Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-03-25
the cHERRYrIELD MuRnr.-


Inc county Jail for Washington coun,v is
N Machlas, and the town was thrown into a
'e'er OF excitement Monday night when the
news came that Chester Cunningham, who
murdered Mrs. Hattie Sprague At Cherry.
neld Sunday night, was on his wav IN N.cb;..
IN the custody of an officer. The bo,eI r.,a
was crowded with men and bovs and So
~omenwhen Deputy Sheriff Dunbar drove nm
IA common open wagon, at about {. 80 that
aight with the murderer handcuffed and
iAshed to the wagon by a strong cord The
'ncer got out, unfastened the cord, took one
end OF 1t and started for the Jail, the prisoner.
VINO was fastened at the other end, trotting
along behind him like a hear The murderer
. ~ years old, weighs $50 pounds, and is Eve
rect ii inches high. slight and wiry. low fore
mead, high cheek bones eyes close together
ana greasy looking. The crime for which he
hhds himself in the dungeon is the most brutal
and daring ever committed in that vicinity.
MRS. Hattie Sprague, the victim had been.
since her childhood, woman of loose char
acter' and she kept young Cunningham
company whenever her husbands absence
permitted. As the sheriff said "She trained
this young fellow up to cut her throat" At
ter her husband died. Cunningham had the
coast clear and was in her company as often
as her work permitted. She grew tired of
his attentions at last. and said she wanted to
get rid of him. Sunday afternoon he said to
some one of his friends. while talking of her
mat II she came home from PRAYER meeting
with Rogers. he would follow her up stairs
and she would never come out again. Sun
day evening Mrs. Sprague went to church
with Rogers, and Cunningham came soon
after.
When the meeting was over Mrs. Sprague
went out. and after a while Rogers Joined
her. and taking his arm they went down the
street together. Cunningham follow ed them
and before they got out of the crowd or even
out of the light which shown from the window
OF the meeting-h house, he walked up behind
her, put his arm around her neck, took hold
Of her chin, tipped back her head and with
his right hand drew long sharp knife across
her throat severing all the arteries on the
right side of her neck to her ear. She made
no noise except slight gurgling sound as she
fell. and the murderer turned and ran down
the road toward bridge. twas all done be-
fore anybody had time to interfere. The
woman was carried into the hall and died in a
few minutes without saying word. No
great pains were taken to capture him that
night, but the next morning the officer went
down to his sisters house and found him
sitting with his sister and some other people
around the stove, calmly talking about the
murder. He was brought before Trial
Justice Small. and after brief examination
committed to jail to await the action of the
grand jury in April.
A reporter visited the prisoner Tuesday
morning in his cell and found him sitting
upon bed, having just finished his breakfast.
He was perfectly willing to talk about every
thing except the murder and his relations
with the victim. He can neither read nor
write, but is cunning and shrewd after the
manner of Yankees, and denies seeing Mrs.
Sprague after she left the church Sunday
night. When asked bluntly if he ever intend
ed to marry Mrs. Sprague, he hesitated for a
long time at first, and when the question was
repeated he said, II guess that don't make
anv difference When questioned closely
as TO his movements on the night of the
murder, he said he guessed he would not talk
any more. He had known the victim since
he was IL years old, and had been keep
ing her COMPANY since he was l6.