Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-03

WYW@ Smith Says N Alann -
Guilty o. tbs Co - Robbery.

Wis toe pRls0nefo - ne JAIL Vo4a an
viking uoraiss exercise. Blckfosa. =
Smith nd CeehYane declared % ghe,i1
Sewers dat they vsrs innsosus a II.
crime cbasssd, snd thas WILLIS Dmish -,
sse ore suiityo Of the o9eass s.d TIM h.
vodd make . confessioa. Bickfnd ala,
sesssd thss he you'd Ike 70 - I.W
Whisehonss. s':,rney-st-lsw Whj.ehouss
VS. sent far and Smith called into III ofse~
and Questioned. and expressed t.,e viI.ise.
ness 70 m Axe Confession. He vs. quss
toned 5y sseri6 Stevens aasd HE susvs,,
written by Lawyer Whitehosse ia the prss.
eace Of the turnkey. His confession /, ..
follows. sized By himsslf and sworn IL
before Whitehouse
Q-Whst 10 you, sgs! Al an ssed
"a the last Day Of September last. O.
Where we're sou born? An Ola Bs,.
wick. Me. vas . soldier ia III. I.,s
var in the 18th Mass. v. @. Veteran Vol.
un'eers. served from the ,pring Of 1854
% close Of var. was taken p,i,,as,
near For. Se,dman. Health broke doun,
Been 81 inmate Of the soldier's h,m.
Came out to get work Never -, d,s.
charged. J vsnt to RsodoIph ssou. The
middle q February 1891. I vent 70 A.
drew Cochrane II get work. Kasv rim
Tie. coch,sne, VS. Stopping IN lover earl
Of the Bickford blacksmith shop. Had
room In which he lived and fled sass.
Q-Hss snyo offered yoa sny inducs.
ment to make this copfessioaf A-Mo
sir. DO this because DO 70. var. 10 zee
ianocsn, persons suffer. Q-wa asyDne
stopping with Cochrsne 81 RapdsI,b ee.
.Idss Jourself A-No sir. Csctrxue
slept in his shop slept with htn Norris
Bedford slept NJ To his mothers She
does his work for him. Ei-a,d sujth
lives with her. never So Edward Sp tn
until vent there. He was sr work with
Biokford in tn. blacksmith shop
Q-wbsn Gid this breaking ard entering
occurf Alt occurred lss; Tue1ssy
morning about 20 minutes pas. one. 7
went over. | wen: scross the Ice vent
over to l.. ID. Cooke. Sac 10 . widow
woman. | went over 70 Mrs l. y. Co,ks's
because worked for them two ~, hfee
vesks. Not much acquainted with she
kitchen. Wen. aia-e. Cocsrane 9il Il
knox went. sIssp on froEt side and
got out without his knowledge. l took q
piece Of steel or iroa. one end hammered
down kinder hss. I took that; nothing
else except bag. Found tile bsg. twas
tight wove bag. Found bag under the
blacksmith shop where they kept horses.
Not baen to Cookies since worked there.
went directly to Mrs. Cookies to the back
window at l. part On south side Of the
house. cried the window up with the Steel
heard the fastening when it broke and
dropped down and got inside the kitchen,
looked it over. found nothing there. Two
doors led out Of the kitchen. cut bolt
cut Of casing and took the ccal shaker
handle and pried it open. Unlocked the
other door from the other aide, found table
in middle Of floor. Found lot of silver
there-pitcher ard part Of .ideboArd. 1t
wa, silver plated. In one of the drawers
was . silver oval erumb pAn-took that,
In sui, room, of dining room, found and
took from that sugar bowl. syrup dish,
! or Is spoons. four to Ave napkin rings
took them all. Turned syrup out into
tumbler. rhrre vas large shali there :;
il looked like IT,. tumbled the sugar into
that nothing else in that roam. then
went INTO tie dining % N found there
r lamp water hester. l took that and then
put all Of the things into this bag and put
it out Of the back door. | opened back
door abou. the nrst thing after I got there.
l then went upstairs. I did not know where
they slept, but supposed upstairs. went into
left hand room upstairs. There was some
one in the bed went into the room.
There was no light ia the room except the
light carried. I. was turned down. ]
turned il DOM in the kitchen. supposed
there Was someope 10 the room, ~ heard
breathing. ! founa the rings on nsnteI
shelf in the bed room. There were two of
them. | put them in my vest pocket.
When got 10 the blacksmith shop | kept
them in my pocket until Cochrane went
out, when | wrapped them up in paper. put
them in tin box and Sc. them on SHELF.
One was diamond ring and one plain
gold ring. The spoons and napkin rings
wrapped up in paper and pus them on the
shelf. After got the rings in the bed
room, then the lady moved and I stepped
out. She then hollered and asked. "Is
that you, Lester" did not answer. Then
abe aroused sgain and asked sgain, and
then said Yes" ! then put out the light
She then commenced hollering and went
out through the hallway and through the
back door took the bs and then went down
across the driveway. The woman hollered
and Eve or six shots were fred, but
| was no,hit. Heard few bullets
in the army Been where they
come. went down across the road and
banking on to the river below the bridge
Things in tho bag put into tool chest
near the ics house. supposed the chest
belonged to the railroad company. then
went to The chop. l fcund Coctrane IL
bed. When woke him up he was aileep
| WAS about to get into bed and then he
wanted to know what was up. I said got
up to draw some wster ard weut out and
did so, and went to bed. Cochrane frs,
found out had the goods when the affair
came Friday last. took the bag from
the chest Thursday evening. Cochranc
was away at his mothers and did no. kno
it. Bickford did not know it--no one knew
it except myself. Edward Smith slept a;
Bickfords. He knew nothing about ii.
After brought the things up TO the shop
l put them underneath the bed. LET. ,her,
in the bag behind the box which was under
the bed in which the dog siep.
! fully exonerate Bickford, Eawar'l
Smith and Cochran from any AMI
all knowledge Of the affair and from all
blame in the matter, and had been drink
ing that afternoon. drank rum and
whiskey both, some parties brought it in
And treated me--csme in TO talk horse an j
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