Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-01

20 10 so TO the Cromwell house continuously
every week on Thursday for these years.
He said never knew that Cromwell had q
.unstroke and never heard of it until re-
Gently | have seen him winding braids OF
straw for his wife TO sew. but never sewing
was at Cromwelrs house twice on the
2Ist OF February. 1875, and | can't say
he was at home or not.
Mr.. Dodge was recalled. He said stat
cd that Stain got into the attic of his house
through little room over the front entry,
and hole cut through the attic floor.
Allison b. Dyer of Medield testified that
lie had known David l.. Stain for % years
that he had seen Stain with Sandy nous
tache and saw pair of handouts at his house
once; that this was either in December,
1877 or January. lS0: that he was painting
his house in March, 1878, and that he could
fix the date by Wheeler's death. Further,
that he went TO see Stain in February, 1878
that he saw Cora on the steps in front of his
house and asked if her father was at home,
and she replied No, father has gone down
East"
Cross examination II was between the
18th of Febry 1878 and the Ist of March
that asked Cora where her father was.
Here occurred quite dramatic colloquy be-
Didn't you say that YOU wanted 10 see Stain
hung" questioned the counsel in loud
voice. NO" Didn't you tell me
you was coming down here to hang
Stain" No Haven't YOU said you
could not earn S25 easier than to come
down here and testify against Dave Stain:''
No MIR. Dyer, didn't you steal a horse
of David Stain and then have him TO pay
for:" Indignantly mo, sir, and didn't
steal harnesses from John {. Dyer" Did
MT you describe this horse that Stain drove
down to Maine 10 Mr.. Crosby and then re-
tract your statement" mo sir" Witness
stepped down off the stand muttering 'you
pick me, and Ill pick you, I'll give you all
YOU want"
Mrs. Cleaves was recalled. She said |
was present when Mr.. George Hamilton
gave his testimony about my recognizing him
and deny that | said my memory was poor.
Mrs. Miller was recalled and corroborated
Mrs. Cleaves, and stated that after seeing
David l.. Stain on the stand and hearing his
voice she was positive that he was the man
that boarded at her house.
John Harvey was recalled. He said
know that Cromwell was away for three or
four DAYS with Bell and me on a
thieving expedition, in 1876. Rev. Mr..
Sewall said that he wouldn't marry
Charlie Stain and the Ballard girl
without a permit and Stain wrote one, Lizzie
signing the name of her foster mother, who
objected. Charlie was at Stains house a
few hours with his first wife about the time
my sister died. | came to Stains after my
sea voyage, the first of January, 1876. The
first knowledge had of secret place was
when Stain told me about it, | heard Stains
statement about Charlie stealing his father ;
overcoat, Charlie was going to Boston and
was urged to take it by his father, and he
went off and never returned with it. | heard
Lizzie Billiards. testimony about the present
of pair of boots from Stain. | know that
III 1876 we had forty or fifty pairs of stolen
ladies' boots concealed beneath the house.
One day he selected pair from the lot and
gave them'to her She tried them ON and
said they were too high in the instep. He
took them back and while she was absent
exchanged them for another pair from the
lot and presented them to her, and they
fitted
Josiah A. Bean of the Natick, Mass, dis
trict police, was called. He stated that he
had been an officer since 1867 that he had
seen Stain with brown moustache; that he
had searched Stains house in February
1877. in connection with the breaking into
the Needham depot; that he found what he
called jimmy under Stains bed that it was
an iron instrument i5 inches long, an inch
wide and turned up at the thin end, the other
end thick and a little rounding. He testified
i'll court that the iron was taken from wagon
and fashioned by him to thaw out sink
spouts. At the preliminary hearing Mr..
Bell and Mr.. Harvey said that Stain wore a
dark brown coat. The four rings were stolen
property At that trial there was a cameo
ring marked "E. p" on the inside. Ella
Perry was the owner of this ring. The let
tiers &C. f.. S" were not on any of the rings.
had conversation with Oliver Cromwell last
May, concerning this case. told him that
young stain was in the Norridgewock Jail in
Maine, and was saying that Cromwell and
Stain were engaged in the Dexter bank rob
berry. He said that he didn't know where
Dexter was, where the bank was, and
never was in Maine. Says l. you've been
in Maine, Mr.. Cromwell" "Yes," was the
reply. We'll you know where Dexter is.
No" | asked him if he had been in Thorn
aston, Me, and he said Yes" He asked
me if David had anything to do with the mat
ter and told him "no." "Well
he said, If he did there's no chance
for me" When | arrested Cromwell for this
crime he said that he told his wife when he
went away from home that he was going
OFF and should never return again. He said
he might have skipped the day before.
spoke to him about what Harvey said and he
replied that if Harvey had squealed on him
twas all up with him. What is life with
out liberty" said he He wanted to know
what good it would do to tell | said
didn't know. Then he braced up and ssit
he didn't know anything about the crime.
I Mrs. Barron was recalled. She identified
her husbands false teeth and said there was
an itentation in them which she had moi
/ seen there before the tragedy
/ The Court records were pro luced showing
that Oliver C. Smith of Oldtown. Me. wal
convicted in Penobscot County Me. in 1856
on two different counts of breaking int
stores in Didtown and Bangor and sentenced
to two wears in the State Prison and wa
committed The records of the United
States Court, Peleg Sprague, judge, ais,
we're presented. showing that in 1861. Oliver
! G. Smith was convicted of post Office rob
berries at 3 different times in Fitchburg
I Roxbury. and North Easton, Mass, and tina
he was sentenced to two years Imprisonment
on each or 6 years in all.
The record of the Norfolk, Mass Court
was also read, proving Stains conviction fo
receiving stolen goods of the Needham depo
robbery
/ The counsel for the government her,
stated that they closed their case with tn
exception that in the morning they shoul'
put in a deposition from Mr.. Fowler rela
tive to the colored boy and sheep; that the,
also should introduce witness who woul
testify where the keys shown Stain cam
from.
The defence recalled Mr. Crosby. II
said | have talked with Mr.. Dyer and b
described the horse which he said Stai
came down east, the animal having a whit
ST r in his forehead and four white feet II
said the horse belonged to his brother.
said I'd bet $500 with him Twas not hi
brothers horse. He then changed hi
story and said that Stain had Wheeler
horse Here the defence closed its case an
after the governments brief evidence, in III
morning the arguments will be made.
CONDENSED DISPATCHES.