The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-27

Abner D. Thorne, in confessing that he
shot young Whitman on the night of the
fatal encounter at Paris HILL shows him
self one of the most dangerous criminals
that a community ever harbored. Out
wardly quiet, industrious and earnest
young man, he was secretly carrying on
a most extensive system of petty burglary.
He did it SO successfully, moreover, that
had it not been for the quick intuition
of a.woman's brain, he would probably
be at large and unsupported today.
The public have been informed by the
dispatches that Thorne was first held
charged with the larceny of gold dol
lar. Connected with that gold dollar is
a story. Some years ago-we real
ly cannot say definitely how many
there was in the writing school at
Paris Hill a little girl named Jennie
Hubbard. She was very industrious and
apt, and carried off the honors of the
school. In appreciation of her work the
writing master gave to her as a prize, a
gold. dollar, the date of which was the
year of her birth. This gold dollar be-
came one OF the most carefully cherished
possessions of her girlhood. She kept it
in little compartment in her writing
desk, in which she also kept other
trinkets. Sixteen years ago Miss Hub
bard was appoined postmistress at Paris
Hill. Administrations have come and
gone within that time; but Miss Hub
bard has continued in the Office, undis-
turbed by the spoilsmen. When she first
took charge of the office she m owed into
it some Of her personal belongings, in
Guiding the writing desk containing the
gold dollar, dated in the year of her
birth. For about sixteen years the gold
dollar lay undisturbed in the office.
A few weeks ago Miss Hubbard made
a curious discovery one morning, as she
opened the post Office. There on her
table lay an unsealed and unstamped
letter directed to a Maine publishing
house. She could not rem ember that she
had left such letter on her desk, and
there seemed no way for it to get there
She looked at the enclosure to see if it
was written or printed matter; and dis
covered that it was a letter signed by
Abner D. Thorne, and enclosing a gold
dollar. Remem bering her treasure in
the little writing desk. she looked at this
dollar and discovered it also bore the
date of her birth. A desire to possess it
took possession of her, and she considered
whether it wouldsbe proper to put dol
lar bill into the mysterious letter in
place Of the gold. She finally concluded
that it would not be right to do so; and
determined to stamp and seal the letter,
and send'it on its way. Abner Thorne
was poor and Industrious boy towards
whom all felt good will, and the post
mistress concluded as she stamped the
letter that its presence on her desk must
be all right 1t never entered her mind
to connect the gold dollar in .Abner
Thorne's letter with her own keepsake.
Miss Hubbard thought nothing more
of the matter until the day after the
burglar had shot young Whitman. That
day, by a curious chance, it was dis
covered that Abner Thorne had greater
supply of keys than young man in his
position would be expected to have, and
that one of these keys was post office
key. Instantly the thought of the gold
dollar flashed through Miss Hubbard's
mind. She went to the writing desk,
long unopened, opened it and looked
for the dollar. 1t was gone.
BY this time there was guam
dairy among the big wigs of Paris Hill.
Thorne was.suspected at last; but there
seemed to be no evidence on which to
hold him.. While the conscript fathers
hesitated the postmistress acted She
told the story of the gold dollar, and
upon her story Thorne was arrested for
the larceny OF the dollar.
Then it was found that he was a
dangerous burglar, equipped with keys
to most of the business offices and stores
in the village. Later his own confession
shows him to be murderer.
The presence of the letter containing
the dollar on Miss Hubbard's desk has
not been explained. It is thought that
Thorne wrote it during one of his
nocturnal raids on the post office, and
was frightened away before he had com
pleted it.