The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-05-25
THE HARMON CASE.
The Body to be Exhumed at Stan
dish Today.
What Mrs. Harmon and Her Mother
= Have to Say.


GUS case Of the death Of G. Fred Harmon on
Myrtle street. Both Kohler and Mrs Harmon
stoutly deny anything improper in the affair.
Kohler is at the police station pending the
post norton examination. When the result
of the investigation is made known, he will be
brought before Judge Gould, and if probable
cause is found against him will be bound
over to the September term of court.
This morning, County Attorney Seiders
Marshal Andrews, Coroner Gould, Dr. I. E.
Kimball, Constable S. D. Hall, and the coro-
ner's jury will go to Lake Sebago, Etandish,
where Mr.. Geo. Fred Harmon's body was bur
led. Part of them will go by team and the
| jury by the Portland & Ogdensburg morning
train. Mr.. Harmon's remains will be exhum-
ed and identified, and DR.. Kimball will ex-
tract the stomach and take it to Prof. Carmi-
chael at Brunswick, for analysis. Although
the analysis will, of course, be made in the
most careful manner, it is thought that the
condition of the stomach will be sufficient
| evidences of the presence or absence of arsenic
If the stomach, which is ordinarily the first
part of the body to decompose, il found in a
state OF preservation, it will show the pres
ence of q preservative in the tissues. In this
case no preventative other than arsenic could
| be present
UNDERTAKEN RICH's STATEMENT.
1t was quite generally reported about town
| Saturday night that Undertaken Rich, who
took charge OF Mr.. Harmon's remains, en-
balmed the body, and that If such was the
case all hopes of arriving at the facts regard
| ing the alleged poisoning, had vanished, for
| as arsenic is used largely in the process of en-
balming traces of the deadly drug would be
| found in abundance.
| Mr.. Rich was visited yesterday BY Press
| reporter, and on being asked if the above state
ment was true he replied "No; Mr.. Harmon's
! body was not embalmed. There was consider
| able purging after death, as is a common oc-
currenoe in cases of death from causes such as
| disorders OF the stomach, and piece of cotton
batting, saturated with q preparation. was
| placed in the mouth. This contracts The
| throat and go closes the passage that commu.
nication between the mouth and the stomach
| is prevented.
MRS. HARMoN's STATEMENT.
The following is the statement of Mrs. Har-
| mon, the widow of G. Fred Harmon to a re-
reporter of the PRESS Saturday afternoon.
"Mr. Harmon had been unwell for about
| two years and had been partially deprived OF
the use of his right arm by his illness. On
| SUNDAY, the first of February, after we came
uOH1o iEuH1 CHufCu, MT. Harmon Went I'D on
| the roof TO shovel away the snow and ice. He
| came down stairs soon after complaining of
! feeling sick, and was attacked with vomiting
| We thought that he had strained himself
while on the roof. He was sick for several
| days about the house. During this time he
| ate his meals in the front parlor with myself
He ate very lite. was sick at the time aud
| the food was sent in to US. What was prepared
| was ss likely to be eaten by one as the other
| After my husband had been sick for several
| days, do not remember just how many, DIR,
james Buzzell was called in and took charge
| OF the case. My husband was then confined
| TO his bed In the back parlor, and was under
| the care of his brother. I slept on bed lounge
| in The front parlor whefe could look through
| the folding doors and see my husband and the
| table upon which were the medicines Mr..
| Harmon's mother slept in the room with nv
husband. I bought the greater part of nv
| husbands medicines and with the exception
| OF a few prescriptions, purchased them of DR..
| ellison in Market Square. Mr.. Kohler pro-
| cured my husband some port and sherry wine
| bat drank more of it than Mr.. Harmon did.
| My husbands medicine was generally given
| him either by myself or bis brother. He some
times asked Mr.. kohler to pass him ice and
honler may have given him medicine. Dur
ing the last four days of his illness he lived on
| injections of beef tsa. This / prepared myself
and administered. I always made it new.
| Sunday morning, the 22d, my husbands broth
! or saw that Mr.. Harmon was in great main
l.
| 1ected stimuants in my husbands arm but be
| failed to rally aud soon died.
