The Portland daily press., 1896-10-07
rspEc1A1. TO THE rnEss.1

| ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.1
| Maplewood, October 6.-The coroner g
jury had its first inning in the Parsons
| field murder and arson case today. The
| members Of the panel and the county
officers most interested in the case were
gotten together under adverse circum
| stances.
| In spite of the endeavors of DR.. J. W.
| Dearborn, last night, he was unable to
fna a coroner who could devote to the
investigation the time and effort the i'm
portance.of the case demanded. But this
morning he succeeded in reaching Coro-
ner B. G. Bradbury of Saoo and that
official agreed to take hold of the affair.
He started from Saoo at 9.15, accom-
panied by Mrs. Verrill, stenographer.
went by train to Conway junction,
thence to East Wakefield, N. H., and
| from there drove ten miles to the scene
OF, the murder, reaching there about two
O'Clock.
Sheriff M. N. Hurd of Alfred and
County Attorney W. T. Emmons of
Saco. who also happened to be at Alfred,
drove across country and we're on hand
when the Inquest began. Deputy Sheriff
James H. Miles Of Saoo, came up by
team. Deputy Sheriff Dana s. Beaoham
Of Limerick was the first county officer
| to arrive on the grounds. He drove over
| last night and has been on continuous
duty ever since.
The three seleotmen of the town
Brackett 7. Lord of East ParsonsAeld.
Peleg Benton of Kczar Falls and George
P. Davis Of South Parsons1eld got to-
gether before the inquest and privately
| talked over the situation. They nre
gentlemen who make no show of their
| acts, but it was very evident fran the
earnestness Of the session that they
mean to do their full part toward hunt
| ing down the murderers of poor, Widow
Betsy r. Hobbs, who was SO brutally
slaughtered in her little home, yesterday
| morning.
As soon as Coroner Bradbury arrived
on the scene he called tog ether the six
good men whom he had authorized to be
summoned to compose his panel. They
were ex-senator and Sheriff-alect Usher
B. Thompson, Luther e. Sanborn, Joseph
81. Chadbourne, DR.. E. d. Chellis
Dominious Kicker and Simon NJ. Young.
The county attorney assisted in the OK
animation of witnesses.
The inquest was held in the parlors OF
the residence Of George Beal, at the
| northeast corner of the crossroads which
glories in the name of "Taylor City"
| The first formal act OF the panel, after
taking the oath, was to view the remains
of the murdered woman. The body was
exposed to the view of the jurors in all
apartment of the ell of the Beal resi-
denoe. The face was less affected by the
flames and smoke than one would have
been led to believe by the exaggerated
rumors that were flying yesterday. The
iron gray hair was neatly combed back.
exposing motherly, careworn face
| There was flush upon the Rohesks.
Small drops of clotted biood we're to be
seen in the neck, on the back of the head
and between the shoulder blades, mark
ing the places where the shot lodged. AT
the request of one Of the jul ors, DR.. J..
W. Dearborn removed one of the shot, 1t
was what In known as No. 4 shot. too
large for partridges or other small game,
hut suitable for duck shooting. DR.. J.
M. Leavitt of Ellington, who was the
first physician no arrive at the scene OF
the fire. and the first to discover the shot
wounds. was able to testify in detail re.
garding the number of shot and the
depth of their penetration.
| There was a burned place ON one thigh.
but the limbs were soorched but very
little. The work Of the flames was chiefly
manifest about the chest. where the skin
was blaokened TO the color of leather.
Charlie Littlefeld, the school boy who
discovered the fire, was the first witness
called hefore the jury. He was on his
way to school, very near the school house
when he discovered the smoke issuing
from the widows domicils. He made
an outcry that called the scholars from