The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-06-13
RELEASED BY DEATH.
A. M. Prawda, the Cumberland Murder
err, Dies in the State Prison.

August M. Prawda, the Cumberland
murderer, who was sentenced in the
Superior Court in this city in 1894, died
suddenly in his cell in the Maine state
prison at Thomaston, Wednesday.
The trial of Prawda, which consumed
seven days. was one of the most inter
esting ever held in Cumberland county.
The charge against him was that OF
shooting his mother-in-law, who occupied
apartments in his home in the town OF
Cum berland, linear the Yarmouth line.
Prawda was fiery tempered Prus-
sian, 3s years of age, and his wife ma
tive of Switzerland, about ten years older
than he. They had been married two
years when the crime was committed. He
had worked in the Yarmouth pulp mill,
but being discharged from there, secured
employment at the Eastern Forge compa-
ny's works in Deering, and later worked
as section hand ON the Grand Trunk rail-
ways
On the night of November %, 1898, he
went home from his work somewhat
earlier than usual, sawed and split some
wood, and after supper went out into the
yard and, according to his story, was IN
an clubhouse when he heard the report of
gun. On the steps at the shed door he
WAS met by his wife, who had heard the
noise. They decided that something was
wrong in her mothers room, upstairs.
Twice on his way up to the room the
lamp he carried went out. Finally he
and his wife entered the room and found
Mrs. Myer critically wounded. Her kitch-
en- window was raised a few inches. and
| through the opening bullet had been
fired, taking effect in her mouth, shat
| tering the jaw, severing her tongue, and
tearing away portion Of her cheek. She
was conscious, and by signs and inarticu-
late words indicated to them her belief
that her lamp had exploded.
Prawda went to the house of a neigh
| Dor, Abram 6. Gerotlx, and sentshim for
a doctor. Prawda then returned home,
but spent 80 minutes in covering the
short distance. probably taking advan-
tage of that opportunity to hide his gun
| with which the fatal shot had been fired.
To the neighbors and officers he told
conflicting stories as to his doings prior
to the shooting.
Prawda was at once suspected of being
the murderer. He had served two years
| in the German army, was familiar with
the use of guns, and was believed to have
a motive in desire to get rid of Mrs.
Myer, who had some property, and whose
will was in favor of his wife and a sister.
The prisoner was defended by Messrs.
George M. Soldiers, F. V. Chase and
Geo. Fl. Allan, while the states interests
were represented by Attorney General
F. A. Powers, County Attorney Charles
A. True and Assistant Attorney Richard
Webb. The gun with which the fatal
! shot was fired, was never found, though
diligent search was made for it in the
woods, streams and swamps near the
scene of the murder.
| The jury latter celebrating an hour and
a half, returned a verdict of guilty. The
defending counsel asked for new trial ,on
the claim that the verdict was against
the law and evidence. The law court
sustained the verdict, and Prawda at
the September term was sentenced to
state prison for life.