Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-13

= the bank building good deal Of he day,
D They we're seen in the building with No
. basiuess in either bank. They decamp -
. suddenly - they came. Two Of them
! travel all night, without hardly Q ssoppine
moment for their horse, seeking when the
} day came roads exposed to but litsle OBJ
} servafion, until they 20 out Of sight.
There can be no doubt that the psrsons
: Who drove the team into Dexter. drove il
out. The horse which Maddox describes
} 10 described BY those who cav the fleeing
team. The came men lie cav were seen
} all along the route. II 10 impossible that
the strangers in Dexter should not have
been discovered before this. II they were
persons other than the prisoners, and we're
innocent persons. The trial Of this case
has advertised in all the papers Of the land
for their discovery. and no fesponse comss.
No other persons shan the prisoners have
been suspected of being the strangers In
Dexter. No person tarns mp 70 explain
the presence Of the strangefs At Mrs.
Miller's at Bangor, or at Dexter, or On the
road. outside OF the pri soners.T
Nor 10 the chain of evidence weakened by
the theory Of suicide set up in defense. To
dispose Of that theory requires but . passing
word. A candid and careful examination
Of the evidence cannot fail to convince the
mind seeking after truth and unbiased BY
prejudice. that such theory 10 groundless
If not fanatical. 1t ignores consistent
and convincing facts and all reasonable
presumption, and srasps at trivial circum-
stances and groundless suspicion. The
brief summary Of facts to which We have
| already alluded-facts which left no reason |
able doubt in the minds Of the Jury who |
heard them-militates absolutely against
any such theory ~ suicide. There is no
reasonable or consistent hypothesis devel- |
oped from the evidence in the case upon |
which it can be based. Barron Was not |
defaulter Of the moneys OF the bank at the |
time Of his death. The evidence nowhere
indicates it, Nor Was this attempted to be
shown at the trial. Year, before. the books
Of the bank had been subjected to . most
thorough and critical examination by audi.
tore OF business experience and ability ap-
pointed by this court. and while there Vas
found technical deficiency, 1t was Of
Gum 90 small that II could have been easily
supplied BY Barron 1t any time. No man
bad better credit in the community. and he
had sufficient means Of his own with which
to make good any sum that might be shown
to be due from him. He vas treasurer Of
the town ~ well - cashier Of the bank,
and was custodian Of moneys for other
people. No suggestion 10 to be found that
he was ever guilty Of default or fraud
towards any Of them for the slis shtest amount.
II his death resulted from suicide, what .
remarka Die coincidence Of events surrouud-
nd V Vhx.n nkna IL tav, al l
moment when strangers, not only to him
and his designs, but to every person In that
community. were in town for the very pur-
pose Of robbing the bankf Why should II
happen that if,ss claimed by the defense, he
committed suicide to give the appearance of
robbery, strangers were upon the very prem
ises at the same time for the purpose Of CON-
mitting real robbery--or murder-or both
But go . step further. What = wonder
full concurrence of events, that. on the very
day and hour that Barron killed himself to
give the impression to the world that he
had been robbed there were three stran-
gers on the spot,-seen by many but un-
known to all,-upon whom suspicion fell
at once As soon rs Barron was found, and
yet of whose business and whereabouts
from that Il me to the present not an iota
of information has been discovered. Stran-
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, and disappear
ing a. mysteriOusly a. they came on the
very hour Barron was lying unconscious
and dying within the vault Of the bank. IfI
these strangers were innocent of Barron's
death, 1t adds to the mystery that they
should fee ~ the very moment when they
would have ned II guilty either of robbery
or Of murder. And what can we say Of
the additional coincidence Of facts and
events il this be suicide, when we consid-
er the proof of Identification Of these stran-
gers with that Of these two respondents,
and to which we have before alluded? Ill
is inexplicable to say the least.
This theory Of suicide presents no sufl-
cient motive for such an act. While 1t 10 an
axiom A. true as it is old, that all the act
ions of sane men depend upon motive ~ the
power which prompts or propels them to
the performance Of those acts, in this case
the evidence, mostly introduced by the de-
fense, indicates any thing but motive, and
furthermore, disproves any intention Of
suicide in BarrOn's mind on that fatal day.
1t needs no summary Of the facts to estab-
lish this. We have already spoken Of the
fact that no financial embarrassment was
pressing upon him. The alleged irregular
tiles upon the books Of the bank, and which
to some extent is relied on - the excuse,
for the 0rigination of the theory Of suicide,
in no way affected the bank or any of the
depOsitors. The four depositors, in whose
accounts the apparent Irregularities exist,
testify that in no instance have they lost
anything BY these seeming Irregularities.
That there were some changes and peculiar
tiles in the manner Of keeping the accounts
Of the bank 10 obvious, that either the bank
or any depositor was in any way injured
thereby Is not established by the evidence.
Nor 10 there any motive even for the al
legged act Of apparent unintentional suicide,
or having thrown himself into q supplied
condition by the use of some narcotic. a. il
by some rash act Of burglars, and that in 90
doing death resulted unintcntionaliy. This
theory IL as groundless ~ the former.
1t not only lacks motive, but evidence to
support it. The inference legitimately de-
ducible from such theory can be no other
than that there was no motive sufl ,ient to
Induce intended death. The two theories
are totally inconsistent with each other. Ia
defending Ce ius against the charge of A.
tempting to poison Clodia, Cicero asks--Is
it likely so great . crime would be commit
ted without any motive wha.evers
For more than year after this tragedy,
the theory Of suicide, either intentional or
international, was not suggested BY any
person. With the same evidence substan-
rally as now exists. the, ,ofiicials Of the bank
a. we'll - the public believed 1t murder.
The evidence which 10 now claimed to
support suiciie was accepted ~ the evil
dence Of murder. A coroner's Jury ct the
head Of which sat one OF the bank officials
who has ~ the evi ience shows, been &C.
tive Ard jealous in advancing the suicide
theory, declared that Barron had been
murdered. The trustees issued circular.
soliciting subscriptions and donations from
banks and individuals for the purpose Of
defraying the expenses Of "ferretting out
the criminals" of erecting . suitable mon
ument to the memory Of Barron and - .
gift to his widow. Six thousand collars
we're thus raised and given to the widow Of
the murdered man. The president and
trustees also by public advertisement an
nounced 4 reward Of ol 900 for the '.detec- |
ton of the murderers, or any one Of |
them"
On the day Of Barron's death he vas
busy in ma King writings for his neighbors,
paving depositors, settling accounts with |
the town collector. working At his desk up |
to Ave O'Clock that afternoon. There was |