The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-20
Correspondence Of the Boston Journal

Correspondence Of the Boston Journall
The death of Mr.. Barrows on Wednesday
| night last is still enshrouded in mystery,
thopqh the theory of suicide has LARGELY given
p to the belief that he was murdered. The
| q lallet holes In his person clearly indicate
| tie Immediate cause of his death, but where
was he shot and by whom are the two absorb
| ing QUESTION: now. Mrs. Barrows stated at the
| coroner's inquest, and subsequently, to the
| Journals representative, that the deed was
done out of doors near the barn. from
which he was returning after having done
| some chores. After hearing the first shot she
stepped to the window of the bed room, where
| the man died, and saw him fall after a second
| shot was fred. This position she retained till
| Mr.. Barrowa had crawled to the corner of the
| house in an endeavor to gsI in doors, after
| which she fed through the front door to the
res idcnce Of Oscar E. Blsney, her son-in-law,
| a couple OF miles distant. He was the first
person she told 81 the affair, and together they
returned in his team to her house. Reaching
| the place they drove up to the barn and listen
| ed, ana then approached and entered the
| house, when they fonnd that Mr.. Barrows
| had dragged himself through the kitchen and
| two entryways into the bed room and on to the
| bed, where his life had expired. Neighbors
/ were then summoned and the Coroner sent
| tor.
| This in brief is Mrs. Barrows' story of the
| murder, and is corroborated by Mr.. Blaney so
| far as it applies to him careful examine
| ton OF the ground about where Mr.. Barrows is
| said 10 have been shot, and from there to the
| house, and the floor and carpetiug OF the dit
/ fereut roons fails to reveal drop of blood
| that flowed from his wounds, while the bed
/ ding was saturated with it. The appearance
of his eyes, face and limbs also failed to indi-
/ cate that he had Suffered much pain before
death came to his relief, but instead he looked
| more IS though the deed had been done where
| be was found and while he was asleep.
| When the coroner arrived the bouy had
| been untouched, but lay upon his right
side with the left arm raised SO that
| the head rested ppon the hand, while the feat
| hung over the side Of the bed. All the
| wounds were upon the lett or uppermost side
/ and their general direction as though the shots
had been fred by some person standing behind
| and near the foot of the bed. When the hand
| was removed from under his head it was OBJ
| served TO be covered with sweat The body
was also warm and limp, though the deed
| must have been done, according to Mrs Bar
| rows, about four hours previous, and when in
| the course of his examination and the cleans
| ing OF the body the coroner found one OF the
| bullets imbedded in the fleshy part of the leg
| near the surface, and cut it cut, the blood
| through the parietal bone, would also tend to
| prove the theory that the shooting was done in
the house, as man must have extreme vitall-
! fy to enable him to crawl from the barn to the
| place whore MIR. Barrows was found before
| death or Inconsistencies resulted.
| Another popularity of the case is that
| though two of the bullets passed through the
| body-ons In the arm and one in the leg-only
/ one has been found, and that was shaken out
4 Of the bed clothes and was followed by the re-
| mark from person i,resent, II thought you
| would find bullet in the bed clothes," No
| traces Of the absent bullst have thus far been
| discovered.
The revolver with which the shooting was
| first presumed to have been done was found
| about where it is claimed Mr.. Barrows fell,
| near the barn, 1t is an American aud No. 3S
/ calihre, and itself disproves Mrs. Barrow's the
| ory that he shot himself in tempora fit of
| insantIy, as il contains but Eve barrels and
| there we're six shots fred into his body, aud
| another bullet hole hadibeen made through the
barn door. AS the shots we're all fired into the
| left side, ii done by Mr. Barrows some OF them
would bear traces of burning, but none appear,
and the shot in the left arm could hardly have
been received in any but reclining posture
| No cartridge shells have been found about the
| locality to indicate that the weapon was re-
| charged. Ii the shooting was done where 1t is
| claimed the bullet hole through the door would
| indicate two positions for the murderer-one
| bene tn the carriage shed and the bullet hreo
| when the barn door was STANDING open; the
other behind stone wall peslue the road, and
| the bullet fred after the door had been closed.
In either case the revolver would have to be
carried or thrown distance OF from twenty
five to fifty feet to where it.was found
Last Monday afternoon q young man, light
complexIoned and wearing pair of brown
overalls, stepped into A, p. Wendell's store, at
| Portsmouth, and purchased seven cartridges
of the clerk, of the same size and make as the
shells and bullets found about Mr.. Barrow's
person and in the revolver picked up near
the barn. That he might obtain the right
size, an old cartridge was produced for COM
parison, but the trade was not made till the
man could go out and try one of the cartridges
in his revolver. Remarks were also made re-
| garding the kind OF revolver he owned. The
description given of this person corresponds
with the description of Mr.. Barrow's son-in-
law while engaged in his customary work up
on the railroad. AT the suggestion of party
on Saturday Mr.. Blaney stepped into Wen.
dell's store that the clerk might see if he could
identify him. During his visit be exhibited
a good deal of nervousness, and made talk
| about having come to see about those car
tridges, though no reason had been given him
when asked TO 60 to the store except that the
clerk wanted to see him. He also exhibited
unusual nervousness during the inquest.