The Portland daily press., 1895-06-06
Especial to the PRESS.l

w
Alfred, June Sat the hour of ad-
journment this afternoon the last word of
testimony in the Lebanon arson case had
been offered, and the announcement made
that everything was ready for the closing
arguments tomorrow forenoon.
Today has been crowded so full of tes-
timony that the breathing spaces for the
official stenographer have been few and
brief. First, Albert Ware and wife of
East Rochester, were examined, and they
bore out the claim of the defense that be-
tween 6 and 6. 80 on the eventful evening
of Sunday, August 18th, DR.. William W.
Weber, the respondent, was at his own
home, rather than at Martin Dixon's, as
some of the members of the Dixon family
had testified in behalf of the state. DR.
Wcbber was the family physician of the
Wares and the object of their visit was
to get some medicine for Mrs. Ware They
found the doctor at supper, got their
medicine, left about G. 80 and arrived
home just as the church bells were toll
ing for the O'Clock service
When DR.. Webber's name was called, he
ltlU IlS S6CtU Ill UllC QOCky WdlkGQ nervous
ly up the aisle and waited beside the wit
ness box till his counsel brought q chair
an d explained to the court that it would
be necessary for the witness to Sit owing
to his physical weakness due to fall
When the respondent leaned backward in
his chair and began the see-saw move
ments that had distinguished his stay
in the dock, Judge Strout suggested, by
way of caution, that the witness stand
xyac narrow and il, xuo111dn,t ha xr-ico to
tilt the chair upon it. But DR.. Webber
replied that tilted chair was easier
to his spine, and there was no danger of
falling During the three hours that
he was under examination he rocked
back and forth most Of the time.
The testimony covered wide range
The usual prelimary inquiries brought
out the statements that he is A years of
age, has wife and one son, was form
erly a painter and farmer, and has prac-
ticed medicine in Shapleigh, Dover, N. II. :,
Somerville, Mass, and for four years at
West Lebanon.
Then his counsel began to question him
about what he was doing Sunday, Au-
gust 12. His testimony on that point
was as follows:
II was at home the greater part of
tue day. called at the house of a neigh
Dor, Mr.. Goodwin, early in the afternoon.
About 8. 30 hitched up the horse, took
my boy Willie, drove down into our
field to look over the crops, then drove
over to Albert Stackpole's. 1 staid
there perphaps 10 or 20 minutes, then
his wife at the house While we were
at supper, 1 was called out by Mr. and
Mrs. Ware who drove in to the yard.
prepared some medicine for Mrs. Ware.
talked with them little and then they
left.
''After supper went over with Mr. Mad
dox to the Goodwin place to see the crops,
potato patch and then he hitched up and
started with his wife for home About
6. 10 / started to make a call at Martin
Dixon's; returned from there In about
an hour; found an order for a call at
Hosea Shorey's house about three miles
in the opposite direction from the town
farm buildings. I attended Mrs. Shorey,
directly home. My wife met me in the
yard with a lantern, put up the horse
and we retired, / should say about 10
o clock, the time the fire is said to have
broken out. l did not hear of the burn
ing of the Moody farm buildings till the
next day."
After accounting for his time, the re-
the paint can and the handkerchief
which have figured so prominently and
mysteriously i'll the case. He testified:
81 heard talk at the village about
the town offering reward for the APP
prehension of the person who set the fire,
and made up my mind to start right in
and work up the case In order to
throw others off the scent made that
talk about finding can and handker-
chief in the bushes behind the barn I
did not mean to do anybody harm by it,
and as precaution l put marks of iden
tification on the can and handkerchief SO
/ could prove they were mine if there
was ever need to.
When l visited the ruins, Tuesday,
I drove down to look at the potato patch,
and while there / broke some twigs on
marked the spot where the can and hand
kerchief were found. saw the selectmen
Thursday and told them about finding
the can and handkerchief.
81 also saw Eugene Gowell, superinten-
dent of the town farm, and had a talk
with him. 1 told him 1 was working
up the case in hopes of getting the re-
ward, and that there We're some suspic-
ious circumstances duplicating him.
Then l recalled the conversation he made
to me last summer, about being
BETTER FOR THE TOWN
if the Moody buildings should burn
that the farm was not as good a crop
raiser as the old and that he would never
move onto the Moody place.
"Gowell acknowledged that it loo ked
kind of bad for him. He seemed much
agitated, and wanted to know what he
had better do Finally he said If l
didn't set fire to the buildings, but knew
who did what could they do with me?'
I replied that 1 didn't know, but if he
knew who set the fire the best thing he
could do would be to make statement
telling who did it, and let that person
bear the consequences. He was excited
and said he didn't know what to do, but
that if I would come and see him again
he would make statement, clearing this
thing up that he wanted to see Select
man John S. p Jones first, for Mr.. Jones
knew who set that fire.
"The next I saw him he had seen De
tective Ryan and had decided to make
no statement to me; that if was not
careful I should get mixed up in the
affair
The witness next narrated what oc-
CURED between him and Detective Ryan
on the occasion of their frequent inter
views. He said: "The detective wanted
me to give him the can and handker-
chief and tell him all knew about the
case. But ] refused. He said he had