Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-04
CONFESSION OF CRIME.
The Winthrop Thugs Reveal a
Checkered Career Of VillaiDy.
A Mysterious Robbery Explained.
The journal Reporter Listens to the
Tale OF the Two Pals. Who NarIate
with Evident Satisfaction tho
Story OF Life Of Sin

Them in the jail last evening. Their narrow
cell is dimly Illuminated by the light of ,
lamp ingeniously constructed from boult
with piece of twisted WOODEN for a wick
Neither seemed AT all despondent, but botf
locked forward 10 their future life with
calnness.
The elder of the two, called Campbell
told the following interesting story:
My real name is william kennett Gar
nett, and | was born in Marion, Wsshingtos
County, Maine, OF respectable parents. My
father was farmer. When very young
went to Cambridgeport, Mass where lived
with my aunt and went TO school till | was
II years old. Then | Was sent home to
father, and began my career as crook by
stealing the old mans pocket book when he
was away. He gave me terrible thrashing
and / ran away TO Lewis Island.
near Princeton. where | made quite a
reputation by robbng hen roosts and petty
| theying. l then got in with some New York
fellows with whom | cut up all sorts of
cspers. When 10 years old was caught
in the theft of a pocket book in Portland
aud went To the Reform school for five years,
graduating in September 1854 Il was there
tnat | first formed the acquaintance of
Sawyer, my pre- sent pal When got out.
stole boat in Bangor and some bedclothe $
in Bangor and with friend made two un-
successful attemps TO hold up the sage
betw cen Ellsworth and CherrA field. We
visite East Machias and robbed J. O..
Pope's store of about $500 worth of stuff
| This made great stir at the time.
| After making the oil man visit went to
Aroostook and worked eight nor this for a
man named Meserve, in Sherman. He
wouldn't pay me, and l stole his horse
Sheriff Brown caught me and went 10
Thomaston for three years where | learned
carriage painting. | got out Dec 10 and
went Immediately TO Biddefor1 VIII re
found Sawyer Sawyer then took up the
story. II was born in Sou Boston IN 1864,
and when years of age went 10 Mt. Desert,
and afterwardt TO Bangor with my mother.
My first crime was the theft of watch
from man named Hodgiou, of Mt Desert
whom | was visiting. This sent me to ..e
Reform School where | stayed till 1877 and
learned the tailoring business. worked for
tailor and jeweler in Portland after | got
out and finally skipped with about $500
worth of goods which soon squandered in
New York. | cracked some houses up Hai.
lem way and was ARE sted and sent up for
two years. | also served short terms in New
Jersey and Pennsy lvania. Ia 1856 | went
back to Portland where stole horse and
team from man named Brown. l was
caught in New Hampshire aud went TO
Thomaston. | got out Jan. 23, 1855 and
went TO Portland where | worked for a man
named Dyer of the Atkinson Furnishing Co.
Then | worked in the mills at Biddeford till
the 10Th of last month when Garrett came.
We left Bidieford Dec. 10, and went on
TO Bar Mills where We stopped over night and
the next day went to Woodford's Corner
where We went through mans store getting
two pairs of rubber boots, two boxes of c-
gars and some groceries We stole two
horses of Dyer my former employer, and
took the road toward Durham travelling all
night. In the morning we hitched the horses
in the woods and spent the day in a camp
which we built about mile away. That
night it was dark, we couldn't find the
horses and they probably had got away. A
man with load of hay going to Du' ham.
gave us a lift and we struck the track. That
night we stayed in school house. We
went into Freeport the next day and ught
some cartridges at machine shop. | saw
revolver fsncied there and that night we
broke in and got it and some guns and am
munition.
Then we started down the railroad track
and cut across roads, hiding the guns in a
the cellar of another store near by but could
not get into the main part, so we got the
guns again AMI going along about mile
h ara a horse in stable near by. We stole
HIM and a carriage and drove ten miles
tJward Durham, where we put up in a
church. We didn't dare to keep the horse,
80 we hit him a terrible crack with trace
| chain and he started off toward home on the
dead run. We stayed in the church that
| day, keeping up rousiug fire. About SIX
| o'clock two men saw the smoke and made us
| a short visit. As soon they left we ho
the guns in the church and started out
toward Lisbon Falls. We broke into a house
on the road and found it empty and some
| provisions there. We went on about a mile
further and built bough camp on Sunday
| We shot a, mark all day and were inter
rupted by man who talked religion to us
We stayed in an empty house where we
| found some good feather beds Sunday night.
| Monday night we started toward the Fails
again and on the way broke into a house but
| were scared away by man coming down
stairs. We were afraid then that some one
was after us, so we threw away our blankets
and other dunnage into culvert and kept
on as fast could. Before we got to
Lisbon Falls a man set his dog on us and
| Nt hHot AT sDlnt NOTus WIN iils
owner. Then we strnck across the country
| to Winthrop. staying in a deserted house to
build fire and dry our stockings on the
way. We got into Winthrop village about
4 O'Clock Wednesday, Dec. 26, and turned
back about mile and half to Frost's barn,
where we hid ourselves in the haymow 1t
rained all day Thursday and we stayed there
all that time, having nothir z to eat but some
| apples. Frost came round quite often ard
we heard him talk ab, ,ut buying and ., ling
horses and thought he had considerable
morey about HIM. We decided o get il but
| didn't intend to hurt HIM seriously. We
thought at first we'd take hun when he came
up h, NOV, but decided not
" hen Frost went to water the horse we got
| down and stood on the left side of the door
and W i'll GaInett on the right. II WAS pitch
| dark. We didn't take Fros.s lantern as he
testified. but il must have gone out itself.
| When Frost came in VIII hit him with the
hay knite. lie me ant to hi. his head but II
struck lower. The blow knocked him do ~n
and we took him into the stable, and Will
looked out for the horse. Then / bound
Frost's hanis and viii did his legs He
said Don't hurt me boys" but when Will
put the revolver to his temple and told him
to shut up, he didn't make any further re-
uiarhs we sPRReu MIN we seafeneu MIN
and " i'll took off his ring and ls,d him dow n
under a wagon. Then We went out to &c,
the carriage. We had to moye a sleigh to
get it, ahd in cutting off the bells so as to
make no nsise, Will cut bad gash in his
hand Then he went back into the barn and
finding Frost struggling and gnawing at his
gag, het hit him three hard raps ~ith the
pistol butt and he lay still Then We .a q
light down below, snl thinking it was
Frost's | asked Will to go and get
it. Soon it began to move however,
and when the parties who held it, got within
about twenty feet of US, we skipped. We
took the track for about two miles and then
cut across into a highway and struck the
house of q man named Bates, where the folks
were Just going to bed. He wouldn't let Us
in and drove US out Of the barn where We
had got into the hay. He directed US to .
big brick house near by which was unoccu-
pied. We went there and with some dift1.
Guilty managed to get in. We found some
good feather beds and slept there until abou,
10 the next morning. when we went on to
Hodgdon $ and got some dinner. He vas
going to Rezdield and offered to take US and
supposing m friendly, we vent with him.