Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-10-22
Further Facts Relative to That
Now Famous Affair.
Evidence Of Well. known Citizens Who
Were Very Much Disguised
That He Should Escape When Once Sale in
Hands Of the Law.

Ing much attention In that section nf the
State where Burnham. Clinton. PittsfieId
and Canaan corner together and known
as the gore" But Deputy Sheriff Me-
Nally has made statement in the p,,b
| lie press that the Residents OF the afore-
said section are interested in. Mr. Me-
Naily says that he has been abused bv
the press and accuses the Journal renori-
| er OF making false statement He also
! says that the reporter soaked" him in
| the story of the arrest and escape of Mel
son which WAS published exciiisiyelv Il,
| the Journal Saturday morning In that
| story the reporter said that THE peonle
about there were wild. and some claimed
| that i was a put up job between Nelson
| and McNally." The Journal reporter has
| no desire to soak" Mr.. McNally. on
| the contrary. last Friday. he fell more
disposed 10 go lightly on the matter. |
| Sheriff Vles. who said he did not like to
| think that McNally had let Nelson off
purposely.
The true facts of the escape of Nelson
| have not been told in their completeness
| and L Is but fair now that the statement
| Of McNaliy at the time should he given
| TO the public. Sheriff Niles on learning
| the whereabouts of Nelson. urged Mo
| Nally to go with him AZ once and arrest
| The man. McNaiy said ~ would. but
| delayed matters in that direction until 1t
| was evident to everybody present that
| some kind of a blun was being worked
| aud this was suggested 10 Mr.. Niies
After nearly half an hours delay, Sheriff
Niies taking the Journal reporter along
| with him, started after Nelson himself
| The story of the arrest has been told and
need not be repeated. Returning 10 the
home of Nelson with the prisoner and
finding that Mr.. McSally had made no
| direct attempt to search the house, al
| though he had a warrant IN his pocket
| for that purpose. MIR. Nies turned Mel
| son over to McNally and proceeded with
| the searching business himself. 1t was
| while NllaS engaged in This that Nc
| Sally took the man whom he had eau
| toned all TO be careful Of that he would
| run If he got chance. and all that. out
| of the house TO the rear OF the barn, away
| from the people who had gathered 10 see
| This man taken 10 jail. thus affording
! this sprinter an opportunity to use his
| legs McNaliy is reported to have said in
/ an interview with reporter of a Bangor
paper that after he and Nelson had got
i out behind the barn he had occasion to
| look over his shoulder mt something or
| that the next thing he knew. Nelson was
running down the field: Now McNally
\ told a different story when he returned
| from the direction of the woods after his
| vain attempt TO catch Nelson. He said
| then: When he rose up | was standing
! right In front Of him with my hand on
| the position of his hand and showing dis
| ,inctly the butt of his revolver). but be-
| fore | could think what he was about. he
put his arm under my chin and kind OF
Mr.. Isaac Bean of Canaan. who was
present at the time told what he knew
| about the escape. as follows:
We stood here talking when McNally
| and Nelson went out behind the barn.
After they had been gone some time. a
couple of us went out to see what had
| become Of them. When got around the
| corner Of the barn ! saw Nelson and Nc
| Nally skedadding for the woods and |
| hoilered for the boys to come on. | felt
| all the time that he would get away If
1. ,-..ft Ill xt~.lt had oil
| had no business to so out there with
| him, for he knew he would run If he got
| half chance.
Mr. Bean afterward stated to the Jour
nal that he believed il was "a put up
| job" The first that the reporter knew
| of Nelson's getting away was when he
was sent by Sheriff Viles to ask Nelson
| if he had an overcoat to wear out to
Skowhegan. On going out of the door
| the reporter met Mr.. w. g. Foster Of
Pittsiicld. who is a lame man and could
was returning to the house, and seeing
| the reporter. said excitedly:
Il say that was a put up job
What is put up job?' was asked:
Why. letting that man get away.
What MANI?
Foster Nelson. He's gone off into the
woods
Sheriff Vilcs was notified and he was
mad all through, and when he suggested
that the crowd should pursue Nelson he
was informed that the man had 10 min
uttS start ana WAS III tflt WOOuS Every
body knew it would be fruitless to at
tempt to catch Nelson in those woods.
Nothing short of a regular man hunt with
large number of men would accomplish
anything. Another gentleman present on
the occasion was Alpheus Hunter and
was of the same opinion as the others re-
gardng the escape of Nelson. and he had
no scruplcS against saying So
Deputy Sheriff McNally several weeks
ago told a Lewiston reporter q very
pretty story about chasing the Nelson's
time of telling this story Mr.. McNally
seemed anxious to capture Nelson. tie
gave the reporter TO understand that he
was trying to find evidence of the fact
that the Nelson's had come in actual con-
tact with the property that had been
missed in the vicinity of the now famous
Gore" but he said nothing. nor has
anything before now been said about the
capias that he had in his possession re-
qurng him to take Nelson to Jail on
civil suit. Within the past few days
many Of McNally's acquaintance have
found out about these capias and are
asking why the officer should wait to
catch Nelson red-handed If he believed
that his man was committing all the
depredations reported. ii he had a war
rant for him. An arrest on the capias
would have relieved the neighbornood.
Mr.. McNally has still another story of
Nelson's escape in Lewiston paper. this
evening. In this last story he says that
they were ready to return to the house
and "he started few steps from me.
then jumped back and ram Or course
Nelson was preceding the officer. for
surely McNally would not expect him to
follow. Mr. McNally also lays his ina
bility to catch Nelson to his rheumatism.
This is a new feature in the case. He
says he planned that all should go into
the woods in the rear of the house while
they approached the house.
Such was not the fact. The house was
to be approached from all quarters. and it
was decided by Sheriff Viles that the
Journal man should cover the field in
rear of the house. The party had passed
the woman Mrs. Nelson. some distance.
and all were in sight of the house before
Mr.. McNally changed his plans. and
nothing would have prevented Nelson
from getting away had he been at home
and had he seen the three teams coming
up the road, 800 yards away.
1t is a matter of common knowledge
that Mentally had an attack of rheuma-
tism during the summer after he had
made several visits to Nelson's to search
for contraband goods. and it is generally
known that McNally is familiar with the
premises, so it nothing strange that he
should have known about some of the
articles that were found there as he
says he told Mr.. Hunter that he would
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