The Portland daily press., 1883-11-26
Oscar IL. BIsney Confesses HE shet Rar-
rows-Mrs. Barrews Arrested as am Ae-
cessery to the Crime-The murder De-
Eberasely Planned and Carried Out.

| PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Nov. 24.-This morn
| ing Detectives Wiggin and Wood of Boston
caused the arrest of Oscar e. Blaney aud Mrs
| Mary E. Barrows, both of Kittery, Me-, for the
murder OF Thomas Barrows on November l4th
Blaney is charged with the deliberate shooting
OF Barrows with intent to kill, and Mrs. Bar
rows will be charged with being an accessory
before and after the fact. Great satisfaction ia
expressed at the termination of what, as has
been considered for the past few days, would
be an unsolved mystery.
Several of Mrs. Barrows' neighbors have not
been satisfied with her explanation of the
cause of her husbands death and they thought
an examination eminently proper, consequently
a coroner's inquest was ordered, the body was
exhumed and DIR. Potter of this city held a
post mortem examination, with the result as
previously announced. He was of the opinion
that the shooting mnst have taken place in the
house, and that at the time of the firing the
murdered man must have been seated upon or
lying on the bed.
The case was then taken in hand by County
Attorney F. M. Higgins of Limerick, Me-,
Sheriff George Getchell of Wells and Deputy
Sheriff Dana P. Beacham, officials OF York
county, and they summoned Messrs. Wiggin
and Wood to work it up
During the progress of the examination it
was learned that about a year ago Oscar E.
Blaney, young man of excellent reputation,
began to pay his addresses to Mrs. Barrow's
daughter. For some reason Mr.. Barrews en-.
tertained the bitterest of feelings toward Bla-
ney. He took every occasion to ipjure him;
forbade him the house; ordered the daughter
not to meet him, and several times deliberate
ly assaulted the young man, on one occasion
even going so far as to enter into pitched bat
tie with Blaney at the church, which both at
tended. Blaney was, therefore, obliged to
meet the lady at either his grandfathers, or at
some other place mutually agreed upon. About
nine months ago the young people were mar
riedS and they settled upon neat little farm
of some forty acres, about mile and a half
from Barrow's residence.
The young man is an adopted son of Mr..
Frank Blaney. He is the child of an insane
person named James Forester. who was sta
toned at one time in the Kittery navy yard.
The child's mother died when it was very
young and tae father gave it to Ar. Blsney,
who brought it up as enc of his own family;
and until the death of Mrs. Blaney, a year or
two ago, he was considered an exemplary
young man. Shortly before Mrs. Blaney IS
death she requested her husband to give Oscar
all his real estate, which he did short time
subsequent to his marriage to Miss Cate. The
old gentleman took up his residence with the
young couple, and for some time they lived
happily together. Finally quarrel arose be-
tween them, and the young mans wife desired
to take up her residence with her mother.
Here more trouble ensued, arising from the
bitter feeling between young Blaney and his
father-in-lsw, eliminating in a disgracsful
fight some weeks ago in public hall at Kit
terry. At that time it is reported that Barrowi
said that one house was not big enough foi
them all, and told his wife that she must
choose between him, her daughter and her
husband This question had not been fully de
cided when 'Barrows was murdered.
1t was thought at the tima that Barrows
antipathy for Blaney was caused by the fact
that the property of his wife would eventually
be left to her daughter, and that he would OBJ
AdIu uUub VI lbs LII, ldCt, ~ vas bkdb5u LudG lie
had asked his wife to deed the property to
him, but that she had positively refused to dc
so. 1t further appears that Mrs. Barrows had
talked with her daughter and son-in-law of the
Unpleasant relations existing between them
and Mr.. Barrows, and that.she had complained
bitterly of the ill-treatment she had received
at his hands. She frequently expressed the
hope that something would happen to him, oil
that he would get out of the way. These
things prsyed upon young Blaneys mind, and
this was the state of affairs at the time of the
alleged suicide.
THE CONFESSION.
Yesterday Detective Wood was driven out
to Mrs. Barrows' home by Sheriff Getchell
After careful examination of the premises
long examination was held with the widow ot
the dead man, and the result was a confession
upon the part of Mira. Barrews, which showed
| that if she was not principal in deliberate
murder, she was, OF least, an accessory before
and after the fact. She said that in some re-
spect the story that she had previously told was
| correct; that it was about 8.25 p. m. when she
| heard shots in the vicinity of the stable, anG
that passing into her bedroom and looking on
Of the window she saw Mr.. Barrows upon the
ground near the stable. She Immediately
went into the front hall, passed out of the
house and walked along the road until she
came to the residence of her son-in-law. She
entered and found him sitting by the Are, hay.
| ing just removed his shoes. She said to him
Thomas has shot himself. Come down to the
| house " ith me at once" Blaney Immediately
put on his shoes, hitched his horse into bis car
| risge and drove to Mrs. Barrows' rssidencs
with her. On the way Mrs. Barrows tolC
| Rlaney that her husband was not dead, and OF
| arriving at the house he passed through the
| front door through the hall into the bedroom
| where Mr.. Barrows was seated on the edge o.
| the bed. She Immediately heard two shot
| fired, and rushing into the bedroom she foun(
| her husband lying dead. Mrs. Barrows denied
| that she had witnessed the shooting either at
| the stable or in the bedroom. This mornins
she was taken to Blaney's house. The younS
man, who had been in Portsmouth, was sooI
| after brought in by Detective Wood and con
fronted by his mother-in-law. After questions
had been asked him ne broke down completely
| d covered his face his with hands He wa
asked if the story told by Mrs. Barrows wa
true, and after wipiug the tears from his fact
he said In trembling tones that were hardly
audible, 'I guess most of it is" He then pro
| ceeded, under close questioning, to give tn,
| details OF the horrible affair, which was takel
down by County Attorney Higgins, in tn,
presence of Detective Wood Sheriff Getchel
| and Deputy Sheriff Beecham.
He began with lengthy account of th'
trouble he had experienced at the hands O
his fsther-in-law, dwelling upon the man,
attempts of the dead man to prevent his ad
mittance to his house. He then said that ht
had brooded SO much upon the constant quar-
rels and the evident desire of Mrs. Barrows t.
be rid of her husband that he determined T.
put Barrows out of the way. With this il
view, on the Saturday previous to the murde
pistol. II was five-chambered, double
action, 38-calibre revolver, patterned after tn
Smith & Wesson style, and of American manu-
facture. The fact that this was not traced on
until corroborsted on Blaney's confession ca
be accounted for in the simple fact tha
Blaney, when not working on the farm,