Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-11-09
PLOT THICKENS.
More of Interest About DR..
Hammond of HalIoweII.
He Is Charged With Crime After
Crime by His Wives.
He Writes That He Will Return 10 Hal!owell.
But Will He?

AZ ouiS NioiHlty are once more 10 eDJOv
I the ministrations of "Dr" Hammond is
yet regarded by some as an open question.
One good woman declares that she would
give more for an opportunity to touch
DR.. Hammond 5 coat tails than for all the
efficacy there may be in the learning and
experience Of the medical fraternity of the
county. Is this lady, apparently ripe for
faith cure, to have the privilege she
Graves? DIR. Hammond has said as muck
in the three letters that he has written to
Hallowcll parties since his departure
Two Of these were to local newspaper
men and one to worthy citizen, in
whom the doctor appears to have taken
great interest, even to the extent of invit-
ing the good citizen to sell his worldly
possessions and with the capital thus
secured to seek with the doctor fields Of
investment in Central America, where
gold dollars grow on trees Us plentifully
as bread fruit. To these gentlemen
Hammond writes that he shall return.
"Time will tell"
Meanwhile 1t may be of interest both to
those who may yearn for the doctor re
turn and for those who do not, to read a
few extracts from the mass of material,
which has accumulated in the hands OF
one of the local officers, and which Is sup
posed to refer to the suave "doctor, who
flung his medical shihgle to the Hallowell
breezes last July And by the way the
doctor modest little sign still does duty
on his door and DR.. John n. Brooking
and wife, who are said to have been in
duced by Hammond to come here from
Pennsylvania, are caring for quite a
number of DIR. Hammond former
patients and an Augusta attorney Is col
lectipg the doctors old bills. Indeed it is
not yet clear that, should Hammond
return and prove to be the identical per-
son described in the various dispatches
and newspaper accounts of which n few
will be found farther on, he would be
arrested or that there Is anything upon
which he may be arrested and convicted.
There are instances where crimes have
become practically outlawed.
A Journal man who was permitted
today to look over letters and papers, the
contents of which have not been made
public before, is however, very much
inclined to the opinion that Dr." Ham
journal readers may form their own
opinions upon this point their attention
is invited to the following, including
the subjoined letter from at least one
of certain 'Dr." Hammonds wives:
Chicago, H.. Nov. ., 1895.
Mr----, Hallowell, Me.
Dear Sir: Your favor of the 3lst ult
received and duly read. From your re-
port of the mans conduct in your town
| firmly believe he is Hammond. His
every movement you report is q repetition
of his conduct in Franklin, n. H. If he
gets the slightest information that you
are shadowing him he will fly away.
sent you the newspaper clippings l had
concerning him. When l married him he
was pastor Of the Free Will Baptist
church in Franklin Falls. He belonged to
the Odd Fellows, X. of p. and the grange
was as far as anyone then knew mem
Der of good standing. He was an elo-
quent speaker in the pulpit and could
make rs good a prayer as l ever heard.
/ soon learned he was not a saint but
did not dare to mention 1t as he had every
man, woman and child in the town
hypnotized into the belief that he was
came known no one could hardly be made
to believe the facts. The deacons of the
church at first exoneratcd but later
changed their decision He made me sick
soon after our marriage and when he
thought he had things all fixed got me to
make my will, Che also making his for
blind } He prayed for my speedy recovery
and then prepared the fatal dose and gave
to me; then told me he was going up
town to have his photo taken. When
the poison began to effect me realized
the situation and sent II servant girl for
doctor His visit was opportune as my
pulse had reached to 40 and the doctor
remarked l was the only grown person
he ever knew whose pulse was so low be
fHammond,) sold my home stole and
sold my furniture, got my money out OF
bank by false representation and before
we could arrest him fled to Canada. he
stole thousand dollar mortgage from me
and with that got out of jail in Montreal.
The next | heard of him was in Macon,
Fla. where he married an old lady ana
soon after fled | think it was In
Australia where he married and stole
ssOoO. I think Mr.. Robie of Franklin
Falls could tell or chief ot police of Bos-
ton, the particulars in regard to Austral-
ian exploits do not know of any con-
federate he had only doctor, that was
with him in Indiana. do not know his
name. l do not know of bis travelling
under any other name than VIM. A
Hammond. From the clippings l sent
you you may be able to learn more than 1
can recall to memory at the present time
TO write. Anything that l can do to assist
YOU | will cheerfully do.
l sincerely hope you will be successful
in getting some definite charge against
him. i wish now to make statement
70 YOU of my financial loss with him anu
wish you to state the matter to some
good attorney in your town and see II L
cannot recover some of my stolen money;
He sold nv home for $4,000 and l. could
have sold it for $4,000. This $4,000 he
kept, all OF it. He drew $4,000 out OF
hank by false pretense. 1t cost me dearly
to get it back. He stole thousand dollar
mortgage ont of my trunk. He sold 1t TO