The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-15
"WIDOW AND SON

VI ull0 lrtO0 OOnu W lloOn DdEIOu, lOf
whose murderers a pardon is now asked,
because the petitioners say they believe
there was no murder, most earnestly
protest against the granting of pardon
on any such grounds. In the past we
have defended the honor of a murdered
husband and father in bitter controversy
with the leaders of these petitions, in the
full belief that he gave his life to preserve
from these convicted men the treasure of
his bank, which these petitioners have
been wasting in attempts to prove him a
suicide. We have patiently borne the
bitterness of the struggle and have spared
neither trouble nor expense to guard
against their injustice. We have had
anguishe so keen we trust they may never
know what it is to. endure it, Now we
demand that these petitioners shall not
be permitted to undermine the decision
of the courts on this question, which is
dearer to US than life itself by seeking
the intervention OF executive power to
arbitrarily override Judicial determine
ton We respectfully submit that it is
unmanly and dishonorable for them to
ask the determination in this way of a
question SO vital to us; and that it is not
to the credit of human nature that they
ask for it from alleged motives of
humanity.
Dexter, Me-, August lU, 1880.
CHLOE P. BARRON,
"WILSON D. BARRON
When the hearing was resumed today
Mr.. Pierce brought into the room a little
piece of wood that has history. 1t is
about four inches long and looks like
section of a broom hadle Midway be-
tweens the ends of the little piece of wood
is bored small hole, and at the ends cut
around the stick are little grooves to
iol, ct iS tipG ho+ hole
is there for sinister purpose. Should
the little piece OF wood be forced into
mans mouth, he could breathe through
that little hole, the piece of wood being
held in place by the string fastened to
the grooves in the wood, and passing
around the mans head. The little piece
of wood is the gag used on the cashier of
that institution was robbed of 500, 900 in
securities in 1874, the cashier being taken
to the bank and forced to open the vault
after being tortured until flesh and blood
could no longer stand it. Mr.. Pierce
produced this gag to show that burglars
might have used the pail handle found in
Barron mouth as gag. The
sulclders have alleged that bank rob-
bers would not use such contriyance
Mr: Pierce had some interesting stories
to tell this forenoon. He has been in
Massachusetts lately in the region where
Stain and Cromwell lived and were we'll
known, and there Mr.. Pierce has found
reputable persons who say that Stain has
said that he once lived in Dexter, that he
is hond nhown " bi TO naanst carried
Cromwell said in the fail of 1877 that he
had been on a trip, down east
Mr.. Pierce found that for three years
just previous to the Dexter bank robbery
Stain had worked during the summers on
the farm of Mr.. George A. Dorr in
Franklin, Mass. Mr. Dorr is a man who
years psfofs b ha ae fed IN a Dexter and Mr. r.
had been In Dexter. At the ti,ne of the
trial Mr.. Dorr recalled this statement of
Stains and remarked upon it to his
wife. Mr.. Derr's brother law, Mr.
George Fl. Corcoran, $50 once lived in;