Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-12-11

uttG stSN CUluTplOFill III DuTlpll :
room and complained TO him that it was
dangerous to have around where the child
ren We're, and he said that it was a bottle
that a woman had with whom he boarded
and she left it and he took it.
After that he brought il down to Ida
to use in taking spot from Il dress and
she used it nearly all up and it sat ON the
mantel piece until it had all evaporated.
And then the bottle came up missing and
| never saw it again until | saw il picked
up by my husband the next morning af
ter this occurrence, under Burton's win
dow. Think my son Arthur picked it up.
This is the same bottle here which was
picked up and which had seen Burton
have previously. The label is partly
scratched off now as it was then.
after the noise up stairs that night /
heard the window go up and something
thrown out which struck the ground.
Burton came down about $50 in the
morning. He said he supposed we would
believe what Walter said about him and
| said l supposed we should nave TO I'M
der the circumstances We had not then
found the bottle. He said in answer to
my statement that Walter saw him in
Ida s room:
" Il don't know how in the devil he
could see me. l couldn't see him.
He talked with Ida and the rest of us.
After the bottle was found we spoke to
him about it and he said he threw that
out two months ago l spoke of hearing
the window raised and he said he didn't
shove up any window. He and Ida never
had any trouble.
On cross examination the witness stated
that her sleeping room was directly off
the dining room and the door TO the
dining room was closed. Examined the
stocking the next morning and it was very
wet, all sort of dripping, but discovered no
smell about it, Understood it was just
as it had come from Walters trunk.
r. d. Katon, husband of last witness
testified that Burton came to board with
him in July and that he knew nothing
about the occurrence of the chlOroforln
until the next morning, except hearing
some talking up stairs at the time. At
ter hearing the talk he dropped asleep and
was again awakened by Ida coming down,
Also heard the window showed up in Bur
ton 5 room and some thing thrown out
The next morning found the bottle now
in court under the window. There was
chloroform in it, as now. (The bottle
will contain about four ounces and now
has in it about half an ounce.
II delivered the bottle TO the officer and
it is now in the same condition as when |
found it. The stocking was damp when
saw it in the morning. That was delivered
to the officer and is the one here in court.
After talk with Burton l ordered him
ont ,f tbn hpnsp and ln won't y
Ida NJ katon testified that she is 21
years old and never had had any difficulty
with Burton. Had no personal knowledge
of Burton being in her room on the night
in question. Was awakened by slam
ming noise and found herself cold and
numb and felt just as though she had
taken ether. She had had experience
with ether by taking it.
Heard the talk in the morning with
Burton. Burton said: Il wouldn't accuse
anybody of such deed, or something
like that. And Walter says: | accuse you
because l saw you in my sisters room.
He turned round and said: 81 don't
know how he saw me. l couldn't see
him
Had seen the bottle here in the posses
sion of Burton and it contained chiorOform
and he had loaned it to her to remove a
grease spot from dress. Had also seen
a half pint bottle of chloroform one day in
Burton 5 room while clearing it up.
Frank H. Harvey testified that he had
heard Burton say that he thought he had
seen some disagrceable people, but hated
that Ida Katon most damnably. That
was Oct. %. On cross examination he
said he reported this first on the night of
the trial at Hallowell. First communi-
Gated it to Mr. Beane. Was asking Bur
ton how he liked his boarding place and
that is how he commenced; he liked the
boarding place well enough. He said the
old lady was just like her.
Arthur r. katon, brother of Ida, testi-
fed to circumstances and facts already
covered by other witnesse.
Seth Webb testified that he boarded at
Katon's but was away on the night in
question; that the stocking in court was
his and he had left it in one of his shoes
where he had left the other stocking in
his room which he occupied with Burton.
Upon investigation he found stocking
missing.
Officer Maddox identified the bottle
and stocking as coming from the katons.
DIR. L. J. Crooker testified as to the
danger to life of chloroform and upon
cross examination that it evaporatos very
rapidly. For time it smells very strong
and then the odor passes away leaving a
dampness about the cloth when so applied.
A stocking wet with it would be dry in n
very short time
Albert p Burton the defendant testified
that he had been on the Kennebec about
Is years at work about the lumber mills.
went to the katOns to board about the
middle of July and retired on the night
in question between 9 and 10. Had occa-
sion to go to the water closet three times
during that night. The last time | was
coming in through the sitting room and
noticed light up stairs. ! started to- go
up stairs and had got about two-thirds of
the way up when ! saw Walter KatOn
come to the head of the stairs with light
Il said: i have caught you this time
Walter and he made some remark | did
not understand and went across the hall
didn Z notice which room he went into
whether the girls or the boys.
II went into my room and went to bed
and he came in and had something in his
hand and says You have been in Ida's
room.
" l says No never was in Ida's room
in my life.
"Hc said: By Cd, you have, and here
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