The Portland daily press., 1893-02-14

something which was said in regard TO
his pay and going to the door he seizeo
his gun which he had brought with MIN
| but left outside, and shot her dead in the
| presence of her daughter, whom he also
| threatened to shoot but who escaped:
| Pinkham was an old soldier. He served
in the Fourth New Hampshire regiment
and was an inmate of Andersonyllle
| prison, where he remained so long that
his health became ruined and his mind
| shattered. When released from prison
he was supposed to be dying, but sur
vived, although it was year before his
mind was sufficiently restored to enable
him to recognize his nearest relatives.
| At his trial he was defended on the
ground of insanity. He was convicted
of murder in the first degree and exc
cuted at Concord March 14th, 1879. He
was perfectly
Indifferent to his Fate
to the last, and, after the execution and
after the prejudice which had been
aroused against him by the murder had
somewhat subsidized, it was generally con-
coded that he was not mentally RESPONSE
| Bile for his act.
A. wicked-looking knife, six or seven
| inches in length, manufactured from a
| file by blacksmith, is one with which
| William Fl. Carney killed his own son in
drunken quarrel at Pennington, N. ii.
in May, 1888. Carney was tried the fol-
| lowing September, convicted of murder
in the second degree and sentenced to
the state prisen for thirty years, where
| he died two years ago.
A second Ratchet, similar to the one
already referred to, is the implement
| with which John G. Hill murdered his
wife at Great Falls in June, 1884. Hill
was insane at the time of the murder,
and was so adjudged by the court and
sent to the insane asylum, where he died
year later.
AS relics of the famous SawteIl tragedy
Mr.. Edgerly has the axe with which
Isaac severed the head and limbs from
the body of his brother, Hiram, in order
to get the body into the hastily made
grave in which he sought to conceal it,
the pick with which that grave was dug,
and the moose prepared by Sheriff Hayes,
of STAFFORD County, for the execution of
the murderer. The axe, which is SINH
lar to those seen at the meat markets,
was purchased by Isaac, as was also the
pick and shovel, at a hardware store in
Rochester just before proceeding with
his brother to the woods where the MIR
der was committed. It is as bright and
new as when purchased from the store,
save that its edge is notched and dulled
by contact with the bones of the body,
and it's blade is still stained with blood.
1t was found by the river at East Roches-
ter afew days after the murder. The
pick was not found until some months
later. The moose was sent to Mr.. IEdger-
ly, as the prisoners counsel, by Sheriff
Hayes after the death of SawteH. 1t
will be remembered that Sawtell received
a stroke of appoplexy on the night be-
fore Christmas. 1892 and died December
Goth following, ten days before the time
fixed for his execution. He was a dill
gent writer while in prison and Mr.. Ed
gerly has several hundred pages of manu-
script prepared by the condemned man
while awaiting the execution of his SEN
tence.
A rusty, well worn pocket knife is one
with which Frenchman named Moran
fatally stabbed fellow countryman in
quarrel, at Biddeford some fonr years
ago. Moran was indicted for manslaugh-
ter, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
the Maine state prison for five years.
AS relic of the Whitehouse murder
which occurred at Portsmouth on the
night of May 2Sth, 1888, Mr.. Edgerly has
razor which is one of the implements
with which that crime committed. 1t
was presented to him after the trial by
Sheriff Coffin of Portsmouth. Its blade
is stained with rust and blood. This
was one of the most cold blooded muir
ders ever committed in this state.
Henry T. Whitehouse and James Palmer
were both employed at the electric light
station in that city. Whitehouse had
complained of Palmer for the theft of
certain tools from the station, and Pal
mer's house was searched in consequence
1t was also said that both men were
suitors for the hand of a young lady in
Kittery, and that Whitehouse was the
more successful. On the night of the
murder Whitehouse visited the young
lady across the river. Failing to report
at the electric light station at midnight,
where he was then due, search was
made for him. and his body was found
upon the river bank. An examination
disclosed that he had been knocked
down by some blunt instrument and his
throat cut from ear to ear. A machin
lists hammer was found in the mud at
some distance from the body, and was
identified as one used by Palmer. This
razor was also found in the edge of the
river where the murderer had thrown it,
The theory of the case was that Palmer,
prompted by motives of revenge, had
followed Whitehouse and, approaching
him from behind. had struck him blow
with the hammer which rendered him
insensible and then cut his throat with
the razor while he was in that condition.
Palmer was arrested for the crime, tried
and convicted, and was executed by
Sheriff Coffin of Portsmouth at Concord
May 1. 1890.
A ponderous mass Of iron chain and
rings are the shackles which were used
upon Elisha Thomas, the first murderer
ever executed in Stafford county.
Thomas was hanged at Dover June 3,
17SS, for the murder of Capt. Peter
Drown at New Durham. Thomas mis-
took Drown for another person with
whom he had had trouble and deliber
ately took his life before discovering his
error. When he saw his mistake he de-
clared that he had killed his best friend.
In those early days, before the erection
of a modern prison in Stanford county,
letters of this kind were the means en-
ployed to secure the more desperate