The Portland daily press., 1895-04-22

ana the bottom covered with moss and
pushes. Men wearing rubber boots can wade
through the bog. The hat when found was
lying in plain view from the road on the
slope leading down to :he bog. This descrip-
tion Of places and persons will help to show
in the account which follows why some
people here believe that poor Henry Britton
fell into Panther river and was drowned,
and others suspect that foul play caused his
death.
Thursday. as no trace of the missing man
had been found, word was sent to the
yheriff's office in Portland, and Friday
Deputy Sheriffs Firth and buchanan visited
Raymond and made an investigation. They
spent the day examining the persons who
last saw Britton, and looking over the
Delean establishment. They found nothing
suspicious there except a pair of overalls
belonging to Joseph,eon which were some
stains, probably Of blooa, but these seem to
be satisfactorily explained. The broken
umbrella had on is stain which might. per-
haps, have been made by blood. The
umbrella and Brittons lat were taken to
Portland. The sheriffs concluded that there
was no evidence to warrant an arrest, I'M
less the body was recovered and found TO
bear evidences of foul play. There is a gun
in the house. but it is not generally believed
that the shot marks on the fence have any
thing to do with Britton's disappearance.
even if he was foully dealt with
Britton was first missed sometime Tues
day. He had arranged to work for neigh
Dor. and not appearing, his house was
visited and then entered. There a pot of
beans was found On the stove, and other
evidence that the owner lad not been
present since Sunday.
The alarm WAS given and the first thought
was that he had fallen into Panther stream,
off the narrow footbridae. He is said to
have fallen off there once or twice in cross
ing. SearchSi In the river began at once, and
it has been searched more or less ever since.
But on Tuesday facts were learned which
turned the search in another direction.
Then young Joseph Delean, said he had
picked up an umbrella on the road, and it
Nigh be Eritton's. 1t was known that
Britton went to the Delean house Sunday
afternoon. He stopped at Smiths hotel to
buy cigar about $50 o'clock. 1t was then
manifest that he had been drinking.
Sc the search was turned from the str cam
on this side of the village TO the road on the
other eide. The fields and woods were gone
over very carefully without disclosing any
thing. The boggy place was examined by
several men. MIR. Lindon o. shilling was
one of them. Mr.. B. F. Kimban also passed
by the place OH his team several times.
None CT these saw anything oct of theEway.
This was ON Wednesday. On Thursday
afternoon
SOMETHING QUEER OCCURRED.
A hat. Unidentified as Britton's, was found
within less than two rods from the road,
right in plain view of the road and where it
would seem absolutely impossible that it
should not have been seen Wednesday by
the searchers.
Mr.. Elijah Edwards was the finder of the
hat. He says he found it Thursday after
noon. He was on his way hone from the
searching on Panther river. and saw the hat
as he went along. 1t was in plain sight.
about two rods from the road. 1t set right
side mp, the crown a little dented in, and
with little dust on it. Mr.. Edwards could
not tell how long it had lain there.
Mr.. nindon 0. Skillings, who was near the
spot Wednesday forenoon while searching
the bog hole. says he was surely within
twenty feet of the spot where the hat was
afterwards found on Thursday. He THINKS
1t strange that he should not nave seen the
hat.
Mr.. George Knight went by the spot
twice Wednesday and he thinks it strange
that he should not have seen the hat.
In viewing the spot 1t seems impossible
that anyone could have missed seeing the
hat If 1t was there.
Since the finding of the hat the mystery
of the affair has increased, and the sus-
picions of foul play have waxed.
A representative of the PRESS
INTERVIEWED JOSEPH DELEAN
Sunday afternoon. Delean. who has been
one of the searching party every day. was
in one of the boats on Panther river. He
came ashore and talked readily.
Beginning with Eritton's arrival be said:
"On Sunday afternoon he arrived at my
house between and o'clock. AS he
walked in he said low do you do Mrs.
Delean,' to my mother. "a short time later
he and went out to the barn and ha said:
Joe do you take anything?' l said, no
Henry, / have left off,
81 smelt onions on his breath. 1 did not
think particularly about liquor. lie was
al the house two hours or more. 1t was rain-
ing. We were talking of going to sea VIM
Milliken, but did not as it rained. We had
my mother talked with him about it. My
brother, Harry Delean. twenty years old.
was present. 1 eighteen years old
Britton left our house between five and SIX
o'clock. He was sober. and did not show
any evidence whatever of being hot. He
had with him an umbrella, an old one; but
did not notice it much. He stood it in he
shed by the door when he came in did not
notice it. He had on a brown felt hat,
When he lett our house it was not dark, and
was raining very hard. / should say it
was almost an hour after he left before It
became dark took my umbrella and went
with him about two hundred yards. as far
as Eben Plummer's road. The way leads
up over the hill. When left him he said,
Joe, come down and see NO. i replied,
yes, Henry, come up and ses me- That was
ALL started back home, and did not turn
around 20 look after him. He showed no
signs of being hot drunk and did not
think about his being at all unsteady. / had
no idea but what he would get home all
right.
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