The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-09
ESPECIAL. TO THE PREss.I


Maplewood, October s.-The burial of
Mrs. Betsy r. Hobbs, was the only new
happening of today in the West Parsons
field affair. The funeral arrangements
outlined in this mornings PRESS were
fully carried out. The daughter, Miss
Rose A. Hobbs of Parsons1eld, the son,
Charles A. Hobbs of Foxboro, Masa., and
Mrs. Hobbs brother. Ira Thompson of
South Efingham, were the only relatives
present. The neighbors and friends In
large numbers attended the ceremony.
County Attorney W. T. Emmons and
Deputy Sheriff Jn mes II. Miles of Saco
arrived home today. The only county
officer left at the village of "Taylor
City" is Deputy Sheriff D. s. Beacham
are making quiet tndeavor to & ct at
bottom of the murder case, but matters
are somewhat at standstill. pending
the continuance of the coroner's inquest t.
Another discovery made BY the
physicians in their post mortem exami-
nation was that few shot penetrated
the Victims back as far down as the
theory mentioned in today's PRESS,
that the shooting was done at long range.
| County Attorney Emmons, who is very
| cautious in discussing the case, and has
declined to give his views of the matter,
acknowledged that his experience with
shot guns satisfied him that had the
shooting been done as near as twenty five
f0ot of he
the charge Of duck shot would not only
have scattered very little, but would
have deeply penetrated or gone com plete-
ly through the victim. The county at
torney means to have the case thoroughly
Investigated. He says that thus far no
Glue of any consequence has been dis
covered.
Parsonsfield will offer a reward for the
| detection OF the murderer.
A careful consideration OF the facts
thus far revealed seems to give force to
the theory, advanced In the PRESS story
| of Tuesday. that the shooting of the aged
widow might have been accidental, and
the burning of the body foolhardy and
against the reckless gunner.
If the gun was fred at long range, a.
the scattering of the shot proves, the
| shooting must have been done in the
woods, for the Hobbs homestead was
completely surrounded by forests Of
heavy growth on the Maine side. ard
saplings on the New Hampshire side. A
person intending robbery would hardly
have chosen q time in the day when
school children were likely to be passing
in that direction. II murder was In
tended, the villain would undoubtedly
have fred at as close range as possible, to
make sure of his work.
If the shooting was accidental, the
knowledge that hanging Is the capital
penalty in New Hampshire might have
led the gunner, in his bewilderment at
the discovery of his reokleEsness, to fear
that oapi tai punishment would overtake
him if he was detected, and hasty con-
clustons Influenced him to carry the dead
body into the house and set fire to It, in
tho expectation that people would take 1t
for granted that her clothing had acoi-
dentally taken aflre. Had five minutes
more elapsed before Charlie Littlefi cid
on bis way to school, discovered the fire,
the body Of the Widow Hobbs would
have been but a charred heap in the
ruins OF her home, and nobody would
have thought of looking for gunshou
wounds.