The Portland daily press., 1894-12-14


left, both were manifestly a little intoxi-
Gated. Mr.. Coburn was sober.
They went to the barn with Mr.. Coburn,
looked at the cattle and went away. Coburn
knew them very we'll. sWhen they went off
he (Coleman) fed the cattle with Mr.Coburn
at about 4.30 and went into supper. They
finished supper and went out TO the barn to
finish the chores. which they did at about
$50 o'clock. They locked the doors and
barred the outside door and went towards
the house and met two cats in the orchard
fighting. He went over to Abner Lowells
house at about six O'Clock. He was there
when Mr.. Lewis came and informed them
of the murder.
Mr.. Coleman is a stout, good looking
young man. aged 10 years. He came from
South Eoston the 10Th of October.
Mr.. Lewis is 27 years of age. He is short,
red faced. blonde man. with very infelli-
gent manner and good command OF lang
uage. In reply to the question as to how he
came there, he said that Mr. .Coburn wanted
a workman, and he wanted work.
but how did it come about?''
81 came down here and asked for work.
He finally said that last June he landed
at Dover. N. H., in vessel that was COM
They had come from Norfolk, Va. with coal.
He had previously come from Paraguay. He
was not a sailor. but preferred to work for
his passage rather than pay for it. HI came
direct to Mr.. Coburn's farm from Dover.
"How did that happen?"
He came with friend whom he knew in
Paraguay, Ed. Graffam, across the way,
meaning the opposite house. He had not
known Mr.. Coburn before.
In regard to the two friends of Mr..
Coburn, Mrs. .Kimball said, with some
asperity, that there was no possibility Of
suspicion of them. They were friends of
Mr.. Coburn's They had been drinking
when they came, and there was no need of
saying anything labout that. Mr.. Coburn
was not in the habit of keeping large sums
of money in the house. He was a poor man.
Sheriff Parker said that he knew one of
the two men, and there was no suspicion of
them.
After the Interview in the house, Sheriff
Parker led the way to the barn. The large
door that was barred with a crowbar,
opened into sort of a carriage room.
though no vehicles were in it. There were
farm tools, however.
Just inside the door on the left. leaning
DotWeou Luo SIuuuluS with ObuoI boolSs Was
the axe. 1t was an old axe, worn much
away by grinding. The edge was sharp. 1t
was
ENTIRELY COVERED WITH BLOOD,
and there were speoks of white matter,
evidently the brain. On the otLer side of
the room was partition, the doors in
which opened into the tieup. where the
cattle were giving an occasional below, as
IL they realized the horror of the act and
were terrified.
Sheriff Parker opened the door. About
| two yards the other side. in the middle Of
| the floor WAS a soft felt hat, the that
Mr.. Coburn had worn. 1t lay exactly where
| it was first found. Just to the right of the
door and just inside lay the body of Mr..
Coburn, mostly within wide empty stall,
with the head away from the door. 1t was
covered with blankets.
Sheriff Parker lifted tho blankets and a
| terrible sight was revealed. The head was
| large and the face full and square. of a
decidedly German type, with gray NOUS
tache. On the top of the head. little to
| the left, was an awfuIgash made with the
| edge of the axe and penetrating into the
brain. There were two other wounds. one
Just above the forehead, on the right was
evidently made with the blunt end of the
axe.
THE murderer, whoever he was, must have
acted with generalization and GOODNESS. The
bloody axe had been carried to the other
side of the outer room and leaned against
the wall in evidently its accustomed place.
Then the outer door had been opened and
closed, and the bar put against it, as Mr..
Lewis said he found it. One of the windows
of the tieup was partially opened. but the
murderer could not have got out there.
There was no sign of struggle or haste.
Everything seems to indicate that as Mr..
Coburn entered the tieup through the door
from the outer room.
THE MURDERER WAS STANDING
in the stable with the axe in readiness and
brought it down upon his victims head, be-
fore he could make a moment to defend
himself, even had he known it was neoes-
sary.
Mr.. Coburn was not a feeble man, and
would probably not have been struck such
fair blow on top of the head, had he had
time to defend himself
Evidently, the srst blow was that with
the edge of the axe, that sunk deeply into
the skull, and naturally the man that held
deliver another blow and thus Mr.. Coburn
fell into the stall. The other blows were
probably strnck after he had fallen.
From what Mr.. Lewis. the hired man, and
Mrs. Kimball. the hoqsekeeper, said, it
would seem that the noise in the barn that
called Mr.. Coburn out for the last time. and
the fact that one horse was found un-
fastened, would indicate that the murderer
was possibly horse thief and caught in
the act, killed Mr.. Coburn TO escape detec-
tion. There were several horses in the tie
up and one was trotter, and valuable. 1t
was not that one that was found unhitched,
but they were nearly the same size, and
might easily have been mistaken in the
darkness.
But think of it! What man would attempt
to steal Il horse at about 8 O'Clock in the
evening, knowing that there were three
men in the house, which is but fifty feet or
less from the barn. 1t is not lonely place
either. The house is near the road, less
than a stones throw from it, and close to
the road on the other side is anoJher house.
NJ.