The Portland daily press., 1897-06-07

matter CHARLES Winchester drove up TO
them, his horse covered with foam, and
told the county sheriff, Usher B. Ihomp-
son, of Newfield, that he wanted a war
rant for the arrest of Fred Witham Tor
shooting Mrs. Kimball. The county
sheriff put his hand on Winchester and
told him that Witham was safely lodged
in jail and that he would take him up
to see him. He took Winchester to the
jail and placed him in cell to be held
as witness unless some other charge
should be preferred against him.
A woman is at the bottom OF the case.
Her name is Lillian Russell. She is
but 10 years of age, but widow. She
belongs in Lewiston and her mothers
William Buck, SO Main street, Lewiston.
She has one child, a little girl, two years
old. Her husband was Fred Russell of
Portland and he died when the child
was only six months old. She says that
she first met Winchester at the Maine
State Fair at Lewiston, five years ago;
that he has been good friend to her and
is troubled with heart disease and when
the shooting occurred she fell to the
floor in a dead faint, recovered and
swooned again while being questioned
by the county sheriff and county attorney
at the home of Mrs. Kimball in South
WATERFORD. Mrs. Russell says that she
has been boarding with the Kimballs in
South WATERFORD a greater part of the
time since last spring, but that she spent
part OF the time at the home of Charles
l.. Winchester in Springvale. A few
weeks ago she found that trouble was
brewing in the Winchester household over
her and Eto escape it she left and went
to Alfred. She then met Fred Witham
who fell desperately in love with her. He
wanted her to go to Somersworth, N. H.,
and told her that if she did not consent
he
WOULD KILL HER,
Winchester and himself. She was fright
ened and ran away, going to Annie Days
on the road leading to Sanford from AL
fred. Thursday night Charles Winchester
called at Mrs. Days place and took Mrs.
Russell with him to Mrs. Kimballs in
South WATERFORD She says that Witham
has several times threatened to kill both
herself and Winchester and that he -four
ished revolver while making these
threats. She was glad to know that he
was behind prison bars.
1t was Two years ago that Fred Witham
did time in the York county jail. He
broke into the house of Mrs. Kimball in
Alfred, and stole several articles, includ-
ing colonel's uniform that was worn by
Mr.. Kimbal during the war of the rebel
lion
Edgar Nessler, the man who went with
Witham to the home of the Kimballs in
South WATERFORD, says he was sent by
Mr.. Knights, the proprietor of the hotel,
to accompany Witham who, notwith-
tanding his claim that he was a Pinker-
ton detective, was known to Knights.
Nessler says that Witham had some talk
with Winchester at the Kimball house
and demanded that he get into the team
and go with them, to which Winchester
replied that he wouldn't, and then went
and got his gun. Upon this, Witham re-
turned to the team and got in. Then he
took 36-calibre revolver of the bull dog
pattern from his pocket, with the re-
mark, "Guess I'd better see if this thing
will work all right" and fired shot at
the ground. The report, Nessler says,
frightened the horse and therefore he was
unable to see in what direction Witham' S
next shot was fired. Winchester, he
says, knelt down and fired at Witham
under the clothes that were hanging on
the line, but the shot did not take effect.
They were then some some so or 80 feet
from the house and Witham fired three
more shots. He claims that the bullet
that struck Mrs. Kimball was spent
ball and the officers will take measure
ments to ascertain if this is the fact.
One thing that sustains this position
is the fact that one bullet lodged in the
thick portion of the door and George
Knight says that if this had been fired
at close quarters it would have passed
entirely through three-inch plank.
DR.. Emery was summoned to attend
Mrs Kimball and after good deal of
probbing succeeding in extricating the
bullet. He said that if it had entered
one-eighth of an inch further it would
have proved fatal. AS it is she will re-
cover. Nessler-heard Will Kimball shout
to Witham that he had shot his mother,
but both he and Witham thought it was
a bluff and for that reason did not go
back.
Witham is about 25 and Winchester is
% The latter is the grandson of Mrs.
William Kimball, the injured woman.
There is a great deal of excitement over
the affair and a thorough investigation
is to be made by the county officials.