The Portland daily press., 1898-05-10

which could have been self-inflicted
There is but one theory and that is that
the man was shot by some one else.
Whether it was an accident or not it is
hard to determine, but the authorities
believe, and with good reason, that the
man who was found by Joseph Silva and
MIR. Russell was murdered about half
past nlne o'clock on Sunday night.
Up to a late hour last night the muir
dered man had not been identified, nor
had single clue been found to aid the
authorities in tracing the criminal.
Russell's ship yard in East Deering is
! situated on the point of land which
projects out into Back Bay just below
the Grand Trunk railroad bridge The
railroad track runs past the ship yard
and crosses Winslow street some distance
from the water. Near this crossing on
the easterly side OF the track is a large
Shree-story building with many windows
which was evidently at one time store
mouse or workshop connected with the
ship yard. Behind this building is a
road way, once much used, but now
grown up with grass, and this road way
Is on the edge of large field which is
separated from the railroad track by a
high board fence. The fence runs along
parallel to the track and comes to an
end at the side of the roadway.
some dozen PAGES from the railroad
track in the roadway and with his head
lying near the edge Of the road the man Is
body was found.
He was lying on his right side as has
Osen said, with his right cheek pressed
Gown against the ground His arms
were drawn up under him as if he had
dropped on to the ground in that position
and lost consciousness. His faca was
much discolored on that side. but tbers
were no bruises upon it nor any cuts
about the head. The bullet wound was
very small and very little blood had es-
| caped from it, The man had bled inter
nally and had not lived more than Is
minutes after he was shot.
| The bullet, which was from 3s-calibre
revolver, had passed through the bottom
of the mans REFER, through his trousers
and penetrated the groin, severing the
artery of the leg kand was found in the
bladder with some cloth matted around
| it's head
Sheriff Plummer and several deputies
as we'll as the Deering police and many
other people who visited the spot, hunted
high and low endeavoring to find some
spot from which the fatal shot was
fired, but without much success. 1t was
| impossible to tell whether or not the man
had been shot where he was found and
had dropped in his tracks, or had been
shot by some one standing in the field
above the road and had backed down
over the declivity to the road way and
fallen there with his face towards his foe.
1t was suggested that the man had
been shot while walking on the railroad
track and had walked from the track to
| the roadway and fallen there unconscious
and died soon afterwards. There was
nothing to tell from just where this shot
had been fired and it may never be
known.
The store house near which the mans
body was found, has not been used for
some time and it's windows are boarded
up Ten feet above the ground just be-
hind the spot where the man was found,
and over and around the window cap,
were found five shot holes. 1t was at first
| thought that these shots had been fired
| at the man by some one standing in the
| field, had missed him and taken effect in
the window cap. Deputy Sheriff Firth
| dug out one or two of these bullets, with
his knife and found that they were of
| % calibre, while the bullet which killed
| the man came from 3S-calibre revolver.
The mans body was found about ten
rods from the houss of William Wells,
| which is the first house on Winslow
| street, and the one nearest the railroad
| track. At half past nine O'Clock Sunday
night or somewhere aboutss that time,
Mrs. Wells says she heard several shots
fired on the railroad track. She also
heard some shouting, but did not pay
much attention to it. In all she thought
she heard some six or seven shots fred in
rapid succession.
Mrs. Lucas lives in the house above
Mrs. Wells, some little way..up the street
from the railroad track. She also heard
shots sometime after 9 o'clock on Sunday
night, but did not hear another noise
She could not tell how many shots were
fred in all.
Mr.. Cobb and other persons who
live in this vicinity heard .he,shots, as
did Miss Sybil Leland, who lives with
Mrs. Dickinson, near Tukey's bridge
a good quarter of mile from the place
where the bodykwas found.
Near the store house or carpenter shop,
is another old building with its windows
and doors securely fastened and boarded
| up These two buildings have been q
favorite resort OF tramps. who are usual
| ly to be found about this place bysl twos
and threes at almost any time. E On Sun
day there were several seen hereabouts,
but little attention was paid to them. No
one could be found last night who had
seen the murdered man about this place