The Portland daily press., 1896-01-10
Those WaldrOn.Frost ANONYMOUS
Letters.
BUTTONS CAUSE CELEBRE STILL
ON TRIAL.
The Second Day of the Trial at Saco-Mrs
Frost Says Confession Which She
Didn't Read Was Frightened Out of
of Her-Great Interest in the Trial


Saco January 9.-The famous case of
Frost VS.. Waldron has continued to hold
the attention of the court today. This
suit of Mrs. Frost rose out of some very
queer complications which were briefly
outlined by Judge Savage in his opening.
William Crockett was the first witness.
live in Buxton; was in church the
Sunday when Rev. John D. Waldron
said that he had received an anonymous
letter. I walked home with him from
church. Mr.. Waldron said in church that
anyone who would write an anonymous
letter was scandal-monger and a thief
and was capable of any villainy. had
Mr. Waldron's note for one hundred dol
lars and he gave it to me for four
months. The note was over two years
overdue and one Thursday asked him
for the money. The next Monday my
wife received an anonymous letter.
thought the writing of the letter looked
like his, and took and compared the
writing with the note which he gave me
and then l was positive that he had
written the letter. II drove down to his
house one day and charged him with
writing the letter to my wife. He denied
it and said he never wrote but one anony-
nous letter and that was at Ocean Park.
We had some more conversation and he
said he had good mind to
KNOCK ME- OUT
of existence. I was the one who was in
strumentaI in getting up the church
council, the council which found him
guilty of writing the anonymous letter.
Ihave known people TO receive anonymous
letters in the village before There was
considerable excitement in the village
over this matter. There was some trouble
in the choir. Mr. Waldron told me that
he had heard stories in reference TO Mrs.
LII. Fellows. He said he believed that
she was Il bad woman and that he did
not Relieve she was fit woman to be en-
trusted with Sabbath school class.
told him l did not believe the stories. He
said some of the parents were going to
take their children from her class. He
seemed to me to be trying to Islander and
lnJure the woman.
Able q. Smith, a deacon OF the church,
who was on the stand yesterday, was re-
Jf.
Sunday and heard Elder Waldron say the
man who would write anonymous letters
was coward, 0onsummate coward and
knave. He expressed himself fOrcibly''
Cross-examined by Mr.. Hamilton
Have heard that anonymous letters were
in circulation in the village Mrs.
Fellows taught in the Sunday school. I
had heard stories in reference to her
character; had talked with Elder Waldron
and he talked with me in regard to the
propriety OF her teaching in the Sunday
school. Mrs. Fellows sang in the choir,
Mr.. Waldron had daughter and she
did not sing in the choir.
Charles Hobson: I reside in Buxton,
and know the parties l saw Elder Wal
dron July 81, 1884, in the forenoon. He
showed me letter marked exhibit sC'
which was the anonymous letter received
by Elder Waldron. / advised him to de-
stroy the letter and not to show it to
anyone. Elder Waldron said he never
wrote but one anonymous letter in his
life and that was because a sermon he
had preached was not printed in full.
Wilbur G. Townsend: I live at West
Buxton and am Il barber. Mrs. Frost has
been at my house five or six years. paid
her $3 per week at first; then / paid 80
per week. Mrs. Frost was at Old
Orchard July IS, 30 and 80, 1894 She re-
turned on the evening of July 30.
Cross examined: I discharged Mrs.
Frost as my housekeeper on account of
her being accused of writing anonymous
letters. l have never stated to anyone
that she left my house because her mother
died, and she had to go home / never
told any one that my business bad fallen
of SO that l could not afford to keep her.
have not had Il housekeeper since she
went away. l set down in book the day
Mrs. Frost and 1 went to Old Orchard.
at 11.30 Mrs. Mary J. Frost the
PLAINTIFF IN THE CASE
took the stand in her own behalf: 81 re-
side in Auburn; kept house for Mr..
Townsend in Auburn; for about six
years. He Is cousin to me; went to Old
Orchard with Mr. Townsend July rs,
1894, and did not get back till the Both.
Have seen the anonymous letters marked
b. and 'C' and first saw them in
February. I did not write those letters
or any part of them. / had no knowledge
of them whatever. ] just knew l was
charged with the writing of the letter of
February III, 1895, when freeman Smith
came to my house at South Liyermore.
Mr.. Smith said he came to get my sigma
ture to writing. He said he wanted TO
see me privately. / told him would see
MN III 6Te common living room. HE SAID
he happened to be going that way and he
called in. He said he wanted to See me
privately and he wanted to obtain NV
signature to a little document which
would settle matters in West Buxton in
regard to the anonymous letters. I told
him / did not know what had to do
with the matter. Well,' he says Il do,
you wrote the letters to Rev. Mr.. Waldron
and Mrs. Crockett told him did NOT.
Then he said you wrote the letter TO
Alice Marston. Yes. I said, Il did. but
did not write the other letters Than
Mr.. Smith said, we have taken the
letters to Portland expert and he saws
that it is your handwriting. Now, have
told the Buxton people that the best way
out of 1t is for you to sign paper have
here confessing that you wrote the
letters. If you don't Mr.. Waldron and
Lee NcCorrisoa will make 1t hot for you.
You know what an old blabmouth the
old man AcCorrison is and he will do all
he can to injure you. and then he went
on to say that Lee McCorrison would
spend his last dollar to injure me for
writing the letter to Alice Marston, now
Mrs. MoCorrison.
:" No one in Buxton suspects you,
Mr.. Smith said, of writing the letters,
and II they did know it, they would kill
you. The only ones who would know
n hOUt the Uri hi N ~ of the lattars would bo