The Portland daily press., 1895-04-09

Widows and Observation-Disclosures Nerve
of Eaie-Great Legal Complications Ex-
pected.
Hon. j. Is. Mayo III Foxcron. is in Port
land visiting his sOn-in-law. Fred V.Chase.
ESD. Mr. Maj o. when asked by the rel re-
sentative OF the PRESS about the Hale de-
fnlcation, replied pleasantly that he had
come away from Foxcroft, hoping to get
away from tie excitement for the present.
He found, however. that the1e was no
dearth OF interest in tie affair here. Mr.
Maya said that he bad known Judge Hale
almost iron toyEood. They had been in
business together years ago. and he had
known him intimately ever since. Mr..
Mayo holds the Hale notes for about eleven
thousand dcllnls. The first lie suspected OF
wrong was when. after the suicide, the first
selecIman called and asked him how much
town of Foxcroft paper he neld. Mr.. Mayo
replied ahout eleven thousand dollars. Then
the stlec tman called attention 10 the fact
tDat as reusurer, Judge Hale had returned
the town debt as only $500. knowing
what yoa did. why did you not get up in
town meeting and denoanee him p asked
the selectman. But l supposed that $500
was the net debt. after deduction of notes
given for taxes" replied hr. MAYO. And
l did not know that another person besides
myself and my brother held town OF Fox
croft paper. Besides l had the most abso-
Lutte confidence in e. J. Hale. And SO did
every one else. 1 believe that should have
suggested. Moleoser, signed to The trea-
| Icf, anna nf ha
selectmen l Supposed that they had inves-
tigated fully, and these assurances COM
bined with my own high opinion of Judge
Hale. left me in state of perfect conf
dence.
The light which Mr.. Mayo throws onto the
affair shows hat novelist WHO should
create character like Judge Hale would
! be derided in these days of realism. Every
pleasant morning at five O'Clock would
hear the CHATTER of hoofs by my house, as
Judge Hale started on his morning horse
back ride into the country 10 enjoy the
beauties of nature. And after breakfast ha
would take bis carriage and ride out again
with Mrs. Hale. His was apparently, one
of he bappiest lives ever new. No care
seemed 10 cloud his life. Only few NOM
ents before his sensational and dramatic
suicide, he entertained the selectmen.
whose investigations were driving him tic
death. BY causing pet dog to go through
some antics. Such nerve / never heard Of"
| The path of desolation which he has left
is simply terrible. Mr.. Mayo estimat esfthat
! fully fifty widows in Foxcroft and adjoin-
| ing parts of Plscataquls county have lost
| their all. One peculiarly pathetic instance
is that of a poor widow who does washing
about the village. She is the soul OF hon.
esty. and welcome in every home where she
does work She had seven hundred dollars
and Judge Hale got every cent of it, An
other case is that of young man who came
from Massachusetts to work in Mr.. Mayo's
mill. He had nine hundred dollars. His
sweetheart worked in the same mill and
had six hundred dollare, To begin their
married lie they planned to join their
fortunes. and with the $15G0 buy house.
They bargained for the LAND and the lum-
Der was already on the lot, when they found
that Judge Hale, to whom they had intrust.
ed all their money. was defaulter Grad.
ually this smooth, smiling. dgnified man
had gained the confidence of people far and
wide. and streams of money were diverted
| TO Foxcroft from all parts of tho country
| The thrifty Swedes of the Monson slafe
quarries sent their little savings 10 him.
| A few years ago the town of Foxcroft
| voted that in future. whenever the treasur-
or should hire money for the town, he
hould have the notes countersigned by the
selectmen. But Judge Hale disrega I'd ed
This, and he stood SO high that people went
on taking Foxoroft paper wi hout any
other name than his on it,
MIR. Mayo thinks that lolG and complieat
ell lItigations will result. and that in the
end the town of Foxcroft will be held fol
| a portion Of the sum. In the matter of his
own loan, for instance, a strong case can
| be made out against the town. Over TWEEN
ty years ago,at the time when the town lid
ed The railroad enterprise. he loaned Fox
croft about twenty thousand dollars. A
portion of this YVES paid and the notes fol
| the remainder were renewed SO the ele
Yen thousand was not stolen by Judge Hale
directly at ). least. He did, however. stea
the money which the town appr opriated &c
pay such debts.
| For many years Judge Hale was not only
treasurer but also first selectman. This
Pooh Bah arrangement made his peculiar
arrangements for absorbing other peoples
money easier than ever.
Mr.. Mayo cannot give even a guess as te
what Judge Hale did with the money In
all lie seems to have taken about $751;, COO
He did not have any vices that anyone
seems to know of.sand his methods of liv.
ing was comforta BILE, but not extravagant.
Trinity Chapel.