The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-01
CITY OF MYSTERIES.
Little Light on the Last Tragedy
in Fall River.
NO CLUE YET TO THE MURDERER
OF BERTHA MANCHESTER.

Neighbors Reported to Have Heard Dogs
Barking and Cries of Distress-Trac-
ing the Farm Hands Employed Re-
cently-The Father and Aunt of the
Dead Girl Object to the Removal :of
the Body-They Remember the Decap-
itation of the Bordens.
details of the murder of Bertha Man
chester are now in the hands of the
police. The Manchester house is cot
tage sitting about 80 feet in from the
road. Itis one and half stories high,
with an L of the same height at the south
and west. There is a piazza on the
south Of the main house and at the 'front.'
Running west of the L is still another, or
porch, one story in height. This is the
kitchen, the scene of the awful butchery,
room about 10x2O feet. The main house
rests upon stone foundation. The porch
also rests upon stone foundation, and
on the north. The door leading to this
was closed and the paddock was found
clasped, but not locked. On the premises
were two large dogs, one a mastiff,
chained to a kennel near the cellar en-
trance to the main house; the other an
old toothless large black dog with fero-
cious bark, the terror of all well-mean-
ing persons who had accession to visit the
premises. This dog was at large. The
neighbors report that they heard loud
barking by the dogs about 10 o'clock,
but ''as the dogs are always barking
thought little of the circumstance.
The girl lay close beside the stove in
the kitchen of the house, her head about
on line with the front of the hearth.
Her face was nearly straight downward,
but little turned to the right, so that
the features could be discerned.
Her long brown hair was extended from
the head and matted with blood. The
head rested upon her right arm, and her
right hand tightly and convulsively
clutched the hair near it's roots.
The girl is spoken of by her heighbors
and all along the road as a fine woman.
The Reads did not like the old man, but
the daughter was a noble girl. She is
not known to have had any lover or regu-
lar callers. All speak of her as modest,
retiring, self sacrificing. If the motive
was robbery the thief had probably
gained access to the house by some way
aa yet unknown. The rifilng of her room
called.her from the closet where she was
mixing gingerbread, and, pursuing her
to the kitchen, he struck her and secured
the axe with which the murder was COM
mitted. 1t is reported that some bruises
were found upon her.
One story is that certain neighbors
heard shrieks from the Manchester house
about II o'clock, but that they were not
accustomed to pay much attention to
noises at the Manchesters'. Medical Ex-
aminer Dolan states that, in his opinion,
the girl had been dead six or seven hours
when he first saw the body, not far from
half past 3 o'clock. If the shorter time,
this would make the hour of the murder
at $50 a. M, not far from the ''about 10
O'clock" when the neighbors heard the
dogs barking. A woman is reported to
have seen Mr.. Manchester near Orange
street about s o'clock yesterday morn
ing.
About o'clock last night the medical
examiner having completed his work pre-,
liminary to the removal of the body,
word was communicated to the father
and aunt of Miss Manchester, who were
in the room next the kitchen, that the
body was to be removed. An undertaken
had been summoned an hour or more be-
fore, but was very late in appearing.
When this word was given both relatives
protested to the medical examiner
against removing the remains,
showing both sense of shock and in
dignation at the proposal. DR.. Dolan
calmly assured them that he was acting
in the interest of the State and that
it was his duty to remove the
body, and added that he should do it;
the father insisted, with an oath, that
enough violence had already been done
to his child and he would not allow any
more, to be done, evidently thinking of
decapitation after the removal, and he
maintained that she could be examined
as well in that house as anywhere. He
was reinforced by his sister, who pite-
ously pleaded for the retention of the
body, and to be allowed to call DR.. Dwell
ly to examine it, and who at the same
/ time held that the medical examiner had
no right to prevent her from doing her
pleasure in this matter.
After DIR. Dolan had reiterated his au-
thority and his duty, and his determina-
ton to do as he was told by superior Off
GERS, and after the assistant marshal and
several members of the police force had
emphasized DIR. Dolan's claims, Mr.
Manchester and Mrs. Terry were sent
back into the other room and the door
was forcibly shut upon them. They
were still firm in their protest, however,
and referred to the decapitation of sew
eral persons by DR.. Dolan in an accusa-
tory manner. Mrs. Terry came at least
once afterward to the kitchen door and
looked sorrowfully upon the dead girl.
AS yet the police have no decidedly
strong opinions as to who could have
committed the murder. In the Borden
case it was argued that none but wom-
an would have so hacked her victim, yet
the appearance of Miss Manchester, due
largely to the great flow of blood, was
fully as revolving as the appearance of
either victim in the Borden tragedy,
while the pounding was repeated with
the back of the axe a number of times,
and at least five blows were struck with
the edge. On the other hand it has been
claimed by the friends of Mrs. Borden
that murderer always has horror of
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