The Portland daily press., 1888-06-11
DID SELLoN MURDER HIS CoMRADE ?
How Postal Clerk J. c. Sinclair Met
His Death.
A. G. selIon's Account of the Scene
In the Car
Helps to Fasten Suspicion on Him
as the Guilty Man.

BANGOR, June 10.-A. @. Sellon of North
Easton, Mass. and S. Lyman Hayes of VIII
ton. N. H., postal clerks with j. G. Sinclair,
who was found dead in the mail car just as
the train was leaving here last night, with a
knife wound in his heart, arrived on this
mornings Pullman train from Augusta, in
charge of Officer Breen, who arrested them
there in response to a despatch from Marshal
Whitney. After being questioned regard
ing the affair, they were allowed to 60 to the
hotel where they stopped. surveillance being
kept on them by the officers. who, mean
while, pursued an investigation. Their dis
coyeries, whatever their nature, are kept Sc
cret by the officers, but it is known that
early this afternoon Sellon and Hayes were
taken into custody. Sellon was locked up in
a cell and Hayes was put in charge of the
officers at the station house. An apparently
well authenticated rumor has it that
Hayes has made statements implicat-
ing Sellon as the one who perpetrated
the terrible deed, but the officers neith-
er affirm nor deny the statement
A coroner's jury will be empanelled in the
morning, when the postal car will be here
for examination. The inquest will be pri-
vate, only the jury, officers and witnesses
being admitted, and the result will not be
known till the verdict is rendered The af-
fair causes great excitement here, where the
parties were well known and highly es-
teemed by their associates. Sellen and Sin
clair have been in the service fifteen or six
teen years, and Hayes about six years. Sell
len is about 80 years old, and has wife in
North Easton. This is the most shocking
and mysterious affair that has ever taken
place here, and the community is in the
highest state of excitement.
How the Arrest was Made.
Especial to the Press
AUGUSTA, June 10.-The murder of Postal
Clerk Jerry Sinclair in bis car at Bangor on
Saturday evening, creates very general in
terest in Augusta as the men were all well
known here and the arrest took place at this
station. The particulars of the arrest are as
follows: About 10 o'clock Saturday evening
City Marshal Morse received a despatch
from Bangor requesting that the two postal
clerks on the night train, A. G. Sellon and s.
l.. Hayes be arrested as it was suspected
that they murdered Mr.. Sinclair. Marshal
Morse and Officer Breen accordingly pro-
ceeded to the mail car where the men were
found attending to their duties. When the
Marshal read the despatch to them and told
them to prepare for departure as they were
under arrest, both appeared perfectly calm
and collected and did as ordered.
Sellon wore a sort of duster, and this was
spattered with blood in sickening manner,
while the end of the car in which the men
were at work was also bloody, blood being
found on the floor and mail sacks. Sellon
said he would not change his clothes, but
took off his outer coat and hung it up in the
car, where it remained when the train left
the station. Not even a particle of blood
was to be found upon Hayes's person, but he
changed his clothes after arriving at the
marshaps office, where both of the men were
held until the arrival of the morning Pull
man train east, when they were taken to
Bangor in custody of Officer Breen. Sellon
would not talk much. Hayes said at first
that they found Sinclair in the car in a
bleeding condition on reaching it to COM
mence work, and afterwards varied his story
relating several different accounts and saying
that the three were in the car together when
the man was taken with a hemorrhage
There was no trouble, they said. They both
talked in perfectly unconcerned way about
the presidential candidates and their pros
poets, and other matters. Sellon had been
four and Sinclair ten. They had always oc.
cupied the same car together, running be-
tween Bangor and Boston and there had
never been any difficulty between them as
far as known. Sellon, who is about fifty
years of age, is rather surly, ill natured
man, SO postal clerk here says, and it is
generally believed that he committed the
crime, while Hayes witnessed it, refusing to
relate what he knew from fear of Sellon.