Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-01-07

NIG2Te4
Iof'land has submitted his annual report,
rom which We extract the substance. No
decision has yet been rendered in the su;,
against the Maine Central r. r., to recover
tne TAX assessed against the corporation. under
the provisions Of chap. 249. public laws of 1880.
winch has been submitted to the Law Court.
The suits against the Boston and Maine
Railroad and the Portland, Saco and Ports
moute 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
Cehtrai case sustain the constitutionality of
the act in question, will be promptly settled
without further litigation. The Western
Union Telegraph Company continues to
resist the payment Of taxes assessed in he.
half Of the State against the corporation. and
SUIT Is now pending before the Court to
netermine the constitutionality of the statute
under which the assessment was made
mere u pending before the Supreme C,ur,
OF the United States writ of error to reverse
the judgement in favor Of the State. rendered
Dy the state Court, against the Cumberland
ana Oxford Canal Corporation. At the next
session OF the Court in Washington the case
will be disposed of.
MURDER TRIALS
During the year four citizen. of the State
upon trial have been convicted of>murder in
the nrst degree Two verdiets % manslaugb
Ter nave been rendered, and two additional
indictments for murder have been found and
sentence imposed in one upon plea of guilty.
the court adjudging the grade to be murder
OF the first degree. Two citizens have been sem
fenced to imprisonment for life for the crime
OF arson. The convicted parties were: John
u. FAR who on the 18th of September, 1880
entered his wife's apartment in a boarding
hosse on Free street, Portland, and dis
charged four shots with a revolver at his vie
tim. Death ensued Immediately Wash
ington county. boy named Warren H. Lang
more, OF Pembroke, aged 10 years, killed a
schoolmate. Freeman W. Wright. He was
found guilty of manslaughter.-Chas f. Mer-
rill OF China murdered his mother in February
last, and attempted to obliterate all traces
ofthe crime by mutilation and destruction of
the body. He was tried in Augusta before
Judge Whitehouse in May, and sentenced to
imprisonment for life.-On the 18th of July
last Willie Cain, boy IL years of age, left
his home in Rockport village, and on the Sd
Of August his body was found upon a pile of
brush which had lodged in shallow stream
called Goose river. Edward F. Gross, aged
III years, and Ralph b. Richards, aged
10, were arrested for the crime, and
made several contradictory confessions.
The jury, without hesitation. adopted the
theory of the prosecution, and brought in
verdict of manslaughter against Richards but
aquitting the younger one on the ground that
he was overawed by the larger boy, and al
though present. did not actually participate
in the crime Charles w. Smith of Warren
was sentenced for life, for shooting his own
w TTa Lao ,ala
upon the life of his wife and his wife's moth
er and Mrs. Mary +. Metcalf who
was in the house.-On the morning of June
10Th, 1881, Alvin Watson, respected citizen
of Pafkman, in the county of Piscataquis. was
found murdered. At distance of half mile
from the home of Watson there lived a fam
ily by the name of Chadbourn, consisting of
Benjamin, his wife. Wallace Chadbourn,
son of Benjamin and wife, deaf and dumb
boy Byron, son of Benjamin by former
wife. The first intimation of the murder
came from the Chadbourn family, and I'M
mediately upon the discovery Of the body of
Watson there was a persistent and determined
effort on the part of Benjamin and Wallace
Chadbourn and wives, to convey the i'm
preston that Byron, the deaf mute, was
guilty of the offence. The jury, on the night
of October third after most exciting trial.
returned verdict against both Benjamin and
Wallace Chadbourn, finding them guilty of
murder in the first degree. Byron Chadbourn
the mute. committed to the Maine In
sane 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 undisposed of.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT.
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 wears following. The frequency of
these horrible crimes and the hendlsh bru-
talitv exhibited in the commission of a large
portion of them. has naturally created SEN
timent in the community for the application
of the death penalty in cases of such afro
cious character. There are arguments for and
against its application; arguments that are
satisfactory to the minds and consciences OF
the adherents and opponents. Any amount
of discussion of the question, l apprehend,
would have but slight effect upon the convic-
lions ALREADY formed by the mass of our
citizens The laws are for the protection of
the public of society, and are not presumed
10 be in sympathy with the hardened criminal;
and if the law abiding and peaceabie citizens
of this State, who desire to live with some
sense of security, can be better protecteu
from the assassin's knife or the ruffian s bullet
bv the restoration of the death penalty. it is
a matter that should receive the most careful
and serious consideration of the Legislature
Prosecutions AND OFFENCES.
During the year ending November LIST;
1881. the whole number Of prosecutions and
offences in the State were 200. VI these
more than half were for violation OF the
i;onor law. Franklin county has the clean
est record. there being but criminal cases
in the entire wear. Kennebec had 2lo, and
Cumberland 1913 In Kenuebec county tnere
were ls5 cases for violation OF the liquor law,
a greater number than in any county eHoep'
Cnr,herland. which had ia. Of the prosecu-
tions and offences, 10 were for homicide, >
for arson. 3 for perjury, ii for forgery and
count, rfeiting, 80 for compound larceny ~
for larceny. for burglary, Tor roooe.s,
for rape. is for assault with felonious intent;
ios for assault and battery, for ARRAYS and
,;o,. n for offences against chastity and