The Portland daily press., 1897-12-27
DEBAUCH WAS FATAL.
William Best Of Portland Meet
Fatal Accident.
WHILE DRUNK FELL AND FRAC
TURED his SKULL.
Had just Come Out OF Woods and was
About Town Drinking With Conn
panion-Has Wifo and Four Children
In This City.

About Town Drinking With Conn
| panion-Has Wife and Four Children
In This City.
BPECIAL TO TEE PREsS1
Bangor, December 26.-William Best
OF Portland, met his death in this city
Saturday evening, by falling down stairs
whether he WAS killed accidentally or
was pushed down the stairs by some per-
son, is question which the police and
coroner will try to solve. Best has
been working all summer for the Reding-
ton Mills Lumber company at Redington,
IN somerset county. He left there last
wednesday, having finished the seasons
work with the lumber company
After quitting work he fell in with an
other man, named Frank Sawyer. The
Portland man told him that there was
plenty OF work to be had on the new rail-
road in Warrington county and that he
mad better come with him and get job
Tor the winter. Sawyer agreed and the
cWo strarted to tramp to Bangor. r,
When Best left his work he had quite a
sum of money with him. The first night,
wednesday,, was spent in Pennington,
and there the two men got to drinking.
and Best spent nearly all of his summers
savings. They reached Bangor Setur-
day. They fell in with Cornelius Haley,
well-known character with the Bangor
police, and after talking for time, Haley
proposed that they go get something to
(nat hnu >g>,4 Oe1
and they returned to the wharf and drank
| 1T.
Af.er a time Haley and Best left Saw
yer and started on up town. On their
way they met Dennis Mooney of Bangor,
who has known Best for several years.
Mooney gave HIM quarter. This was
about $50 o'clock. Best and Hale took
the money and went into saloon on
Broad street and purchased another pint
of rum. Haley then proposed that they
go to his home, and Best agresd to 1t.
They finally arrived there after having
street in house also occupied by Martin
Kitty and Mrs. Lynch. Haley's rooms
are upstairs.
| When they arrived at the house, Haley
got his wife to prepare some supper for
them. After supper, SO Mrs. Haley says,
Best said that he was going out, and
Haley told him to wait until he went into
the other room and get his hat, and he
would go with him. Mrs. Haley stepped
| along to the door, at the top of the stairs
and opened it to show Best tho way out.
She turned and went back into the room
and met Haley coming out Of another
room on his way down stairs When he
arrived at the bottom he found Best lying
| on the floor. In the meantime the Kitty
family had heard disturbance and Henry
Kitty arrived at the foot of the stairs
about the same time that Haley did.
They found that the man could not get
up, so Kitty lugged him up stairs and
Haley followed. They laid Best on a
lounge and covered him with heavy
quilt.
| Haley went and laid down and Mrs.
Haley pulled up her chair to the stove
and sat there, waiting for her son to come
home. He arrived shortly after midnight
and upon preparing to go to bed, found
| that Best was occupying the lounge, up
on which he slept. When the boy pulled
the quilt off of Best, he exclaimed, "Why,
| mother, this man is dead .i'4st
Mrs. Haley rushed to the side Of the
lounge and found that what her son said
was true. She aroused the Kitty fami-
ly and Mrs. Lynch and young Kitty was
sent for a physician. DR.. Butler, the
city physician, was called and found that
the man had been dead several hours.
When he fell down stairs he fractured his
skull. The doctor notified the police and
| the man was removed to the undertaking
| establishment of Finnigan Brothers.
The police arrested Haley and locked
him up.
| Sawyer says that Best could not have
had more than 81 cents when they strucl,
Bangor. He said that he had heard him
say that he had not lived with his wife
| for some time. Several letters were found
| in the pockets of the dead man. One was
| from Y. M. Odlin Of Redingtou, which
notified Best to be on hand on certain
morning to go to work. The other was
from the dead mans sister, "Susie
It was written last July from Fitch burg,
Mass. From the letter it would seem that
she wanted to borrow some money from
| Best.
| Coroner Finnegan will hold an inquest
probably on Monday. He says that the
case is one that should be looked into
and he would rather have jury take the
responsibility of settling it than assume
| it himself
| Best is about feet 10 inches tall, and
probably 95 or 38 years Of age. He has
sandy complexion and would probably
| weigh 140.
| Mrs. Best lives at "A Hampshire street.
this city, and supports her family of four
children, the Oldest of whom is about
IA, and the youngest seven. She has sup
ported herself and the children by work
| ing as o rag picker. Best has not been