The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-12-24
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.I


South Bewrick, December 23.-After
months of delay an arrest will be made
in the South Berwick murder case this
morning. Last night County Attorney
Mathews began proceedings for the arrest
CT Edwin Fl. Knight on the charge OF muir
dering Fannie Sprague ON May LIST. Sub
poenas have been issued for about fifteen
witne sses and the most Of these were
served tonight by deputy sheriff. MIR.
X night win be arrested early Monday
morning and will be arraigned at eleven
O'Clock I before Trial Justice Lord of
Berwick, He has retained George q.
Yeaton as counsel,
Almost since the crime was first dis
covered Mr. knight has been suspected.
The county authorities have been at work
collsctlng evidence In this case ever since
May first and now fthey have obtained
enough evidence against him to warrant
his arrest.
Little is known now OF the evidence
which the county authorities have
against mir. knight but it Is known that
the first thing which led them to believe
that he might knew SOM nsthing about
the death OF Fannie Suragus was the
finding of a cart stake under the body Of
the murdered woman whi oh had evident
ly bean used by the murderer In knock
ing her on the. head. This cart stake was
found to tit cart in Mr.. Knights barn
yard. When he was asked about the
matter last spring MIR. Knight
accounted for this stake being- much
ike those used by him In this
cart by saying that the man who built
his cart had also built many similar carts
for other people in the county and that
probably this same stake would tit many
other carts within a radius of q few
milss OF the murder.
Another thing which led the authoIi
ties to suspect Mr.. Knight was the fact
that this woman would have been q
mother In three months and just six
months before the murder she had been
st work for MIR. knight. This woman
had also had much to say about money
being due her on May first and had told
friends that sbe would receive five hun
dred dollars at that time from some ono.
Mr.. knight had bsen trying to raise $50
about Berwick, so 1t is said, and when
asked why he didn't put mortgage on
his farm to do 1t had said that he did not
want to. get. the money In this way.
MIR. knight was about on his farm
on the morning the murder was COM
mitted which Is not over half mile from
the barn where the dead body Of Fanny
Sprague was found. About the time the
crime was committed two men went to
Mr.. knights farm to see him on busi-
ness They were toiu that he was at work
on wire fence on the place.
One OF the men followed the fence
around In one direction and the other
man went around in the other, but
neither Of them could lind MIR. knight.
When asked at the coroner's inquest
where he was at that time Mr.. Knight
said he was mending a fence. He was
told of these two msn and then said that
the reason they did not find him was be-
cause they had not come where he was.
He was asked to go home and put on the
clothes he wore that morning. He
went home and came back with an old
pair of trousers on. The county authori-
ties discovered that a long piece of cloth
had been out out OF the pocket OF the
trousers and a new patch, evidently put
on by an amateur had been sewed in its
place. Mrs. Knighs and MIR. Knight
sister both testified that they had not
sewed this patch onto the trousers.
MIR. knight Is one of the most promi-
nent, wealthy and highly respected men
in his town. He owns valuable farm
and has also been engaged in numbering,
owning and operating several saw mills.
He has been seiectman of the town OF
South Berwick and has been chairman OF
the board. Both he and his wife are
members OF the Christian church at
South Berwick. He has six children, the
youngest girl just having graduated with
high honors from the Berwick academy.
Mr. knight is forty-ons years old and a
linsal descendant OF Grindal knight one
Of the earliest settlers of South Berwick.
Re has always been known as very