Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-05-29


High Sheriff Moses Adams, was found to
have been barbarously murdered in her
own house, In Ellsworth, Maine. The fact
was first discovered by her own daughter,
a little girl, who Immediately gave the
alarm On entering the neighbors found
the deceased lying on her right side on the
| kitchen floor. An axe was lying near her
which had evidently been the instrument
of slaughter. There was mortal wound
on the back part of the head, another on
the neck, whence it appeared pieces had
been cut entirely out by repeated blows,
aud the shoulder was broken. The jugu-
lar vein was divided. and some joints of
the vertebra were cut wholly away. Mrs.
Adams had been in her life a remarkably
mild, amiable and discreet lady, and this
horrible butchery created great excite
ment as may easily he believed. Circum-
stances concurred to direct suspicion to
ward her husband aud he was Immediately
taken into custody. On the fifteenth OF
June he was arralgned before the Supreme
Court and pleaded not guilty.
Sereu E. 7ntae swore that at eight in
the morning of the day Mrs. Adams was
killed her husband walked In the yard be-
fore the house, entered, went out again
and walked about as before. Between
| twelve and one he came home to dinner,
and sat by the window 10 cool himself.
lie appeared very warm. After dinner
| TGttle was cutting wood, when Doctor
Adams came to him and bade him 20 for
meal To mill about two miles of While
be was getting the bags ready he saw the
| Doctor pass from the house to the barn.
| Then, going in, he saw Mrs. Adams sitting
at the table in the kitchen Doctor Adams
had on at this time his coat Of office a
| Kind of uniform. When Tuttle got back.
after four in the afternoon ne found TWEEN
| ~ or thirty people assembled 10 the house.
| Eh-G5efh Rice passed hy Mr.. Adams :
! house at two post meridian and saw Mrs.
Adams sitting at the window. She spoke
. 70 Mrs. Adams and passed on When she
| reformed he heard Mrs Adams was dead, ,
aud ,a" crowd about the house She
entered and saw the Doctor sitting on the
side Of the bed. He asked her If 1t were
not dreadful house. Being requested by
one Of the family to put the moyeables in
some safe place, she set about 1t, but found
the teaspoons missing. As she was after
wards going home she found new spapcr
near the road side, but threw 1t away
again, Il rained that night, and the next
morning Mrs. Rice informed Nr, Nourse
where the newspaper lay. He got and
dried II. Al the request Of Doctor Adams,
! she assisted to wash his family linen,
among which was shirt with one OF the
| sleeves stained. whether with perspira-
/ tion or otherw se She could not tell.
| William II. CHM saw DR.. Adams on
| board sloop at a wharf at quarter past
| twelve While CHM was at dinner he saw
| the Doctor pass toward his own house.
| After dinner he Knocked at Ginn's door
| and asked for a scgar. After that, little
bt fore four, woman came and said that
/ Mrs Adams was dead. CHM Immediately
went 10 the house, and saw the corpse in
the condition before mentioned.
Seeing Doctor Adams coming toward the
house, CHM went forth to meet him, aud
I told HIN horrid accident had happened
The doctor dismounted from his horse and
as he entered stepped in the blood A by
stander advised him not to step In the blood,
10 which he replied, why not? IL cannot
hurt her now" He stepped over the body.
put his hand on it, and then wen, to the
bedroom door. An open desk was with
in. He put his hand to his pocket and ex-
claimed. My pocket-book is gone Then
he lifted the axe, looked at its edge, and
cried 20 murderer murderer" As he
stopped 10 raise the body CHM prevented
! him. WHY notl' said he, there are wit
nesses enough who have seen her" The
body was then raised and placed on bed
BeWdmGg JDurdra, on the day OF the
murder, was at work In field near Doc
tor Adams's house, when he was informed
by the prisoners child that Mrs Adams
was dead. He went Immediately 10 let
Doctor Adams know the fact and he was
much agitated at hearing it.
Between two and three O'Clock Maria
Moore saw Doctor Adams going toward
the house Mr.. Langdon'sl where Benja-
man Jourdan found him. He walked very
fast; faster than she had ever seen him
before. anu as he went he turned and
looked several times toward his own house
susrn Odkes kept school near Doctor
Adams's house. Between two and three
O'Clock she saw the prisoner pass the
school walking very fast. After the
school was dismissed, as she vas in the
field hard by, she heard little Mary Adams
scream and say her mother was dead She
FASTENED TO the house and found Mrs
Adams dead, but not yet quite cold. A few
minutes after Doctor Adams came in and
exclaimed, 20 horrid murder" He was
much agitated took his little daughter on
his knees, and badc her initiate the good
example of her mother
1t will be observed that where the evil
dence of more than one witness proved
the same fact. we 10 not repeat, but only
give a. much as goes to establish or
elucidate separate facts.
.iVred LaRgdoR testified that at about
half past two, be, from his house, saw
Doctor Adams pass. In about ten minutes
he returned, and entered the kitchen door.
He had so much color in his face, and per
spired so freely that Langdon noticed it
and asked him where he had been. He an
rnI hat ~, xt.,b, a
that it was very warm day. After some
commonplace discourse Adams looked al
the clock aud observed that it was three,
but Langdon remarked that it wanted ten
minutes of that time Adams then took
up an old newspaper and by the time he
had looked over 1t the mail arrived, about
quarter past four O'Clock. Adams assist
ed Mr.. LanGdon to open the mail, and
while they were thus occupied Jourdan ar
rived with the news of Mrs. Adamss
death.
Mr.. Daniel Adams, on hearing of the
murder went straightway TO Doctor
Adams's house, and found him sitting by
the corpse on the bedside. The Doctor
shook hands with him. saying, II hope
you are my friend" to which the witness
replied, Whatever may have been here
tofore, am now" The doctor then asked
II they were going to let the wretch who
did the deed escape, and added that it was
| toward night, and the murderer could not
be far of. The witness told the prisoner
that he had heard he had been robbed, to
which he assented. and it appeared from
the conversation that fifteen dollars and a
number Of silver teaspoons we're missing.
The next day on examining the prisoners
clothes, the witness found blood spot on
button Of the coat, and an appearance of
blood on the lining.
| The Reverend Mr.. Nourse testified that
he went to Doctor Adams's house on hear
| ing of the murder and found the doctor in
great agitation and distress. Among 9TH
er things Doctor Adams said, "Only think
for the Daltry sum of two hundred dol
| lars!" This the witness afterwards under
stood to refer to the robbery said TO have
been committed. The prisoner also said,
This cannot have been done more than
three hours and is nothing to be done to
apprehend the murderer? l can do moth
ing" He likewise repeated several times
that it was an awful deed to have been
| done in a christian land. He told Mr..
Nourse at first that he had lost sixty or
seventy dollars. which had been wrapped
up in newspaper, but found upon calcu-
lation that he had expended all but fifteen.
| The witness afterwards found the paper
as before stated by Mrs. Rice, and showed
| 1t to the prisoner, who said he had no
doubt 1t was the same that had contained
his money. When Mr.. Nourse found it
| there was on it the impression Of q dollar
that had apparently been wrapped in it.
| On this occasion, Mr.. Nourse did not
| hzA