The Portland daily press., 1894-12-15
THE GORHiM MURDER
Mystery Yet Envelopes the Brutal
Crime.
THE DEED MORE FIENDISH THAN
FIRST SUPPOSED.

Would Fell a Buffalo-Coroner Perry's
visit-Facts About Lewis and Coburn
His Singular Sickness - Interview
With Hon. Leander Valentine-Mrs
Kimballs Theory About the Thieves.
Coroner Eben E. Perry went out to the
scene of the murder yesterday morning. lie
viewed the premises and the body. He says
that it was.the most brutal premeditai ed
murder that.ever came to his notice. He
examined the dead mans hat and found on
the inside tuft of hair and blood. There
was also jagged hole IL the hat. This led
him to believe that the man was felled by
| blow from the 'pole." or blunt end of the
| axe.
This doesn't seem to us to be the case.
| The pole wouldn't have made that Jagged
hole. 1t seems as if the blow that felled
him was that one with the sharp edge that
cut into the scalp and cut through the hat
also. Then when the man was PROSTATE,
the crushing blows with the pole were de.
| livered and spattered the brains on the:side
of the wall of the stable.
| Mr.. Perry found in the dead mans
! trousers pocket, near the upper Fart, a
| small pouch purse. Its position seemed to
indicate that IL had been drawn partially
| out, and had been thrust hastily back. There
| was nothing in it. Mrs. Kimball said that
| he had only dollar and some change in it.
| Mr.. Abner Lowell, who lives across the
| street, said that Lewis was wonderfully
calm when he told them of the murder. His
| calmness impressed Mr.. Lowell by it's con-
| trast with the.excitement ofseverything else.
| The Lowells speak very well of both Coburn
| and Lewis. The. latter was often in their
| house evenings and seemed to be pleasant,
| good-natured fellow.
| Coroner Perry impanelled jury, who
viewed che remains and the inquest
WAS ADJOURNED TILL MONDAY.
l the body of Mr.. Coburn being taken to the
| undertaking rooms of Gorham village. The
| jury consist of Col. Henry P. Millett. Ed
ward Harding. Stephen Hinkley. Lewis Nc
Lellan. Samuel Garland and Edward
| Clement.
The funeral will take place Tuesday.
| probably.
| Both Lewis and Coleman were taken in
| charge by the authorities early in the day.
| The two men who visited Mr.. Coburn in the
| afternoon and were intoxicated have also
been looked out for. as haves some other
parties.
| Manifestly the person who delivered the
| blows must have received some sLatterines
| of hood on his clothing, though, of course. it
| is possible that he did not. However, blood
stained garments will probably figure in the
finding of the murderer.
On the Il. 30 train from Portland yester-
| day were Sheriff Cram. County Attorney
| True, Dr. John r. Thompson, Stenographer
| Ruel Small OF the Superior court, and the
| PRESS representative. They learned in
| Gorham that the body of Mr.. Coburn had
| been brought into town and was in charge
| of Brown Brothers. undertakers. DR..
| Thompson was present to make
AN EXPERT EXAMINATION
| for the state.
| The condition of the murdered man 's.head
| was exactly the same as when first found.
Nothing has been touched.
| DR.. Thompson's statement is as follows:
Zone glancing blow on left side, over
parietal bone three inches long. the bone
fractured, evidently done with sharp in
strument."
This was probably the 1irst blow of the
axe, with the sharp edge. The entire scalp
was cut from the blow. leaving a gaping
inches of scalp hanging like flap.
"One blow on the upper part of the
frontal, making comminuted fracture of
the frontal bone. evidently done with
blunt instrument. One blow over right eye
brow. evidently with blunt instrument.
Frontal bone. upper part pulp"
These two blows, evidently struck with
the back side of the axe would
HAVE KILLED A BUFFALO.
They broke in the entire front part of the
top CT the head. so that fragments of the
bone were loose and moved and grated at
the slightest touch. Each blow had made a
hole as large as a half dollar. opening
directly to the brain. Either of these
terrible blows would have caused death.
They were evidently delivered as the poor
victim lay PROSTATE in the oowstall, as the
wall near the floor is spaattered with his
brains. They were delivered with great
force and precision. Other wounds were:
"Fracture of the parietal and temporal
homes over the right ear, evidently done
with a blunt instrument. Wound over the
right ear. two inches long. evidently done
with sharp instrument. Incised wound at
left of wind pipe just above collar-bone.
wiudpipe severed Either of the wounds
except the first one. undoubtedly sufficient
to cause death.
This
LAST WOUND IN THE NECK
was an addition TO the horror of this lend
ish deed. Itswas evidently caused by blow.
struck with great precision, with the sharp
edge of the axe, as if the purpose was to
cut off the mans head. The cut was just
heIow the shirt collar and just exactly at
tbe junction of the neck with the round
stout body. The cut in the shirt was smaller
than the cut in flesh, but there was a crease
IN the shirt extending from the cut. which
was evidently made by the edge of the axe.
Hoth DR.. Straw and DR.. Thompson
thought at first sight that the cut in the
shirt. and consequently that in the neck
VAS done with knife, but
SHERIFF CRAM CALLED ATTENTION
to the crease in the cloth, which seemed to
show conclusively that the blade of an axe
had made the wound. Apparently this blow
was made with less force than the others.
and must have been done with great pre-