The Portland daily press., 1895-04-29

oih oLIauSo db AL may Seems ulo OteAloon
Of course this all tends to show that the
hat was not purposely placed there. but fell
there or blew there from Henry BIitton's
head.
1t seems to be quite generally believed
now that Britton did not get as far as the
village after leaving the Delean house that
night. 1t is felt that he would certainly
have stopped into the. hotel if he had gone
through the village, OF that he would cer-
tainly have been seen. The Ieople think
that he would never have gone up to the
De!ean house in such stormy day If he
hadn't been drinking. for sno man would
leave his house that day unless he had to,
or was in an abnormal condition. and If he
was"hot", as they speak of it, when he
went, up he certainly must have been SO
when he cane back, and in that condition
he would surely have stepped into the hotel
as he liked to- see people when ''hot."
AS to his being in the river, it is generally
felt that he cannot be. OF he would have
been found. There are different opinions
as to whether it is possible for mans body
to be swept out into the lake over the bar
at the mouth of the river. One man, who
ought to know. said Saturday that it would
be possible. Other men who have driven
logs on the river say that at no time of year
or condition of the water did they ever
know there logs to..drift over that bar. They
would always stop there and in order to get
them out into the lake to be RATED down it
was necessary to force them over the bar.
If logs will not float over this bar, it is
hardly reasonable to suppose that mans
body would be carried over it.
ut, .ub0 Prni inh
steam boat on the laIe. and also knows the
river as we'll and even better than any other
citizen of Raymond, declared Saturday that
he was satisfied that Henry Britton's body
was not in that river between the foot
bridge and the lake. He had spent most of
his time since the searching began in in
vestigating all the deep holes, the location
of which he knows thoroughly, and he is
convinced that he would have discovered
the body had it been there. He is great
deal disturbed over Britton's disappearance
and probab bly, misses him more than any one
else, as Britton was accustomed to do his
chores for him when he was away on Lake
Sebago with his freight steamer.
Henry Edwards, who lives in the next
house from the DeleaD's, on the same side.
up the road. has good word to say for the
two boys Harry and Joe. He declares that
he doesn't want any better neighbors. That
they have always been very accommodating
and pleasant in every way, and are more
polite in many respects than many of the
other young men in the neighuorhood. Like
the rest of the Raymond people, Mr.. Ed
wards is not only eager that the mystery be
solved for the sake of knowing what be-
came of BrittoA, but that the presence of
suspicion that necessarily exists, may be
raised from the two Delean boys, with
whom nobody seems to have any fault TO
6nd.
Still there are the facts, Britton has dis
appeared. 1t is highly improbable that he is
in the river or came so far as tnat foot
bridge. He disappeared soon after leaving
Joe Delean, and apparently quite near the
place. What could have become of him,
that is the question, if the Delean brothers
possess no further knowledge than they
have made public.
The earnestness of Raymond people in
this matter is shown by the remarks of Mr..
". M. Smith, proprietor of Smiths hotel,
on Saturday evening. in relation to the fact
that East Raymond people were coming
over to join in Sundays search. He said
you must look out and see that they are
provided with something to eat. They are
not coming over here for me to make money
out of them.
If they're a good enough to come and
search, We ought 10 give them something to
eat. They can put up their horses in my
barn without costing them anything.
Ii may well bs added in. closing that the
hotel proprietor who spoke these unselfsh
words. keeps one of the most comfortable
of the country hostelrys of Maine, where
the best of home cooking may always be
found in the greatest plenty. In fact it is
well worth while to drive up to Raymond, if
only to satisfy the resulting appetite with
the good things to eat at Smiths hotel
BOOTS, BREECHES AND BAGGAGE"