Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-12-23
in print. and wanted to help me straigbten

Y
hadn't skipped out. Then my wife wrott
Al a letter, sending the clipping taken
from the paper Soon after we got reply
| AL said such thing as he having COM
mitted tho murder couldn't be believed
for that Saturday night he was at neigh
bor's house which he mentioned. Now
this was long time after the murder, and
AL couldn't say off hand where he wa.
that night such thing would be called
impossible, but the letter contained his
statement, and now they are claiming
that Al didn't tell the truth.
1.-The same newspaper man have spoken
Of came to me soon after got word from
AL and / showed him the letter. He
wanted to keep 1t and allowed him to dc
So Now on inquiry it was found that Al
was not at the house he claimed i'll the
letter on that Saturday night. He was
there the Saturday night previous, and il
had been such long time that he had got
the two saturdays confused. That he was
| tDtrb Llt Qdy L SAAS PSAScA "hoi''
| he visited will testify.
Anyway, it is claimed that he told
different stories about it, but any fair
minded person can see that his mistake
was a natural one. To show that he was
sincere and wanted to tell where he was
that night, he remembered afterward that
he was at home and told me about it.
We all remembered when he told Us about
Mr.. Kcens coughing spell and there are
three persons who know he was ut home
An the time Al wal under suspicion,
this ne wspaocr man pretended to DE our
friend He called often and had our ut
most confidence We gave him all the
letters we received from Al, and the govern
ment has them now. We kept nothing
back from anyone who asked for informa-
tion We all knew at home that AL was
innocent of any crime, and wanted the
suspicion wiped out of the public mind.
Il consider our arrest an outrage; look
at US; do we look like men who killed
that poor old man for his money!
We are innocent. We have done moth
ing to Ee subjected to such treatment as
we have had to yield to. But Knowing
our innocence, we have nothing to fear.
1t is but for time, and very short time
that we are here Then the world will
know of the great wrong done us.
THE government it is said, claims that
the murder was committed at such "a time,
but the persons whom have mentioned
to YOU will show that when We are sup
posed to bave been in the Sawyer barn we
were two miles away.
1T is claimed that Al skipped out OF
town the next day, but he told lots OF peo-
pie days before the crime was committed
that he was going that Monday, and so it
goes all the way through the case.
1T is claimed that am bigamist, and
the story has been published to the world.
I ask to be allowed to refute that charge
| was married in Richmond about ii years
ago, and my son, boy II years old, was
born by my first wife. Three years after,
by her own petition, we were legally
divorced, and the record stands in the
Sagadahoc county, today.
My life is one open book. l have never
done a wrong In my life. From the time
| was old enough to walk my history is
known to the people of this county, and
it can be learned easily"
Albert Thompson sat close to his brother
while Edgar told his story, and while ap-
pearing anxious for the time to come when
he could tell his all about himself, and
meet the charges which are against him,
he did not interrupt. In the public press
he has been branded as wild desperate,
and the allegation of the government Is
that 1t was he who fired the fatal shot.
Il never knew Mr. Sawyer; l never
saw his house to my recollection, and if
was asked to point 1t out it would be i'm
possible for me to do so. | never heard of
the man until I read the story of his mur-
der In newspaper. l have never been a
Sunday school boy, and don profess to be
any saint, but the charges that l murdered
sawyer and that have been a thief are
deliberate lies.
II am innocent of both charges
1t was in this manner that Albert
Thompson began his story. He wanted
the fact that he was not frightened at the
grasp which the law had on him, and that
he was innocent, proclaimed to the world,
and before he began his narrative wanted
the assurance that it would be.
1t had been stated, he said, that he had
weakened on his arrest, and had made
damaging admissions. This, he feared,
had caused people to think that he was
guilty and was afraid Of the coming result.
This impression he wanted wiped ont of
the public mind Immediately, and wanted
the people to believe that he was the in
nocent man he claims to be.
The story of Albert Thompson corrobo-