The Portland daily press., 1894-12-20

fam Made Complete Statement of All
Lewis Told About the Murder-Want of
Money Lewis's Motive-The Coroner's
Jury Find a Verdict Against Lewis and
Hels Arrested-Win Appear Before
Judge Gould this Morning.
The coroner's inquest was opened at 8
O'Clock in Masonic hall, at.Gorham. Wednes-
day morning. The examination of witnesses
continued with the exception of an hour at
noon, till 2.3C in the afternoon. The follow
ing witnesses were examined: Henry ii.
Hannaford, Joseph Fl. Coburn. Silas
Rounds, Albert Smith, Stanley Lowell, Mrs.
Abner Lowell and her two daughters Annie
and Josie, James Dooley, Edward H. Elwell
of the Portland PRESS, f. r. Fay of the
Boston Globe, Joseph Coleman, Moses G.
Little, Deputy Sheriff Parker and Constable
Libby.
at about 2.45 o'clock, the jury rendered
the following verdict:
THE VERDICT.
estate of Maine, Cumberland county. An
inquisition taken at Gorham, within said
county on the 14th OF December, in the year
of our Lord. 1894. before Eben N. Perry, one
of the coroners of said county, upon the
view OF the body Of Byron D. Coburn, then
lying dead, by the oaths Of Lewis Nc
Edward Harding, Samuel Garland and Ed
win Clements. yeomen, good and lawful
men, who being charged and sworn, to en-
means the said Byron D. Coburn came to
his death, upon their oaths, do say that
James Lewis, otherwise called James Lewis
land, in the State of Maine, aborer. on the
18th day of December. in the year of our
Lord, 1894, at Gorham, aforesaid. in the
county of Cumberland aforesaid, with force
and arms in and upon one Byron D.Coburn,
with certain dangerous weapon. to wit. a
certain axe. which he. the. said James
and there in both his hands had and he'll
feloniously did make an assault and with
the said axe, SO by him held. In and upon
the head of him, the said Byron D: Coburn.
feloniously did then and there 1nfiict divers,
to wit. four mortal wounds of which said
wounds the said Byron D. Coburn then and
there instantly died. and SO the Jurors
afor esaid do say that the said James Lewis.
the said Byron d. Coburn, then and there
in manner and form aforesaid, feloniously.
wslfully and OF his malace aforethought. did
kill ana murder against the peace of said
state, and contrary to the form of the stat
ute in such case made and provided"
Neither Lewis or Graffam were taken out
to Gorham yesterday. Graffam. Mrs. Him.
ball and Coleman win be held as witnesses,
the latter in the charge of Deputy Sheriff
Parker at Gorbam.
Lewis will be brought before Judge Gould
this morning in the Municipal court where
he will be given hearing if he so desires,
but probably he will plead not guilty, waive
examination and be held for the grand jury.
At the expiration of ten days after the
rendering of the coroner's verdict the
minutes of the inquest are public property.
GRAEFAM'S STATEMENT.
Edward GIafam, Lewis's friend. was the
most important witness before the inquest.
His testimony was the longest and most in
teresting. 1t was not till after County At
torney True had questioned him for long
time and apparently obtained all the infor-
nation that Graffam possessed that he
finally weakened and made the important
statement against Lewis. of which the fol-
lowing is the gist:
Wnen Lewis met Ora fam at the steps Of
the Lowell house. they had but few words
together, and Lewis said then in a joking
way something about
GETTING THE OLD MANS MONEY.
1t was after Lewis had returned to the
Lowell house and announced the murder
and while he and Graffam were driving up
to Gorham to summon the authorities that
L6WlS IOlu LIS CAulus oIo1iohts INV uO SOilt-
mitted the murder.
When he wentsover from the Lowell house
he went directly into the barn, and, with
cold.blooded purpose. loosened one of .the
horses in the tie-up to draw4the unsuspect-
ing and feeble victim from the house to the
place of his death.
Then Lewis did
JUST WHAT THE PRESS SAID
port of the murder on the morning after
the night upon which it was committed. He
stood in the cowstall beside the COW with
the axe all ready in his hands, and as Mr..
Coburn entered through the doorway he
struck him on the head in such way that
he fell toward him into the stall. Then the
other terrible bows were struck with
DIABOLICAL COLD BLOODEDNESS,
upon the PROSTATE body of the poor cripple.
as evidenced by the spattering of blood and
brains upon the lower part of the wall close
by.
Just how Lewis kept himself free from
blood is not quite clear. He did not wear
the blood-stained overcoat. because Select
man Lewis Mcclellan says that when he took
that coat from over the swill barrel to place
il over Mr.. Coburn's body the blood was not
ON it.. )
However this coat and Lewis boots are
held to be put in evidence.
After deliberately and d-premeditatingly
killing Mr.. Coburu because he thought he
had large sum of money as Lewis told
Graffam, at least as Gratfam said that he
told him, Lewis went into the house and
with his extraordinary GOODNESS took up
paper and began to read, just as he told the
PRESS reporter but few hours after the
murder. Mrs. kimball mentioned Mr..
Coburn's absence and the cause oft. Lewis
went out to the barn to see about it. Mrs.
limball says that she watched him and saw
him light a match at the door of the tie-up,