The Portland daily press., 1895-08-13

World OF crlmlnality with his daughter,
and OF beating another daughter until the
blood ran down her heels, to make her
marry Cromwell. That's the kind of
stuff that was printed to raise furore
against Stain, and it had its effect Stain
was also accused in a publication by Mr..
Mitchell quoting statements by Charles
Stain OF poisoning two men, poisoning
his two wives, knocking out the tee th of
a third wife, numbering Barron and
probably numbering another man-six
murders in all and they said he was sus-
pected OF still another. ''And that"
said Mr.. Crosby with an expressive sweep
of his arms, lis the way in which the
case. against these men.was prejudiced.
II know what. I have to contend
against, - added Mr. Crosby. sit is tn Q
influence of the Supreme Court; the posi-
tion of the chief justice. I have always
respected Judge Peters as a great and
broad-minded man and I doSnow but |
do not think he is perfect and think he
erred in this case. l think he honestly
believed they were guilty, but .he, like
other men, was prepossessed against
Them"
Coming down to the trial of Stain and
Cromwell, Mr.. Crosby laid great stress
on the part which the B. G.. Sanborn re-
celpt placed in the case. Thatswas the re-
ceipt for horse and wagon delivered in
Augusta by the Boston Steamboat line at
time when young Stain claimed his
father and Cromwell made one of their
trips to MaiDe 1t was claimed by the
State that this receipt,was in the writing of
David L. Stain. If this was, so it destroyed
the allbl Stain was trying to prove and
went for to prove his guilt. During the
arguments at the trial several letters
written by Stain were admitted in order
that the jury might compare them with
rnn ni-,t rSl.<l :,
THE TURNING POINT
in the case. He said that he was not
counsel in the case, adding with great
vigor: "Those letters would not have
been let in after I had no chance to reply,
to them, No, would have crushed them
in my hand and flung them in the fire
and let the court commit me for con-
Tempt
Now after the trial BIC Sanborn was
found and 1t was proved that the receipt
was genuine. That the admission of the
! receipt was turning point in the trial.
| MIR. Crosby showed by introducing an
affidavit signed by Jeremiah Fenno of
Bangor recounting a conversation with
| the late Hon. Silas G. Hatch of Bangor,
who was foreman of the jury. Mr. Fen
no deposes that Mr.. Hatch told him after
The trlal that III was this receipt that
made hip vote for conviction. Had he
| not believed that Stain wrote the receipt
he would never have voted for conviction.
Mr.. Crosby said he could not comprehend
how when the truth regarding this re-
ceipt was brought out in the harrington
the motion for new trial it was so light
| ly discussed.
| At the time of the trial. number of
| Dexter people identified Stain and Crom-
| well as men they had seen in town on the
day of the tragedy. A man wearing a
brown coat VINO brought some crackers
| and cheese, was declared to be Stain by
the witnesses Judge Crosby read affida-
Wits signed by Miller Crowell of Garland,
Mrs. Frances Hooper and DR.. Edward
Palmer, identifying the man in the
brown coat as Isaac McPheters, a St AL
bans man, who is now dead.
The hearing will be continued at inc
O lock tomorrow