The Portland daily press., 1893-07-26
STROUT'S QUEER END.



turned this out. Jacob was not intoxl-
Gated at this time The brother did not
want to go home with him, and urged
him to remain at the Springs. But Strout
on his way back. The brother asked
whom he was to see, and says he replied
'sHe did not want me to tell his name"
And then, at 1920 O'Clock that Saturday
evening, Jacob started for home. The
road from Poland Springs TO the Verrill
farmhouse is lonely, about two miles in
the middle of 1t being through the woods.
Jacob was seen again that night, some dis
tance along the road. Two other teams
twere also passing along that road that
night in the same direction. In one of
them were Charles w. Shackford and
wife, and in the other Mr.. Alfred Wilson.
They were returning home from the cir
Gus at Lewiston. They saw a man COM
ing along behind them and they thought
that he seemed very drunk. He was in a
road cart and undoubtedly was Strout.
Their horses going faster they soon left
him behind.
The next seen of Strout was early Sun
day morning, when Mr. Levi Small, a
neighbor, saw from the actions of the
Strout horse that something was wrong.
He at once went to the Verrill house and
there found
A Spectacle that Mortified Him.
Hanging over the whiffetree of the
road cart, his hands and forearms trail
ing on the ground at the horses heels,
his head hanging within six inches or
foot OF the ground, his legs entangled
firmly between the springs, seat and axler
tree of the cart, in such a way as to hold
him suspended. was Jacob Strout.
His head was covered with blood and
he gave no sign of consciousness. The
blanket was on the seat of the road cart
and the cider jug was on the
foot rest of the road cart, wrapped in
blanket. The foot rest was not a secure
place for it, and it seems remarkable
that it should have remained in place.
With the aid of members of the fami-
1y he was taken into the house, and it
was found that he still breathed. The
blood was washed from his face and his
clothes were taken off. They were not
dirty nor dusty, but there was blood
near one sleeve. Blood was also
found on the jug and blanket. His mon
ey was intact in his pocket. There was
also found in his pocket bottle of
s'split,'' compound made by mixing
equal parts of alcohol and water and
sweetening the whole with syrup, and
much in favor among drinkers of GER
tain class.
Strout lived until about 10 o'clock
Sunday. but was 1T no time conscious.
His hands were badly scratched and
there were severe bruises on his head,
which his friends claim must have been
inflicted by club in the hands of some
enemy, who probably waylaid him in the
woods. There were no cuts in the scalp,
as would be expected had the wounds
been made by the heels of the horse,
which had recently been shod.
An examination of the premises about
the Verrill farmhouse revealed the fact
that the horse, when it arrived home
with it's CHASTITY load, started for spring
hole that is situated in a field near by.
This spring hole is rough place, with
large stones in it and deep ruts. The
wheel tracks showed that the horse had
gone back and forth through this place
several times, trying to get water, but
unable to because it was checked up.
Thus it is probable that Strout's head
was banged against these stones several
times.
Sunday morning after Strout was
found, Fred Spiller, neighbor, started
for Poland Springs to notify the brother
of the affair. On the portion of the road
which runs through the woods, both
Spiller and Strout, the brother, saw
what they considered evidences of a
struggle. The road cart had evidently
been backed about considerably, and
there were boot tracks in the dust.
Young Strout says he thinkslthey were
the tracks of two men, but he did not
notice particularly the characteristics of
them. AT this place bottle full of
split was also found. 1t was lying in
the road as if it had been dropped.
The brother believes that Jacob was
struck at this lonely place, and then put
into the cart by his assailant
and sent on his way in the position in
which he was found.
Sometime during the night residents
along the road near t he Wilson Spring
House heard cries and noises as of one
in distress; but they thought them mere
ly the outcriers of carousers going by in
teams.
Strout had drank considerable, and
had not always been on good terms with
his neighbors. Although he could not
read or write, he was quite shrewd and
intelligent and was good worker. He
is said to have been &
OuarreIsome When in Drink.
There was story that man with
whom he had traded horses had vowed
vengeance against him, but there is
10