The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-01
THE WHITTIER CASE.
Arrest of Mr.. and Mrs. Philip n. Kirby
Yesterday.
Kirby Has Been in Portland Since
Saturday.

Yesterday morning Mr.. Boucher, the pro-
prietor of the Portland House, notified
Marshal Hawkes. that Mr.. and Mrs. Philip
H. Kirby were stopping at the hotel and oc-
eupied room No. -. Marshal Hawkes. de-
tailed Officers w. r. Frank and George H.
Williams who arrested the couple on suspi-
cion and took them to the station. Mrs.
Kirby was placed in the woman's lodging
room and Kirby was locked in the cell room.
By permission of the Marshal a reporter
for the PRESS interviewed Mrs. Kirby. She
is quite pretty woman with brown hair,
aquiline nose, good complexion, and was
plainly but neatly dressed. She has four
children, two boys and two girls in New
Hampshire, according to her account. She
says her maiden name is Holt and that she
comes originally from Lowell. She left
Portsmouth in October last and went to Mrs.
Wheeler's at Deering, where she stayed un-
til December when she went to Mrs. Bakers
boarding house at 547a Congress street. as
ehambermaid. Here she first Whittier VINO
was stopping there She went into his room
to attend to her duties and there passed the
time of day with him. She stayed at Mrs.
Bakers until three weeks ago yesterday.
One Sunday night when she went In to his
room to carry water, he spoke of going to
Lowell, said he was very lonely and asked
her name Three weeks ago she left Mrs.
Bakers, went to the Portland House and
occupied room No. ., and stayed there until
Yesterday. Mr. Whittier called on her there
once Last Wednesday she wrote him she
was going to leave and sent her two
dollars, and said he would send her more.
A week ago she received letter from Mr..
Whittier, which she thinks was postmarked
at Pennington. This letter she had destroy
ed. He sent her but one letter which en-
closed money. Her husband came here
week ago last Friday, and he said to her if
she would give him money he would go and
get a job of work and be back Friday or
Saturday. She gave him So. She was posi-
tive he returned to Portland last Saturday
by the $50 train. He said he met Whittier
on the cars, coming from Dover to Portland.
last Saturday. She was much surprised to
hear of the death of Mr. Whittier by suicide.
He was very nervous man naturally, and
she should judge timid man. He was
about sixty years of age, man of fine char
acter and manners. He was the opposite of
her husband, who, she says, is of an ugly
disposition. HE is just the kind of man who
would be apt to be frightened" said she, sat
committing suicide, in my opinion. If you
should shake your fist in his face he would
tremble all over. My husband was queer
and seemed troubled while he was here with
me, for two or three days. If Mr.. Kirby
oh d,,I&
tier, the charge is perfectly groundless. Mr..
Whittier always treated me with great re-
spect. He never insulted me in any way.
The reason left my husband was solely be-
cause he was of jealous disposition and ug-
ly in temper. l think Kirby frightened
Whittier in order to get the hundred dollars.
never told anybody that can remember,
that L was playing Whittier for a sucker
If there is any woman who can say aught
that involves me in any way, why let her
face me-.
Mr.. Kirby said he thought there had been
four times as much said in the papers about
the matter as there was any necessity for.
He admitted that he had been following
Whittier about from place to place. The
reason for this was family trouble. Last Fri
day met him in Dover, N. FL. A man in the
Dover depot told me where to find him. |
went to his boarding house and the lady in
charge said he was not in then but told when
he would be. went on the time mentioned
and found him in the parlor He had his
overcoat, overshoes, and umbrella near him.
l called him by name and he denied his name
and called himself Wheeler. / told him his
name was r. r. Whittier, and that had a
letter, the contents of which affected me Sc
riously, and wanted to know why he had
done this. He went out saying he was going
to the depot, and 1 followed, saying, $50 be
l." He took to the platform, at the depot,
between two trains, and was standing back,
intending to take the train. All at once he
beckoned me and said, ''Come here" went
and he said, "You wish to square this up, do
you not ?" told him if he would sign the
document showed him, and pay me hun
bred dollars, it would be satisfactory. He
declined to do SO, and jumped off one side of
the train and the other, and that's the lastI
saw of him. l came to Portland Saturday
afternoon.
Mr. Boucher, the proprietor of the Port
land House, told the Marshal that Mr.. and
Mrs. Kirby came to the house Saturday
afternoon and been there since, and that
Mrs. Kirby had been there three weeks. So
that Kirby could have had no connection
with Mr.. Whittier's death, as he was found
dead Sunday morning at Wollaston, Mass
Kirby admitted to the Marshal he lied to him
when he said last Wednesday that his wife
didn't know he was in town.
Kirby is TALL determined looking man, of
good physique, and was boss carpenter for
Hon. Frank Jones when the Rockingham
House was built. The prisoners remain at
the station awaiting any orders from Boston.
PERSONAL.