The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-08
Isaac Sdwtelle's Tale of
His Brothers. Death.
Some of 1t May BE True,
But Lies are Frequent.
Wanted to Live Himself
for His Mothers Sake.

the case Of Isaac Sawtelle, the murderer Of
his brother Hiram. began here today.
Isaac Sawtelle, looking old and careworn,
was the centre OF attraction in the crowd
ed court room, and his testimony was the
chief event of the day. He was closely
guarded and was handcuffed to keeper
when he entered the room. In his testi-
mony he told Of meeting Hiram and taking
him in the carriage. He continued: II
drove direct to Slnclair's store from the
Rochester depot and got there at 5.35 p. m.
l got the pen and ink and had the lamp
filed there. While was in the store Hi
ram remained In the carriage. l drove
over the bridge into Maine. While we
were going there talked socially. As we
drove past the Rankins house in Maine,
asked Hiram If it was not better to sell the
land and pay up the mortgage, so as to
have the income from the house on Dudley
street, Boston. He said he would like to
have the income. This was the business
about which l wished to see him. When /
turned into the Marsh road. he wanted to
know where was taking him. Directly
after / turned into the little path near the
woodman's shanty in the woods. l saw
he wanted to get out. He did and then got
in again. / said. Hiram, came down
here to talk to you. have been trying to
reason and talk with you. don't want to
lose the property on your account and 1
don't want you to lose 1t. have got some
papers here want you to sign.'
II took the papers from my pocket and
said: You may sign these or take shot,
pulling out my revolver and pointing 1t at
him. He jumped from the wagon and l
after him. He fell down and said;
Don't, Isaac, don't
81 said: No, Hiram. won't. Do as l
want you to do and won't hurt you 4.
she held my hand in which the revolver
was until after promised not to hurt him;
then stepped away and he got up. then
said; i came here not to do you any
harm. 1 want some property from moth
err
"He then began to walk towards the
shanty. After going some 20 feet. he
broke into run; started after him, and
called several times Hiram, Hiram, stop
or will fire. As he kept on running |
fired. After the firing. he ran a little way
and fell. ran up to and shook him, but
he said nothing. l then thought of the
horse, and after securing it, came back to
where Hiram lay. He did not speak.
then put The pistol to my head to kill my
self and said: Good bye, Hiram, Pm GO
ing tO.shoot.' Immediately l said: MY
God, there's my poor old mother; l must
live for her. | lowered the pistol, and as
l thought Hiram was moving, fired three
more shots into his body to put him out of
p"'ii' II then took hold of the boots, dragged
the body about 100 yards, and began dig.
ging the grave. While digging thought Q
didn't come. / hurried up and took off his
clothing. The grave l dug was not large
enough, so took the hatchet and chopped
off his head and arms. l found hadn't
buried the head, so took it up and put 1t
in bag with his shirt around it. put
the bag in the team and drove into the
birch trees. dug hole. took the head
and, as buried 1t, said Good bye, Hiram
81 threw the axe, lamp ana shovel into
the river as / crossed from Maine back to
Rochester. took Hiram's clothing to the
boarding house and went to bed. Not
meeting mother and Marion, went to
Boston. 1 threw the clothing and re-
volvers from the ferry boat into the harbor.
His clothing was bloody as was also my
own. bought the revolver in Boston the
day went to Rochester"
To Chief Justice Doe: 81 didn't buy
the revolver for any particular purpose. /
intended to use it upon Hiram II necessa-
ry. / never expected 1t would come to
that. DR.. Blood told me in Boston, soon
after l returned from Charlestown prison,
to get him down In Maine to sign papers
relating to the real estate business. l
took up those papers at Portland. DR..
Blood told me what to write; one was
something as follows: L, Hiram f. Saw
telle, relinquish all my right to my proper
and injunction from the same The other
was: i swear that shall not mention any
thing Of what has occurred here.' NY
idea was to get him to sign the papers so
as to clear up the attachment and iDjunc-
tion and leave the property iD my name.
knew II he signed them there in the
woods he would never say anything about
what took place between us afterwards.
DR.. Blood gave me the plan Of the woods
andsthe yacanushanty in Maine. / went
over there from Rochester, Tuesday, to lo-
cate them. DR.. Blood said 1t would lie just
the way to go up TO Rochester, take mother
and Marion with me. and send for hiram.
He also spoke about the vacant house.
II knew If had got him into the shanty
and put my back to the door he would sign
the papers without my killing him. |
wouldn't have killed him II he hadn't run.
He was a truthful, honest mau, and / be-
lieved IL he said he would do anything he
would do it. Therefore, felt that If he
signed the papers everything would be all
right"
To Mr. Edgerly, his counsel-"Hiram
drove part of the way. l returned to Roch-
ester from Boston Monday, after the MUIR
der. drove over to see IL the head or
the body had been discovered, but they had
not been. l drove back to Rochester and
went to Portsmouth. / don't remember
whether shot him in the head. / gave
my counsel directions last Tuesday about
finding the head. never told anybody be
fore"
On cross-examinatlon by Attorney Gen.
eral Barnard, Sawtelle said: "Hiram had
no hard feelings against me, nor / against
him."
"TheD," said the attorney general, "you
killed your brother without having hard
feelings against him."
There were no particularly hard feel
ings between u.s." replied Sawtelle. De-
scribing the burial of the body, he said
II got the bcdy to the grave and then
found could not getitin. l scooped some
sand out OF the grave and cut off the arms
aud head with the axe. buried the body
and left the head out by mistake. | in
tended to have buried the head with the
body. l put the arms on top of the body.
was frightened by the light of the moon
otherwise / should have dug the grave long
enough to take tho body without mutllat.
ing 1t.
II have again and again stated that did
not murder my brother. 1t isItoo bad for
any man to have to admit such a thing, but
did it, l have said time and again thai
DR.. Blood killed my brother. That state
ment Is untrue although he did tell me
how to act. When was arrested at Port
land l was In the cars going to Canada"
when did you first tell where the head
WASP"
Never until l told NY counsel since thi:
hearing began. My counsel and the
warden told me to tell the truth. l knew
was going to be hung for his muir der and
as wanted my bo1y to be buried with my
brothers, knew unless told where the
head was 1t would never be found and al
his body would not be beside me-"
The court tere adjourned.