Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-01
APEcULiAR CASE.
Ni:hc Is Nichols Misreprsssnis Himself 10
Gardner Psopls-A Sorry Tale.

Nicholas Nichols OF Hastings, N. b. has
done, and come out of 1t with no recoliec.
ton OF several days financial and execu.
tive manceuvinss. seems strange. and in.
deed in this man who appeared before
some Gardiner people and the Augusta
/ police authorities, yesterday there doubt.
less has been some Authorizations which
If studied would give the psychologists
| good material.
HID Went TO Gardiner from Augusta
where he arrived from Boston on the
| Pullman train early Saturday morning
and on Tuesday. consumated with Wash
| ngton Harrington of that city, the pur-
| chase OF farm for s25oo In the search
for a suitable farm. he employed j. w.
| Gibbs of Gardiner, TO drive him about.
accepted board from him and many
favors, and, when finally brought to
what are evidently his senses, he says he
recalls none of all this-not one hour of
the time since he arrived in Augusta
| Yet. when telling his story, he brings
in some facts about his past life which
! are eorroborated by statements he made
while at Gardiner to several people. Thus
is seems to have been a case CT hallucina-
! ton in which the victim-the prime vic
| Y.
! several of thcse-had double personality
| and while on his hunt for farm was as
sincere as he was yesterday, when he de-
| MES all knowledge Of it.
He had been drinking but, during his
transactions was far from being so drunk
as to arouse any suspicious In those
whom he had dealings. with. and the
awakening to the delusion and the snare
| into which several had fallen was some
what painful to them. and there has been
some merriment at their expense 1t has
| been largely matter of disappointment,
| for, with the exception of the $40 which
Mr. Gibbs says he is out for taking
| Nichols about, and a several days board
| bill at the Cony house there has been no
heavy loss involved to anyone.
This in substance is what Nichols did.
| On Monday he went to Gardiner and ap-
preaching Mr.. Gibbs asked thar gentle
| man If he Knew of any farms for sale.
| Gibbs did, and offered to take Nichols
| aboht it being understood that a compen-
satfon for time would be paid. In the
course of his search. Mr.. Gibbs met Mr.
| Harrington, who offered n farm for 5000
| Nichols took up the offer. and said he
| would get Postmaster Lynch of Augusta
| to draw up the deed for him. Mr. Lynch
| he said, was an acquaintance of his, but
| the former doesn't see it that way and
| doesn't recall Nichols
| On some pretence Nichols called at the
| Cory house, where he was stopping leav-
| ing Gibbs in his team TO await his return
when they Were to go together to Mr.
syIaeh'S office. After waiting consider
able time, the waiter got anxious and in
vestigated to find that Nichols had gone
out the back way. Further search re-
vealed the foct that he had gone across
the river TO the Riverside hotel but there
all traces of him We're lost. But he turned
up at the l1ck-up, last night, for lcdgs
ing, and this morning, he was identified
| ami held for the arrival of the Gardiner
! parties. The man told the attending Of
fi6rs that. unless he was bxpught some
liquor he would surely die. and he beg
ged pfteously for it, But, the thirst left
him after while, ara in the afternoon
he talked earnestly, denying any in
tention of deceiving anyone that he was
allowed to go and will be given all the
chance in Augusta to work somewhere,
which he says he can and will do, to pay
Mr. Gibbs and his hotel bill. AT the Cony
a guarantee. So much for Nicholas
Nichols as he is today.
While in the hallucination or whatever
it was. he told great stories. how he had
just sold his farm in the provinces to the
government for $6ooo and that he still
had Sc cows, dozen horses, and 30 sheep.
which he would have shipped to his new
ly purchased farm in Gardiner.
He said he had wife and two rather
young children at Hastings,and that they
have practically no money. He claims 10
be IS years of age. and says that after
working he went to Boston on his return
home with 500 in his pocket. He stayed
there a part of a week and says he
picked up man. who helped him away
with some of his cash. He doesn't know
why he got off at Augusta. and has lost
much recollection of the period. In Car
diiler he made a great spread and took
| in about everyone except the bank people
where he tried to raise money. He placed
| orders for 20 barrels of cement, hired a
! II. ~ - look after his farm, and in many
ways cur considerable of a figure. He
| was very foxy through it all,which might
give one good reason for believing that
| he was rational to the extent OF has con-
| viction at the time. But, in any case, he
| seems to have made no effort o>escape.
| He is a farmer by occupation, and hopes
| to get some work to do
He says that once before he had a
similar attack and did queer things.