The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-06
ESPECIAL TO THE rkEss.i

ESPECIAL TO THE PRESS
Cornish, October 5.-Ths telephone
wires in both directions frora hsre have
been kapt busy tonight, with messages
from Maplewood, summoning coroners
and county officers to assist In invssti-
eating combined murder and arson
case in the town Of Parsons6eld.
Mrs. Betsy Hobbs, aged rs CARS. wid
ow OF William Hobbs, lived in small
farm house in what Is known aH Taylor
City, in the western part of the town,
about half way between the little village
OF Maplewood and the New Hampshire
border town of Efansham. Since her
husbands death the son had gone to
New Hampshire to work, and she re-
mained at the homestead, with the
daughter. The daughter latterly accepted
temporary place Of employment t a
neighbours, and the aged widow was thus
left the sole occupant of the home. The
nearest neighbor lived quarter of a
mile away.
This morning, about $50 O'Clock, a
company Of school children passing the
house saw smoxs issuing from 1t. Rush
ing into the yard, they shouted an alarm,
but seeing nothing of Mrs. Hobbs, they
opened the door and looked In. The
rooms were filed with smoke. but their
gaze penetrated it's density sufficiently tc
enable them to see the prostrate body of
the lone widow, surrounded by flame.
She lay face upward ON the sitting room
floor, her feet projecting into the hall
way.
The fire ad gained such Roadway that
there was no hope Of saving the home
stead, and even to rescue the blackened
corpse seemed an undertaking too
hazardous to attempt.
The school children succeeded in sum-
monins assistance. and just before the
blazing roof fell, strong hands bore the
body forth from its pyrs. 1T was charred
and blistered almost beyond recogni-
tion. 1t was tenderly borne beyond the
reach Of flying embers and covered with
a quilt till the assembled farmers could
transport it to the nearest farm house.
| Up to the time of its being conveyed
there, nobody had suspected murder. 1t
was taken for granted that Mrs. Hobbs
had in some way got her clothing on FIRE
and had fallen insensible on the floor be.
fore she could get to the door. But
a discovery made after the body
arrived at tho neighbor' house gave
new and more sensational aspect tc
| the affair.
A few drops of bl ood were seen upon
the neck. They evidently came from q
small wound there. DR.. J. W. Dear
born of MapIewood, who had heard the
news of the fire and driven to the Hobbs
place, made hassy examination and
found several small shot lodged in the
back of the head and neck.
| The discovery was at first kept Sc
cret, in the hope that something might
transpire to aid in discovering the per.
petrators of the crime. But the heap Of
smoldsring ashes of the Hobbs homestead
offered no clue to aid in the investisa.
tton. Then the news of the finding Of
the shot gun wounds became generally
known and intensifle ed the excitement ot
the neighborhood.
AS to the motive, there are varied
| theories. The one most generally ao
oepted is that the murderer intended rob-
berry, and after gaining his purpose sci
fire to the house and to her clothing. tc
hide his crime. But the whole towr
knew the widow Hobbs, and none svel
regarded her as tempting mark for 8
robber. In fact. she was in suoh humble
circumstances that 1t il doubtful IF ST.
in cash could be found in her home.
"Whom do you suspeot?" the PRESS
reporter asked of one of Parsonsheld' ;,
sturdy citizens who prominently figured
in the discovery of the gunshot wounds.
"We have our suspioions," he replied
but do not deem 1t wise to mention
them at this time"
SIS 1t likely that the crime was com
mittted> by tTampss" the reporter oon-
tinued.
''More likely it was the work O.