The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-12
"nEN CRAZY OVER ME. !"
Sentence May Explain Murder in
Fall River.
WESTPORT FARMER ACCUSED OF
SLAYING ANOTHER.
GU uarrel Over Woman the Alleged
Motive for the Deed-Accused Man
Says Killing Was an Accident-Wcman
in Case Has Little to Say.

Motive for the Deed-Accused Man
Says Killing Was an Accident-W Woman
in Case Has Little to Say.
Fall River, Mass, July 11.-Holder
Alonzo Trip, a farmer of Westport, was
found on the New Bedford road at a late
hour last night, and Jerry Manchester,
another Westport farmer, is under arrest
in this city charged with the murder.
Trip lived on Fishers, Westport, and
for some time past until week ago had
as his housekeeper, Sarah Reagan, who
was also known as Sarah Smith. About
week ago, Manchester, who was in
fatuated with the woman, married her
and took her from Tripp's house to his
own on Sanford's s road.
The marriage and the removal of the
woman have caused much jealousy and
bad feeling between the two men, but
what has passed between them was
known only to themselves and Mrs.
Manchester. Last night Manchester and
his wife drove into Fall River and Tripp
also came into the city with his own
team. The 5wo men were drinking to-
gether in Sexton s saloon in Flint village,
but they are not known to have quarrelled
while together and nothing is known of
their movements after leaving the saloon
except by the statements made by Man
chester after his arrest. About IL 80 D, m.
the last car on the New Bedford and Fall
River electric line when one mile out of
| the city on its last trip. came across
Iripp's body lying in the middle of the
road. Mrs. Manchester. was sitting in the
road holding the injured mans head in
her lap, while her husband was standing
over them. Tripp's head was covered
with blood and he was fearfully bruised.
He was then dying, and expired before
physician could be summoned. The
passengers on the car and such other citi-
zens as had collected, while not laying
hands upon Manchester, managed to de-
tain him until Fall River officers could
/! be notified, when he was taken into Gus
tody and brought to this city, where he
was locked up. He protested his inno-
cence and told his story of the affair as
| follows:
| He said that he started first from Fall
River last night, for his home in West
port, with his wife in their wagon. They
stopped at watering trough on Eastern
| avenue, just on the outskirts of the city
to water their horse, and while stopping
there, Tripp drove by alone in his wag-
on, also on his way home. After their
horse had finished drinking they followed
| on after. When they reached the point in
| the road where Tripp's body was found
| later, their horse SHE'D, but he thought
little about it and kept on to the Sanford
road, where they overlook Tripps team,
but the driver of the latter was not in
sight. Manchester says he then associat-
ed the shying of his horse with the fact
that Tripp was missing, Eand as the lat
ter had been drinking and fearing that
some &C cident had befallen the latter.
he got into Tripp's wagon, turned the
horse around and telling his wife to fol-
low in his own wagon, drove back to the
place where he found Trip lying in the
middle of the road, bruised and bleeding.
An autopsy held this afternoon by
Medical Examiner Dolan and other phy-
sicians, revealed the factssthat death was
caused by fractures ofssthe skull. There
were several fractures and many cuts and
b ruises, indicating that some blunt in
strument had been used upon him. 1t
is believed blythe police that the men met
and quarrelled about the woman, and that
Tripp was kicked to death. The woman
made but few Statements, among them
one to the effect that "both of the men
were crazy about me, but had no hand
in this She was covered with blood,
there were blood stains on the prisoners
clothes and traces of blood were found in
both wagons. Beyond the statements
made above the prisoner has made no con-
fession that has been made public and
the above facts are all that is known at
present.
1t is reported tonight on what is con-
sidered excellent authority that Manches-
| ter has confessed shat he had quarrel
with Tripp last night while the men
were on their way home, and struck him
| with beer bottle, causing his death.
According to the alleged confession,
Manchester says that through jealousy
because his wife used to live with Trip,
he planned to do the latter injury and
to that end drank with Tripp in Fall
River and started for home at the same
| time as the latter.
| At the point of the road where the
boz dy was found he got out of his wagon
and went forward to drink beer in Tripp S
wagon. When they had emptied few
bottles they indulged in some angry con
versation, and Manchester struck Trip
savage blow betw cen the eyes with a
bottle, knocking him from the wagon.
Then going around to the back of the
wagon Manchester fell upon his victim IS
Frustrated form and hammered it with
his heels. At this his wife sprang from
his wagon and tried to interfere, and
when she found that Tripp did not rise
from the ground, she raised his head and
attempted to revive him. Meantime
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