Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-13
PARDON HEARING
Before Governor and Council
on Stain-CromweII Case.
Hon. Josiah Crosby Argues for Peti-
TONERS in Behalf of Prisoners.
Did They Murder Cashier Barron or Did Ne
Commit Suicide?

o Pooioiou LUZ tue PARDON OF STAIN
and Cromwell, now in State prison for
the murder of Cashier Barron of the Dex-
ter Savings Bank, Feb %. 1878, came
up before the Governor and Council,
Monday afternoon. The petition, which
appeared in the Journal when presented
to the Governor and Council in June,
was signed by 60 of the people Of Dexter,
many OF whom are prominent towns
people.
AT precisely All the session cine to
order and on motion of Councillor
Clason, the petition was taken from the
table and placed in the hands of Mr.
Crosby, who read it. He then informed
the honorable body that he appeared be-
fore them in behalf Of the people of Dex
ter, who have signed the petition for the
pardon of Stain and Cromwell, the men
said to have committed the murder Of
Cashier Barron.
He said the case had excited much
more interest in Dexter than in any other
place. In beginning, Mr.. Crosby named
the time of the murder and circumstan-
tial evidence connected with it. Mr.
Crosby said that he believed at the time
that Barron had been murdered, and
the belief throughout Dexter was to that
effect; that under this theory everything
possible was done to ascertain who were
the murderers
He then related the finding of Barron
in the vault He said that he was. on the
coroner's jury at the inquest and signed
the verdict that Barron came to his,
death by murder Over $4,000, he said
was expended to solve the mystery, $4,000
of which was paid by the State. Some
time passed after the death Of Barron,
Mr.. Crosby said, when the books of the
aroused. Indications were that the &C
counts had been tempered with.
In 1877, Cashier Barron made report
to State Bank Examiner Bolster and the
report he had rendered was signed by
Messrs Dustin and Ballard, trustees of
the bank, something which had not been
done since 1878. BY careful examination
of the books after Barron's death, it was
found that they were incorrect to the ex-
tent Of $4,000, and crasures had been skill
fully made
Mr. Crosby said that in looking over
the papers, Barron had made provisions
for the payment of this amount from
an insurance policy, SO that the bank
would not suffer any loss. That he had
taken this means of smoothing things
over and arranging it so that the trus-
tees would not detect the matter. but at
his death it would come. about all right
Mr.. Crosby laid much stress upon the
fact that there was very strong prejudice
against Stain and Cromwell and that
people considered them the worst of vii
lains, capable of committing any crime,
that they had before committed murder
and fearful deeds of wickedness.
The fact that all New England was so
excited over the case and. these men ar
rested made people think that they were
really the guilty persons Mr.. Crosby
read extracts from the New York World
on the case, which paper had Is columns,
fully illustrated. This sensational &C
count, Mr. Crosby said, was to create a
great excitement and was not published
until 10 years after the murder.
He presented "A scrap book containing
column after column clipped from various
papers dated from different parts Of tie
State, all under date Of Oct. Is, 1887, the day
when the public was informed that Stain
and Cromwell were guilty of the atrocious
murder. All this Mr.. Crosby considered
sensational and had great weight in pre-
iudicing people against the murderers.
Mr.. Crosby considered that Charles Stain
had no knowledge Of the third trip Of his
father and party into the State, if they
made one, for at that time he was in jail.
The story young Stain told about his
father robbing the Winthrop bank, Mr..
Crosby said, proved to be a bald false
hood. He considered that during the
time Charles Stain was in Norrldgewock
Jail he faxed" up the story Of his father
and Cromwell numbering Mr.. Barron.
Mr.. Crosby read accounts which had
been published to the effect that Stain
had killed several persons, two of which
had been his wives, one his child. He
said that the people of Dexter knew not
of Stain and Cromwell, that they had
never lived there, but that the feeling is
that they are innocent and should be
freed from the State prison.
He said he realized that he had the YER
dict of the jury and the supreme bench
to fight against, yet would try to show
L.