The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-01-27

presented by the government.
Fourteen witnesses wers called for the
government and sworn. The first one To
be called was Georges W. Leighton,
salesman at the Cold Storage company s
store. He testified to having been the
last man to leave the store on the even
ing CT Septem Der IS, and he went noihe
about half past six o'clock. carefully
locking the doors behind him.
George A. Hatch, manager Of the Colo
Storage company, testified that be visited
the store at about ten minutes of eleven
O'Clock on the night of September leth,
and remained in there until quarter past
eleven, when he caught a car on the cape
road and went home. At eleven O'CLOCK
everything was all right in the store, anu
when Mr.. Hatch went home he locked the
door behind him very carefully. The
next morning when he reached the store
he found shat the safe had been blown.
Three holes had been drilled IN 1t and
the door forced completely off. Mr.. Hatch
described the condition of the office rs he
had found 1t when he reached the store.
Patrolman John T. Keating was called
ns the next witness and gave his testi-
mony in a straightforward fashion that
evidently made considerable impression
ON the jury. de said that on the night
of September 18th he and Officer Stuart
had pulled in the signal call from the
box at the corner of Centre and Fore
streets at 10 50 o'clock. Then they con-
tinued down Fore street and as they were
just walking over Cross.atreet they heard
the sound of an explosion. They listened
a few minutes and then ran up Union
street to the rear Of the Electric Light
company,s plant, thinking that possibly
the boilers might have exploded. Every
thing being found all right there they
ran down Union street over Fore street
to Plum, down Plum to Commercial and
up to the signal box at the corner OF
Union and Commercial sreet. AT this
box Officer Stuart pulled in a call to tine
police station and told Deputy Marshal
Sterling about the explosion. This was
at 10. "A O'Clock according to the tape on
the telephone machine in the station.
While Stuart was telling the deputy mar
shall about the explosion. Heating saw a
man on the opposite side of Commercial
steet, and going across the street found
Twitchell & Champlins' night watch
man, named Greenlaw. heating had
some conversation with Greenlaw and
then vent back to Officer Stuart. The
two officers then went across Commercial
street and examined the buildings on
Union wharf and then went back up to
Fore street, and met Deputy Sterling
and several eficers Officers Keating
and Cousens then went along Fore street,
and as they were passing the head OF
Central street saw man hurrying along
| the water side of Comm eorial street to-
wards the Grand Trunk.
Heating and Cousens ran back over
Fore street and down Moulton street to
Commercial. The man was near the head
Of Portland Pier when the officers
shouted to him to stop. The second time
thoy called the man stopped. The wit
ness said that the man they held up was
Murray, the respondent.
Heating asked the man whore he was
going Murray replied, I'm going along
towards the Grand Trunk"
"Where did you come FROM" asked the
witness.
81 Just got in on traIn."
| "Where from2"
| "From a place thnt begins with W.,
something like Waterford. Waterorest.
orr
| "Waterville you mean, DON'T your
said Officer Cousens.
"Yes, that's 1T" said Murray.
"There are no trains OH the Maine Cen
tral at this time of night" said Officer
| Cousens.
ST just come in from Boston. Rot put
off freight train at place that begins
with W-something like Waterford-and
took another train and come here. man
told sme could get a train for Montreal
at the Grand. Trunk.
| When asked how long it had taken him
| to get in from Waterford OF wherever il
was he had last come from Murray said
| it had taken two or three hours.
Heating told Murray that he didn't
look much like a man who had been rid
ing on a freight train. His linen was
clean and his clothes neither dusty OF
muddy. The officers had considerable
talk with Murray on Commercial street,
and then walked with him up to the
signal box at the corner of Exchange and
| Fore streets.
When the officers reached the box ano
called for the patrol wagon 1T was just
seven minutes past one O'Clock, accord
| ing to the tape on the signal machine
An electric light on this corner gave
the officers O good view Of Murray and
they found that perspiration was run
ming down the side Of his face as if be
had been hurryfng q good deal. Heating
| said to the man You are in trouble
and it may go pretty hard with you
! Haven't you got some one to write to tt
help you out of it''' Murray said he hae
a brother working in railroad office II
Montreal, but he didn't want to write
to him because he was afraid he NIGH
| lose his job.