Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-11

y
many peculiarities of this remarka-
BILE homicide. To these facts and cir
cumstances we desire to especially call
your attention and the physicianss and
showing in measure his mental con-
dition. L
The boy was morn in Amesbury,
Mass, on the 18th day of January,
1874. He was the fourth, of a family
of eight children. all living. His
parents are and always have been re-
spectacle, intelligent, law-abiding
Christian people The prisoner was
born a healthy. well-developed, lusty
child, and grew up to the age of
years a bright happy. laughing child
until a fatal day in September, 1878,
while at play with another child upon
What is known as carriage brow, he
met with an accident To the injuries
to the little boys head on that SUM-
mer's day, science. we believe, will
trace the death of Mr.. Stickney
1.-THE place from which the Kelley boy
fell was distance of from u to IA feet
from the ground. He was picked up in
an unconscious state and remained un-
conscious for two or three days. A wit
ness will say that he went to the place
where the accident happened and picked
up board with common l0-penny nail
driven through it. He says the nail was
rusty and he noticed that there was
blood upon at least half inch of it. The
nail looked as if small piece of it had
been recently broken off. During the
period that he was confined in bed from
the injury, he suffered from what is COM
monty called fits or commissions and that
he continued to have fits up to the age
of about 13 or IA. Joe used to complain
of headache good deal and of a kind of
l.
also talk about seeing the devil. When
he was Is or 16 years of age he used to
say that the devil was here or there or
in his room or somewhere all the time.
He did not care for money at all. He
one time took two S. gold pieces and one
tered with two stones. He was 10 or IL
years old at that time. Another time he
took a gold watch and chain from the
house and gave it to boy for New
| York pictorial newspaper. He was sent
| to the reformatory because he took so
many things that did not belong to him.
| He was finally arrested for taking tent
| which he took out into the woods and
| lived in it for two or three weeks.
Zone day he was passing along the
| road with two other boys and he saw
a man in field at work. He had
revolver in his pocket and took it out
and fired twice at the man. He did
not know the man and when he was
asked why he did it he would make no
reply. Once he shot himself in the
arm. He said that there was a man in
front of him and he tried to shoot him
and put the shot through his own arm.
He seemed to be always afraid and kept
a sword in his room to defend himself
with. and always carried a revolver in
his pocket.
| He wrote letter to his father while
he was at Grants hotel, stating that he
was going to build hotel on hill in
Amesbury; that it was to cover two
acres of land and be the finest hotel in
! the country and that he was going to
| entertain all the nobility of England
| in it. When he was in the Concord
| prison he wrote a letter in regard to an
| elephant. in which he said: You done
| a good job on that elephant, | was
watching you. He tried to crush you
up against the wall, but you knocked
| him down with the hammer and put
the shoe on him in great shape"
! We shall have a number of witnesses
| from Amesbury, who will testify as to
his having fits and his peculiarities
when he played ball with them and
/
+ Two letters were put in evidence, this
morning. that We make a part of our
! case. One of these is addressed to Miss
Olive Stone, Berwick, Me-, and the other
to his father. They are those subject on
| his person when he was taken into GUS
tody. and they have ever since been in the
| custody of the states attorney or the
| officers, and this is the first time we have
seen them. They are as follows
''St. Lazare, Canada.
Dear Father-When you receive this
shall be with my maker. l am going to
hell and help my friend the devil. l have
always worked for him. l could not help
it. He would talk and laugh with me.
and now he points his finger at me and
grins. but I cannot hurt him. I met
fellow in Dover. one night. l did not
know him, but he did me. He said he was
at the reform school the same time 1 was
and that he was going to Dow a safe.
and wanted to know where there was a
good one. 1 told him about the bank, but
he said that he could not break that. He
went in the bank but he said that he
could not break it.
He went in the bank one noon time
but Miss SwaZey was there and he asked
for Mr.. Libby, so he gave up the Job that
noon. The next noon l went in to see if
anyone was there, SO in order to have
something to go in for, I forged Eds
name to an order for stamps and then
went out and told him the coast was
|
coming. l went up on the hill and he put
for somewhere to hide the stuff, and
while l was at dinner he was up in my
room. When I finished dinner I was to
get a team and we were to divide the
spoils. He then told me that he had fixed
the old man. and 1 got so frightened that
l did not know what to do. so drove for
Canada and now l shall drive for hell.
4 love you but am not worthy of you.
! If it were not for me all would have went
well, but Stickney is dead and although
didn't do it, 1 feel just as if had. God
bless you, darling, and l hope We'll meet
in the next world. could not be good,
for 1 tried awful hard. 1 stole money
from the safe in Grants hotel and l owe
Mrs. w. $25. and Annie Knox, $14. Pay
these bills for me. My love for all at
home and God bless you all. You will
find my body in the house at the beach.
(Signed) JOE"
st. Lazare, Canada.
Dear Olive-When you receive this l
shall be cold in death. have always
t tried to do right, but the devil has now
me with him for good. / did not touch
Mr. Stickney, so l shall not die with
blood on my hands and 1 don't know the
name of the fellow that did, but if l had
behaved myself he would be living now.
for | laid out the plans but did not know
r he was going to kill him. You can get
your stamps by sending to the post office
in Montreal 1t is marked l.. J, Sullivan.