The Portland daily press., 1893-07-26
sTRoUT's QUEER End.
Officials Take Steps to Sift the
Matter.
FULL PARTICULARS OFTHE NORTH
RAYMOND AFFAIR.

The Dead Mans Family Fully Believe
That He Was Murdered-There Are
Apparently Suspicious circumstances;
But Yet Accidental Causes Would Ac-
count for the Death.
| The was an unwonted excitement and
crowd at the humble home of the
Widow Verrill, at North Raymond. yes
| terday afternoon. North Raymond is
one of the most beautiful and pictures
que places in Maine. From the COM
| manding hill on which the little red
farm house of Mrs. Verrill stands the
| eye may range to the north, south, east
and west. and never for an instant in the
| whole sweep lose sight of broad pan
| Drama of forest, field, mountain and
| lake, stretching away to blue horizon
many miles distant. But in the drizzling
rain of yesterday, and under the sad cir
cumstances under which the people of
North Raymond had assembled, the
place was more sad than pleasant In
| the best room of the farm house, In a
| polished oaken casket. lay the remains
of Jacob Strout, whose mysterious
death has already been related. The
horrible condition of the corpse shows
better than anything else the extraordin-
ary nature of Strout's death. During
the long time that the body hung down
| ward the blood had run into the head,
with the result that it was swollen yes
terday to fully twice it's normal size
| This condition of the remains increased
| still further the interest and excitement
of the public, who attended the funeral
yesterday afternoon in large numbers.
The burial did not take place yester-
day, however. Deputy Sheriff Doughty
of Gray and First Seleotman Walter L.
Churchill, with his colleagues, thought
the circumstances of Strout's death mys.
| terious enough to warrant an investiga-
ton, so they informed County Attorney
True and Sheriff Cram yesterday. Mr..
| True, with Coroner E. N. Perry, of this
city. proceeded to North Raymond and
began the investigation. They took
with them Doctors McCollister and An
drews. of Gray. Doctors Hawkins and
| Crockett, of Lewiston, were also present.
Coroner Perry empannelled jury as fol-
| lows; Benjamin Spiller, Walter L.
Churchill Lafayette Tenney, Enos
Small, Charles N. Wilson and John
| Spiller. Walter L. Churchill was chosen
! fora,nop ftor tho i,,,xv bad h.,a,, avn,
pannelled the physicians were directed
to make thorough autopsy, and they
were engaged on it at a late hour last
evening The coroner's jury adjourned
until next Tuesday, when it will convene
| to hear the report of the physicians and
such other testimony as may be avail
| able at that time.
| There is strong and outspoken senti-
ment among a portion of the people of
the community to the effect that
Strout Must Have Been Murdered
Those who believe this are his relatives
and friends largely, and they do not hest
tate to say what they believe, and they
even mention people whom they suspect.
| Others Of the community. men whose
| opinions are entitled to great weight,
| think that Strout came to his death
through an accident. Strout was young
man about 81 years of age, unmarried.
He was one Of Mrs. Verrillis children by
her first marriage, and was the only one
of the larger boys who remained at home
to carry on the place. An own brother
named ]. F. Strout and half brother
| named Johnny Verrill work at the Po-
land Spring House, which is about five
and half miles from the Verrill farm
house.
Saturday evening Jacob Strout hitched
the horse. an old and rather languid
beast, into one of the modern two
wheeled road carts of cheap construc-
tion, and starteds for Poland Springs to
get Johnny Verrill. On his way he
stopped at the store at North Raymond,
near the Wilson Spring House. There
he took in a young man named Herbert
Wilson, who lives on the road to Po-
land, and carried him as far as his home.
Wilson says that Strout was all right
when he left him. There was little
smell of cider about him, but he was not
intoxicated The next one who claims
Continued on Second Page.