The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-17
WIDOW HOBBS DEATH.
Inquest On Parsonsfield Shooting
Affair.
TESTIMONY DISCLOSES LITTLE TO
THROW LIGHT ON AFFAIR.


Tho Two Suspected Boys Give Their Testi-
mony-Man Who Claimed to See Them
Refused to Identify Them Positively-
Verdict VIII Be Given Today.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss1
Maplewood. October 16.-Ths interest
In the tragic death Of the aged widow.
Betaey R. Hobbs, October 9th, has shown
no sign of abatement among the border
towns of Parsonsfield and Eflngham.
Today the interest WAS intensified by q
resumption OF the ooroner's inquest,
which was begun the day following the
tragedy.
Nothing has been done toward clearing
up the ruins of Mrs. Hobbs's little dwell
ling. from which hes dead body, with
its gunshot wounds, was extracted by
neighbors just before the blazing roof
fell. The daughter, Mas Susan A. Hobbs,
has resumed her amploymenti in the fami-
ly Of villager, and the son, Charles A.
Hobbs, who was intending to take his
mother to his home iu Foxnoro, sMass.,
to spend the winter with him, has re-
turned home. The house will never be
REBUILT at least not by any member of
the stricken family.
Coroner Brad bury came up from Saoo
by ths oircuitous rail and stage route.
Instead of reassembling at the residence
Of George Beal at "Taylor City," where
the autopsy was held, the jury met today
at the boarding house Of John Z. Went
worth, ON the east shore Of Province
pond. The yard was lined with blank
eted horses, when the ooronef arrived,
and the scene much resembled that of q
town meeting. Beside the doctors. Jurors
and about ten witnesses who hadsbeen
summoned, there were at the house many
Of the villagers, who had driven over to
hear the latest news about Parsonsfeld' g
greatest sensation. Sheriff N. N. Hurd
came over from Alfred and Deputy
Sheriff D. 8. Beaoham drove from Linn
erick. County Attorney W. T. Emmons
and Deputy Sheriff ]. H. Miles of Haco
have been about here sinoe Su nday. pur-
suing q still hunt in the case.
1t was 2.50 O'Clock when the inquest
was started. First oams the testimony
covering the disclosures Of the autopsy,
which were outlined In the PRESS ten
days ago In brief, the autopsy showed
that cath was instantaneous and was
due to the gunshot wounds; the shot
were No. 4. duck shot. and were widely
scattered over the back of the head, then
the neck and the back; the lungs and
heart were penetrated. The nature of
the burns upon the chest showed that
the clothing was set a fire after death.
The Inquest was conducted In private,
but as the witnesses after being exam
ined remained about the premises, 1t
was not dihaouls matter to keep the
run sf the testimony. The crowd out
side was inten ssly interested when
Charles Savage was called into the house
to be subjec ted TO the grinding process.
Again when it was shown that Frank
Palmer was undergoing examination
shere were many active pairs Of eyes and
ears outside the jury room.
These two boys were cunning on the
day Mrs. Hobbs was killed, and their
movements that forenoon have been made
the subject of much pertinent inquiry
by the officers at work on the case. The
boys were examined separately and were
not permitted to be In each others COM
pany pending their visits to the jury
room. Savage, the elder, is 90 years of
age. Palmer Is 49, Savage's home is on
the New Hampshire side. outside the
jurisdiction of Maine coroners and sher-
ifs, but he made no objection TO attend
ing the inquest. His father and the faith
or Of the Palmer boy drove over and re-
manned about the premises all the after
noon.
The testimony of these boys was sub
stantially the same as outlined in the
interview published In the PRESS last
week. They claim that they were gun
ming in Mr.. Savage's woods; had NO duok
shot in their possession. did not go
within two miles Of the Hobbs place and
knew nothing Of the tragedy till tn e
middle Of the afternoon, when they were
digging potatoes on the Savage farm
and Arthur Savage,a brother of Charles.
came home from the village.
George Taylor was regarded as one Of
the most important witnesses before
the jury today. 1t was he whom our
rent report credited with having seen
Charles Savage and Frank Palmer in
the road near the Hobbs house, about
an hour before the fire was discovered.
In his interview with thesPRESS re-
preventative last week, Mr.. Taylor ad-
mitted that he saw two boys turn from
the road into the woods Oh the New
Hampshire side, about 20 rods ahead Of
him, when he was driving by the Hobbs
place at 8 O'Clock on the morning of
October 9th and that one OF them car
ried gun. But Mr. Taylor did not say
in his interview that he positively iden-
tilted the boys. The coroner and his jury
were unable to get d more definite an
swer than this from Mr.. Taylor. He
could not state for certainty who the
boys were. though he thought at the time
that he recognized them and on account
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