Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-05-01
OXFORD COUNTY HoMlclots.
WHAT rnK RkcoRDs ov riix surxxxE
JUDICIAL COUNT SHOW.

WHAT rmE RkcoRps or Tiix surxxxr
JUDICIAL COUNT SHOW.
The subject Of the wickcdncss Of Ox-
ford County having bcen discusscd and
commented upon In the light of recent
events, the Dcu,ocrAt has taken the
trouble Ia examine the records 81 the
supreme judicial Court from the admis-
sion Of Maine ~ state up 10 the prcs-
cut time, with view On detcrmlnluk
how largely homlcides have figured In
the business of tho court.
In looking at the statistics, IL may be
we'll 20 consider the population Of the
county, which has averaged considers
bly, above $1,000, oaly once failing below
that mark, and before the eastern towns
werc taken OF for Androscoggin County
rising nearly To 10000. The records
cover q period Of about u years.
The frat case Of homicide appears In
1896, In the form Of an indictment for
manslaughter, and the second In 1873,
alec In the FORM Of mauslaughter. The
grand Jury at the October term, 1871, ~
voftcu tIat ufvr UpmNtut* tsao DNn
committed by Mosea Dutterfield, but
they did not find bill against him by
reason Of his insanity, aud ordered that
~ his going At large was dangerous, he
be committed to "the prison In our
county Of Oxford" aud there detained
until he should be restored to hls right
mind, or othersise delivered by due
course of Law.
This WAS all the homicide business oi
the court mp 10 1861. Until the March
term of that year, the grand jury OF this
county had never found an Indictment
for murder, bot at that March term, an
indictment for murder Was returned, and
at the August term Of the same year
another. From that time on the homi'
eide business Of the court seemed to In.
crease, and In the seventeen years end
Ing With ISL, eight indictments for
murder aud manslaughter were found.
In the seventeen years since, two indlct.
ments have been found.
The summary of the whole thing
shows:
In the - years covered by the records,
there have been six Indictments for muir
der, duplicating altogether, as principals
aud accessories, nine people. The re-
suits were; In the frat degree, In the
second = q p~ople); manslaughter, .;
with one case (for death caused In pro-
curing an abortion,) In which two men
indicted as aocessories before the act ap.
pear to have compromised by the pay
ment of fines without pleading, while
the name Of the principal does not APP
pear In the records except In the indict-
ment. whether he Was dead or In parts
unknown dees not sppear; At any rate
the case Was mol pressed.
FIyr MURDER TRIALS.
The county has had only i've trials
for murder.
John u. Coffin of stoneham was tried
at the August term, 1s6l, on an indlct.
ment charging him with the murder ol
Calvin n. Mckeen of Stonehsm. whom
he assaulted with a fatiron, pounding
him over the head. lie was found guilt J
Of mAnslaughter, and sentenced la tout
years In state prison.
Ephraim Gilman of fryeburg was To-
dicted st the August term, 1861, for the
murder Of HARRIET II. swan, whom the
indictment alleges he killed by choking
her With his hands, ''on the seventeenth
day Of June last past" The case wa'
continued on motion of defendants coun'
eel until the March term, isG3, when he
"a. tried aud found guilty of murder Ia
the first degree. The case Was carried
to the law court, which overruled the
exceptions, and at the August term, ls,si
Gilman MAS sentenced to death. Ills
sentence Was afterwards committed "a
imprisonment for life, aud he IL still an
Inmate of the state prison.
IanthA Anna Elizabeth Morgan and
SophroniA J. Libby Of bethel we're tried
Tor the murder Of the Infant son Of
Iantha Morgan, at the March term, is..'
They were found guilty Of murder In the
second degree, and sentenced To state
prison for life. Both were pardoned
after serving q few years.
wendall \. ro.s OF Brownield was
tried nj the February term, lss6, on m
indictment charging him with the muir
der 81 Ilarville \. Wentworth at Bro~n-
field In January Of that year, by stab
bling with q Jackkniic. The jury return
ell verdict of manslsughter. The case
Was carried Ia the law court, which over
ruled the exceptions, and foss MAS sen-
fenced To state prison for four years.
Abner ID. Thorne Of Paris Was tried nj
the February term, 1894, for the murder
Of Harrison \. Whitman nj Paris on the
18th Of November last. lie Was found
guilty of murder In the second degree,
and sentenced % state prison for life.
lIe.ides the cases OF murder, two life
sentences have been imposed In TIL.
court for other offences. On the l2ih OF
September, lsli, Andrew T.. Magaw Of
Paris was sentenced for burning the
"gaol' at Paris. The Indictment acts
forth that the firc Was set "at about mid
night, on the thirty.first day of Decem-
Der now last past" The sentence VA.
for life, aud Was 10 be carried out In OK
ford or Gun berland goals. Patrick II.
McCiosky Was sentenced To the state
prison for life for rape at the December
term. ISL.
MANUFACTURER.
There have been six indictments for
granddaughter, three Of which resulted
In scquittsi. The result Of the Others