Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-10
PIERCE ON TRIAL.
First Case Is Attempted Muir
der of H. {. TeeI.
W. {. Skinner, One Of Defendants in
Fairfield Floral Cos. Cases,
Fails 10 Appear Bail Is Forfeited Gases
Continued Till September.

| the supreme court in Auburn, Is in
one of Judge A. D. Cornish Of the Lew
| iston municipal court, with poisoned
sugar, and one of ex-City Marshal II .
| L. Teel of Lewiston, with poisoned
whiskey.
There are also several indictments
| charging Pierce with criminal libel of
! Fred |. Odlin, a State detective, Hon
A. L. Talbot, H. +. Teel, Hon. A. d.
| Cornish, n. Il. Stockbridge, Esq, and
Hon. w. II. Newell, all Of Lewiston
one Of the libel indictments is against
Pierce and Maude Warren collectively
The case has excited considerable in
! terest throughout the country from the
! prominence of men involved and the
| nature of the attacks on the part Of
the accused.
County Attorney Mccain of Auburn
| represents the State and H. NJ. Heath
| Of Augusta, and Tascus Atwood, Esq
| of Auburn, the respondent.
Upon his arraignmcnt two weeks ago
Pierce did not speak but 4 plea Of not
guilty by reason Of insanity was en-
tered by his counsel. Since then he has
been at the State Insane hospital for
observation.
Pierce was brought into court by two
deputy sheriffs ana the trial opened at
$50 o'clock. Pierce sat with bowed
head and appeared not To hear what
was said in the impaneIlinS Of the
jury. y satisfactory panel was Sc
cured in one hour. Alton O'Brien. Au-
burn, is foreman.
Mrs. Pierce, mother of the respond
ent. and his aunt. Mrs. Martha f..
Roundy, of Clinton, Me, are in court,
and during the recess there was an af-
fecting scene between mother and son,
the mother falling on the shoulders Of
the son and weeping.
The indictment charging the respond
ent with attempt to murder ii. f. Tecl
with poisoned whiskey was read. The
whiskey it is alleged. was mixed with
Rough on Rats" ana was sent by ex-
press to Mr.. Teel from Boston, as the
State claims. by Pierce
The formal opening was by County
Attorney Mccain. The State would
show, he said. that there was tea
spoonful of arsenic in the quart bottle
of Whiskey. and that an ounce of the
liquid would have been fatal. The box
containing the whiskey was found one
morning on the steps of the office of
the Merchants Express Co. in Boston
and the State would connect Pierce
with the delivery there, he being in
Boston on that day.
1t was claimed that Pierce's dislike
of Mr.. Teel was on account of a feel
ing of revenge for Mr.. Teers official
acts as city marshal Of Lewiston. He
fancied that Teel had wronged him
and he swore that he would get even
with all the people who had Wronged
him.
The State would vigorously contest
the plea of insanity, but would first put
in its evidence of the acts themselves.
County Attorney Mccain called 20 wit
nesses and they We're sworn in a body.
Among them were: Mr.. Teel, Judge Cor
nish, f. l.. Odlin. Prof. Robinson. EX-
pressman Carver. Cora and Laura Belle
vue, John \. Jones, Harry Plummer.
Walter Byron, Maud A. Warren. Officers
Bolieu. Scannell, Ward. Caller, DR.
Daintree
EX-City Marshal Henry F. Teel testife
that since his retirement from the police
force in 1898 he has been employed as a
clothing clerk at the Blue Store and ut
Hcation from the Merchants Express co. |
NOV. 10. that there was a box for him a t !
the office. He secured the box and found !
II contained bottle, containing presum- |
ably Whiskey, which he had not opened |
as he noticed a sediment in il when /,
tipped up. The bottle was turned over 20 |
City Marshal n. "A. Wing Of Lewiston. /
lie arrested Pierce, in 1897 for assault |
upon BouchaTd. He told of an interview |
with Pierce AZ the Blue Store regarding |
inc trial and the part Of Mr.. Teel in pun |
ishng Pierce. As Pierce left he said:
You shall hear from me later" Two let
ana a. sherman K 90. Boston clothing
dealers, Offering Mr.. Tccl a situation Il !
ne would go at once. were read and iden-
Ilhed- Court here adjourned until after
Pierce, when court came III, assumed his
weary, detected appearance ana rested !
MS head on his hand. He paid no atten-
ton 70 the witnesses except to peer under
MS hali-closed eyes al Mr. Tecl In
me cross-eXaminauon Mr. Teel said that
when ne arrested Pierce for the Bouchard
1ad with him. He couldn't remember the
Xart words of Pierce during, the CONVEX
'ation at the Blue Store Mr. Isaacson If
nc Blue Store had received an abusive
ettcr about tn" witness. written by pen
Couldn't tell where they were now. Knew
IN investigation was going on at the time
- turned Iuc pplUe OF WhiSkcy over as
soon as suspicious were aroused His
laughter had complained Of being fol-
owed BY man believed to be Pierce.
Walter Barron, an employee Of Hoyt's
express Co. in Boston, identified the boy ]
obtaining the alleged poisoned VIII; skev
md testified to having sent it to Lewis t
on as directed by Merchants Express "a.
W. II. Clark of Boston. testified to sell
ne George w. Pierce a typewriter in Bos-
on, on the morning Of Nov O. ISgS
Deputy Marshal Caller ana Officers RO- .
leu and Ward testified to searching. he .
Premises Of Pierce and finding there a
'ottle Of whiskey of a similar sort to TIA.
eceived by Teel
Prof. Franklin G. Robinson of Bowdo.n
,olleSe. testified regarding the ANALYSIS
i the whiskey received by Teel ana thar
ound at Pierce's house. He stated th;t
dch bottle contained Rough on Rats"
I was not entirely dissolved but formed
saturated solution. Two ounces of 1.
would have been fatal. The arsenic in M
vhiskey received by Teel and that i'm tha .
found at Pierce's house were
rom the same lot. He was able ia talI J
his from the crystalline formation On
ross-eXamination Prof. Robinson stated ,
nat in 100 lots of commercial arsen:r
here would be 100 different sorts Of crvs
tline formation. He could not swear 9b-