Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-04-13
YOUNG BEAL
On Trial for the Murder Of His
Father.
The Court House Cr( Y led with a Thrtng
Of Spectators.
Various Witnesses Tell the Story OF Mr..
Beal's Tragic Death.


dcient TO pack the court house yesterday.
Before entering into the proceedings of tn,
| court it may be well to take a brief review O.
the facts in this case that our readers may b,
dence which is brought forward at the trial
| On the 18th Of last February the whole
community was shocked By the news tina
| Mr.. c. G. Beal, prominent trader of Gin
ton had died in great agony from the effect
Of drinking poisoned whiskey, and that hii
son George had narrowly escaped death from
| the same source.
| By the testimony taken before the core
ner's jury it appeared that Mr.. Beal abou
three O'Clock on the 18th instant, the day OF
his death, went into the cellar of his store
took pint bottle of whiskey from barre
containing large number of similar bottles
took a moderate drink and set the bottle int
a glass jar standing near the center of the
| cellar. He then went up stairs, and after
remaining in the store about fifteen minute,
went out, stating that he intended to visit hi,
ice house, about quarter of mile away
| He did not complain of feeling i'll before hi,
departure. After his departure his sol
George, who was accustomed to steal drink,
from his fathers bottle, went into the cellar
and took drink from the bottle his father
had drank from, partially filling up the bottle
with water TO make good the amount he
Il e.. nj nJ
TO feel i'll. He sat down by the stove and il
less than a minute his head began to twitcl
from side to side and his legs were drawn W
with the cramp Some one in the store adj
vised him to 90 home at once and his brother
who happened to be just across the stree
with team was summoned and he was PLACED
in the sleigh. Just then man came running
up to the store stating that Mr.. Beal wa,
very sick at home with the cranp and thai
DIR. l. +. fash OF Fairfield and several OF
the nelghbors were tending him. 1t i'm
mediately flashed upon George that some
thing was the matter with the whiskey tina
| both had drank, at the same time remember
ing that it had tasted bitter to him. WheI
George was carried into the house his father
was in bis death spasm. DR.. fash then de
voted his attention to the son and succeeded
| in saving his life The doctor states that ht
had taken enough strychnine to kill a dozeI
men. Ii was very fortunate for him thai
barely twenty minutes had elapsed from the
time he drank the poisoned whiskey until he
was under the doctors care.
An analysis of the whiskey in the bottl,
and of the stomach OF the dead man by Prof
Robinson of Bowdoin College showed strych.
nine in both. Suspicion at once fell upon
Charles the oldest son of Mr.. Beal,as being
the murderer of his father 1t was reported
that the young man was II reckless character
and that he and his father had frequently
quarreled and ut the time of hlr Beals death
Charles was not in his employ having beer
discharged some ten days before. On the
strength of the evidence brought before then
the coroncr's jury returned verdict thai
Christopher c. Beal came to his death by
strychnine poison and that said poison wa.
l
son Charles. As resalt young Beal was ar
rested and placed in the kennebec Jail t,
await the action of the Grand Jury.
An Indictment was ound against him. and
yesterday his trial commenced.
The great and wide spread interest in the
Stain Comwell trial served To draw the pub
lie attention from this case and to give it il
consequence much less notoriety than il
would otherwise have had Now that inter
est in the Bangor trial has died away, people
are looking towards this case with renewe
interest and it promises to he one of the most
exciting which has ever been tried in Maine
Long before the opening of the court yes
terday visitors began To arrive aud when
proceedings were finally commenced every
occupied. Among the spectators were quite
number of ladies'.
Attorney General Baker and County At
tIrney Carleton appear for the State and
the accused. At quarter past ten, on motion
of the County Attorney, the prisoner was
brought from the Jail and placed at the bar.
Mr. Otis the clerk. then read TO him the
indictment to which he pleaded not guilty
On motion of Judge Hall the prisoner was
permitted to sit within the bar by his counsel.
The drawing of the jury was commenced
at / o'clock. and at II 30 at the time of
adjournment, eleven jurors had been secured
and the list of IS jurors in Attendance ex-
hausted The government exercised the
right of pre-euptory challenge in five cases,
and the defence in twenty before the COM
pleton of the panel, both exhausting their
right in this particular After the pane
was full the defence further exercised theil
right and preemp,orly challenged two
Nine Jurors were excused from serving fo'
cause. At noon summonses were issued fol
-four additional jurors from Augusta
AFTERNOON SESSION.
On the coming in of the court in the at
ternoon the panel was completed,
The iurv is as follows: Martin A. Gil
man. Hallowell foreman; W. ii. Bruce, Au
gusta; Asa Shepherd, Sidney; G. w. Nor
rill. Chelsea; Charles I. Fuller, Hallowell
William T. Searls, Chelsea +. l.. Iraftoh
Gardiner: Charles .. Edgcomb, HALLOWEEN
Oren +. Towle West Gardider; David L
Sopher, Pittston; William b, Neal "aru'
ner; W. A. Carlin. Augusta
| County Attorney Carleton opened for Tue
government. occupying nearly an hour. lie
said the government would prove tna' ohfis
topher c. Beal came to his death on the al
tarpoon of the 18th of last February through
stry chime placed in bottle OF ~hiske!
| from winch the deceased drank Il short tint
before he died. ltwould show that Chas l.
Real. the son of the deceased, had has
trouble with his father and been discharse'
from his employment in the store which Mr.
Beal carried on in the village OF CLINTON
| that the accused made threats against hi
father. referring to him as Cd d
old fool and saying that he would put stol
| IN him soon that he asked person whethe
I