of Parkman generally speak in
the highest terms of the character of the MUIR
dered man, saying that he was of quiet and
peaceable nature, of rather a jovial disposition,
very industrious, owned a large farm, fairly
stocked, and they can conceive of no motive
for the dastardly deed. There are those, how
ever, who have theories OF their own as to the
causes which might have led to this murder.
One gentlemen informed our reporter that bad
blood had been engendered in the ChadbOurne
family towards Watson in consequence of an
oil. hot Nal
lace Chadbournes wife, and that threats
against the life of Watson have been made by
several members Of the Chadbourne family 1t
is evident that robbery was not the motive, as
the murdered mans wallet, containing money.
notes and other yaluableS, was found in his
pocket untouched.
Samuel Chadbourne, deaf mute, about is
years old, has confessed that he was present at
the time of the murder and had a hand in the
deed. A knife was found in his pocket covered
with blood; his vest was found in the murder
ed mans house torn in two and saturated his
clothing and person were literally covered
with gore, and he bears upon his neck the nail
prints of the mans hand, and Monday he was
unable to swallow. He had also received a
blow upon his head that caused the blood to
spart from his ears and nose. It's believed
that these injuries were received in his strug-
gle with the murdered man. Other members
of the family have also been arrested as being
accessories to the deed. They are kept separ-
ate.
The excitement in Parknan and the adioin-
ing towns of Guilford and Sangervile is in
tense. 1t the first crime of any magnitude
ever committed in the vicinity and the scene is
being visited by hundreds of people, Sturdy
farmers, in earnest epeech, have found it nee
essary to wisely counsel young and resolute
men TO refrain from taking the law into their.
own hands and thus summariy avenge one OF
the most cold-blooded, deliberate, cruel and
hellish murders that has ever blackened the
fair reputation of our state.