The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-03-20
sKOwIIEGAN, MAINE, THURSDAY NOON MARCH 90 1890.

ard heard their testimony. II = ab0U'
a. morally certain a. human evidence can
establish thing that N the 20 Of Fr5-
ruary, IL there were 10 Dexter three
strangers. two 81 hem having been more
prominently nOt.cef than the Third one
THESE persons were sJ9nt the streets
seen BY many men, aud known u 10 one.
unless " MADDOX. 1aey were vel
dressed and not common looking per
zon-. possessed of d valuable team AND
carrying luggage There can te 10
DOUBT that they were not 10 De2tff Tor
any homes. purposes Or upon any bDne-t
8u-ines- for il would have been known
y somebody 10 Dexter, or the fact @9u.d
have been Afterwards easily ascertained
They visited no house stopped al no no
lei, entered no store, out for crackers and
cheese and were IN 10 shop excepting
Duatlh'-. where there were mechanical
tools, only one II them appearing a. such
placer al time. I hey are 10. known u
nave spoken " human being IL De1ter
during the day, excepting 10 ta- -tJfe aui
stop named. and 70 MADDOX a. whose
incou.plcuou- and retired psce they
stabbed their team Thew were prospect
ing around the bank building good dea
# the day They were seen % the bu..i-
ing with 10 business Ia either bank
They decamp a. suddenly a. they came.
i wo Of them travel al nlght' WITHOUT
hardly g stopping moment i'r the-f
horses, seeking WHEN tue day came r9a1.
exposed 70 but little Observation, nntI4
they 70 out Of sight. There can De 10
DOUBT that the persons who drove the
team into Dexter. drove It out. The
horse which MADDOX describes is &c
scriDed by those who saw the reelng
team. The same men he saw were seen
all along the route. 1t Is Impossible that
the strangers 10 Dexter should not nave
been discovered before tnl-, II they were
persons other than the prisoners, ana
were innocent persons. ne tr!al d tAIs
case has advertised Ia all the papers Of
the land for their discovery, an1 10 re
Spouse comes. NJ other persons than
the prisoners have been suspected OF
being the strangers in Dexter. No per-
son turns up to explain the presence Of
the strangers at Mrs. MilleG's at Bangor
OF at Dexter, or on the road outside Of
the prisoners"
Nor is the chain OF evidence weakened
by the theory Of suicide set Up 10 defence.
To dispose OF that theory requires but
passing word. A candid and careful e1-
animation Of the evidence cauuO. fal 70
convince the mind seeking after truth ana
unbiased oy prejudice. that such tleor!
is groundless II not fauatlca- II l2-
nores consistent aud convincing iact-
and all reasonable pre-umpton' snd
gra-ps at trivial circumstances ana
groundless suspicion. The brief sum
mary of facts to which We have already
aluded-fscts which left No rea-ona9ie
doubt in the minds Of the jury VINO hestl
them initiates absolutely against any
such theory a. suicide. There i no ress-
ouable or consistent hypothesis developed
from the evidence in the case upon
which il can be based Barron was not
defaulter OF the mone;s of the bank a.
the time Of his death. The evidence no.
where Indicates il Nor WAS ms 81
tempted TO be shown 81 the trial. Years
before, the books Of the bank had been
subjected to a most thorough and crltlca.
examination by auditors Of business ex-
perience and ability appointed by this
court, and while there was found tech
meal deficiency It was Of a sum so small
that it could have been easily supplied by
Barron at any time No man had better
credit in the community, and he had
sufficient means of his own with when TO
7 make good any sum that might be shown
to be due from him. He was treasurer
of the town a. well IS cashier OF the
bank, and was custodian of moneys for
other people No suggestion l. % be
( found that he was ever guilty OF default
or fraud towards any of them for the
slightest amount. If his death resulted
from suicide, what remarkable coinci-
deuce Of events surrounded It. why
should it happen al the exact moment
when strangers, not only to him snd his
designs, but to every person IN that com
munity. Were in town for the very pun
pose Of robbing the bank: Why should
il happen thst H. as claimed by the de-
Tense, he committed suicide to give the
appearance of robbery, strangers were
upon the very premises at the same time
for the purpose of committing rea4
rohbery-or murder-or Doth: But 20
step further. What = wonderful concur
renee of events that, on the very day aud
hour that Barron killed himself to give
the impression to the world that he had
been robbed there were three strangers
on the spot,-seen by many but unknown
to all,-upon whom suspicion fell at once
as soon as Barron was found, and yet OF
whose business and Whereabouts from
that time to the present not an lota OF
information has been discovered Sirsn'
gers disclosing no business to any one,
though in town, upon the streets, and IN
and around the bank building the greater
part of the day, speaking to but Two per
sons. stopping at no house, ana ulsap'
pesrlng as mysteriously a. they came on
the very hour Barron was lying uneoh-
scious and dying within the vault OF 'he
bank. If these strangers were innocent
of Barron's death, II adds to the mystery
that they should flee ST the very moment
when they would have fed II guilty. either
of robbery or OF murder. Ana what ESQ
we say of the additional coincidence OF
facts and events If this be suicide, "aen
We consider the proof of identlheaton oil
these strangers with that OF THESE TWO
respondents ana 10 "nlcu We nave 'ei"i
alluded? II Is ineXplicaole 10 say the
least.
This theory OF suicide presents no sum
cient motive for such an act. ME Is
an axiom as true as ii Is Old. inst a.. the
actions of sane men depend upon motive
as the power which prompts or propcls
them to the performance of those acts. in
this case the evidence, mostly introduced
by the defense, indicates any thing but
motive, and furthermore, disproHes auy
Intention of suicide in Barron's mlnd on
tat fatal day. 1t needs no summary OF
he facts TO establish this, We nave al
ready spoken of the fact that no financial
embarrassment was pressing upon MN
The alleged irregularities upon the oooSs
of the bank, and which to some extent S
relied on as the excuse, LOT me p' 'ua-
ton of the theory of suicide, in no way
affected the bank or any Of the deposltor>.
The four depositors, in whose accounts
the apparent irregularities exist. TESTIFY
that in no instance have they lost any