The Portland daily press., 1882-01-09
ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT.
The Record OF Crime in Maine.

Attorney General Henry B. Cleaves has sub
mitted his report He says:
No decision has yet been rendered in the
suit against the Maine Central railroad to re-
cover the tax assessed against the corporation,
under the laws of $780, The suits against the
Boston and Maine railroad and the Portland,
Saco and Portsmouth railroad company, for the
recovery of the taxes assessed against them by
virtue of the same statute, are now pending,
and should the decision of the court in the
Maine Central case sustain the constitutional
ity of the act in question, will be promptly set
tied without further litigation. The Western
Union Telegraph company continues to resist
the payment of tSXes assessed in behalf of the
State against the corporation, and suit is now
pending before the court to determine the con-
stitutionaity of the statute under which the
assessment was made. There is pending be-
fore the supreme court of the United States
writ Of error to reverse the Judgment in favor
of the State, rendered by the State court,
against the Cumberland and Oxford Canal cor
poration At the next session Of the court in
Washington the case will be disposed of.
During the year four citizens of the State
upon trial have been convicted of murder in
the first degree. Two verdicts Of manslaugh-
ter have been rendered, and two additional IN
dictments for murder have been found and SEN
tence imposed in one upon plea OF guilty, the
court adiudging the grade to be murder OF the
HfSG degree. Two C1IlZSDS udN0 Dc6u bonloAOOu
to Imprisonment for life for the crime OF arson.
The convicted parties were
John G.. Farr who on the 18th of September,
1880, entered his wife's apartment in board
ing house on Free street, Portland, and DIS
charged four shots with revolver at his victim.
Death ensued Immediately.
In Washington comfy, boy named Warren
I'll. Langmore, of Pembroke aged ten years,
killed schoolnlate, Freeman w. Wright. he
was found guilty of manslaughter
Charles Il. Merrill of China murdered his
mother in February last, and attempted to
obliterate sll traces of the crime by mutiation
and destruction of the body He was tried in
Augusta before Judge Whitshouse in May, and
sentenced to imprisonment for life.
On the 18th of July last Willie Cain, boy
twelve years of age, left his house in Rock
port village, and on the Sd of August his body
Rasfound upon pile of brush which had
lodged in shallow stream called Goose river.
Edward X. Gross, aged eleven years, and
resisted for the crime, and made several con-
Trajectory confessions. The jury, without hes
itation. adopted the theory of the prosecution,
and brought in a verdict of manslaughter
against Richards but acquitting the younger
one on the ground that he was overawed by the
larger boy and although present did not actu-
ally participate in the crime.
Charles w. Smith of Warren was sentenced
for life, for shooting his own child with a re-
volver He also made attempts upon the life
OF MS WIG anu HIS WIG y InObl6Ty 6uu u VliS.
Mary IT. Metcalf who was in the house.
On the morning of June 18th, 1881, Alvin
Watson, a respected citizen of Parkman, in the
county of Piscataquis, was found murdered.
At distance of half mile from the home OF
Watson there lived family by the name of
Chadbourn, consisting of Benjamin. his wife,
Wallace Chadbourn, son of Benjamin, and
wife, a deaf and dumb boy Byron, son of Ben
jamin by former wife. The first intimation
of the murder came from the Chadbourn fam
lily, and Immediately. upon the discovery OF
the body Of Watson there was persistent and
determined effort on the part OF Benjamin and
Wallace Chadbourn and wives, to convey the
impression that Byron, the deaf mute, was
guilty of the offence. The jury, on the night
of October Sd, after most exciting trial, re-
turned verdict against both Benjamin and
Wallace Chadbourn, finding them guilty OF
murder in the first degree Byron Chadbourn,
the mute, was committed to the Maine Insane
Hospital.
An Indictment was found at the September
term of the Supreme Judicial Court in the
county of York against Sarah f. Written for
the murder of her infant child, which is un-
disposed of.
The convictions for murder in the first de-
gree during the present year alone exceed the
number during the three years previous to the
abolition of the death penalty and are nearly
equal to the number occurring during the
three years following. The frequency of these
horrible crimes and the fiendiSh brutality ex-
0lplteu III bu0 ComuliS5lOu Oh d large pOitIUu VI
them, has naturally created sentiment in the
community for the application OF the death
penalty in the cases of such atrocious charac-
ter. There are arguments for and against
its application; arguments that are satisfactory
| to the minds and conscences of the adherents
| and opponents. Any amount Of discussion of
| the question, apprehend, would have but
| slight effect upon the convictions already
| formed by the mass of our citizens The laws
| are for the protection of the public, of society
| and are not presumed to be in sympathy with
| the hardened criminal; and if the law-abiding
| and peaceable citizens of this State, who de-
| sire to live with some sense of security, can be
| better protected from the assassin's knife or
| the ruffian's bullet by the restoration OF the
| death penalty, it is 8 matter that should
receive the most careful and serious consider
alton of the Legislature.
During the year ending November LIST, 1881,
| the whole nunber of prosecutions and offences
| in the State was 1900. OF these more than
| half were for violation of the liquor law.
| Franklin county has the cleanest record, there
| being but criminal cases in the entire year.
| Kennebec has 210, and Cumberland $685. In
| Kennebec county there were 1876 cases for viola
| tion of the liquor law, greater number than
| in any county except Cumberland, which had
| 174. OF the prosecutions and offences, 10 were
| for homicide, for arson, 3 for perjury, II for
| forgery and counterfeiting, 30 for compound
larceny. 70 for larceny, for burglary, 2 for
robbery for rape, 16 for assault with feloni-
| GUS intent, 103 for assault and battery, for
| ARRAYS and riots. II for offences against
chastity and morality, Is for malicious miseh ief
| for cheating and conspiracies, 6 for defects in
| highway, 119 for nuisance SAG for violation OF
| the liquor law, lis for other offences.
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