Mr.. Kohler was not known to either mvself
| or my husband before his coming to the house
| to engage board. That was last December,
and he came in company with Mr.. Somers
shortly after, be went to Boston, remaining
| away two weeks, and upon returning oncs
more took mp his residence with us He made
| an agreement when he came that he was to
have what he wanted cooked, paying extra for
| IT, Ha vag q nd "A y,ftav
| his own meats. About the house Mr. Kohler
| had the same privileges as the other boarders
| All the bosrders were in the kitchen more or
| less, and some of them we're in the habit OF
washing there. 1t was rule that there should
| be no smoking of pipes in the front parlor
Those OF the boarders who used pipes used to
| sit in the back psrlor, where they played
| checkers good deal. Mr.. Kohler disliked a
| pipe and used TO sit in the front parlor. He
| was in the habit of smoking cigars.
| should not say that Mr.. Kohler was very
intimate with my husband. All the boarders
| were friendly to us, and when, after nv has.
baud's death, they left, asked for no reason.
| suppose man has right to board where he
| pleases One thing that impressed us in regard
| to Mr.. kohier was his kindness and wiling
| ness to do any little favors He took care of
| the furnace until the arrival of Mr.. Harmon's
brother. aud assisted when Mr. Harmon was
| moved In bed. He was in the sick room
| good deal and slept there one niaht with Mr.
| doctor, and was in the habit of tasting nv
| husbands medicines. We used to say that he
| wss always dipping into things. was present
chen my husband died. Alter Mr.. Harmon's
death, Mr.. Kohler gave Mr.. Plummer an
| order on the Union Bank in Boston for the
| amount of note held by Mr.. Plummer, and
| he helped me to buy an organ. He also kindly
assisted me in looking for smaller rent.
The rats were very numerous in the wash
room at the back of the house, sometimes three
fnur iufn fhn NJ
| mon said just before he died that he must get
| some Rough on Rats and poison them. A
| while after my husbands death, went into
the wash-room one day and found Mr.. Kohler
mixing something. asked him what he was
doing it for, and he said that he was mixing
some arsenic with meal for the purpose of kill
| ing the rats. This was the first had heard of
| any arsenic in the house.
do not know of any motive there could be
for poisoning my husband, and do not see
how it could be possible to have done SO with
| out somebody's detecting it.. During my hus-
bands illness he retained very little food or
medicine in his stomach.
MIR. LIBBY's STATEMENT.
Mrs. Libby the mother of Mrs. Harmon, was
present during the interview and corroborated
her daughters statement. She said, in add.
ton, that she had done the cooking in the
house and prepared all the meals. After being
taken sick Harmon gave up coffee. Mrs. Lib
ny sdAu tudt EUlu6 tlI10 a1Uer L10 Q0atl OF Har-
mon she had spoken about the rats, and Koh-
Ter had said that arsenic was good to use in
poisoning them, and got some, which he after
wards used.
Both Mrs Harmon and Mrs. Libby told
their stories in clear and straight forward
manner and appeared perfectly at ease. Mrs.
Harmon denies that there was any improper
relations existing between herself and Kohler
either before or after her husbands DEATH
DR.. BAKERS STATEMENT.
DR.. Baker who was present when Mr. Har-
mon died, says he was called to see Mr.. Har-
mon, the physician having charge of the case
living at some distance. He found Mr.. Har-
mon in an unconscious condition, pulseless
at the wrist and with laborsd breathing. He
injected stimulants into the arm of the suffer-
er, but he was beyond human help and died in
a few moments. DR.. Baker did not say st the
time that death was the result of a shock and
did not give an opinion of any kind touching
the cause of the death.