The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-02
Clothing Had Been Completely
Burned From Body.
An Eliot Man With Whom Woman Once
Lived Under Suspicion.

6Oubu otIWloAf 0AEse aAnJ A-AAE1s
Fannie Sprague. thirty years Of age. q
domestic In the family of Samuel Locke
at South Berwick Junction, was Jnur-
dersd In the barn on the premises this
morning and up to o late hour tonight
the murderer had not been arrested
The unfortunate woman was the daugh-
ter Of Thomas Abbott Of South Berwick,
and the badly mutilated condition Of the
body as found In the barn owned by
FIorenos J. knight, showed conolusively
that the deed was committed about ten
O'Clock this forenoon, under conditions
which indicate premeditated murder
Of the most atrooious nature and the
attempt on the part of the murderer to
burn the barn ana conceal all evidence
OF his crime. The body when found In
a smoiderlDg mass Of e.sal5ior, vas en-
tireIy nude, with the exception OF cerssts
and shoes, the remainder OF the clothing
having been eaten away by the flames,
and the left arm of the woman was
burned to a crisp.
Mrs. Srrague was probably dressed In
her usual house apparel. and wore hat,
and 1t IL believed that when shs left the
house to go to the bArn she va &C
quAinted with the party who accC-4 pan
led her. There are no evidences Of q
struggle In the barn. and 1t Is generally
supposed she was truck q terrific blow
over the head and was afterwards
dragged to q horse pen, where her throat
was cut In three places, the body was
covered with excelsior, and then sst on
fire. Those who viewed the body expires,
themselves Of the opinion that either Of
the stabs in the neck would have oauEed
her death II she had not been killed by
. blow shortly after she entered the barp.
The authorities learn that q man in
Eliot. with whom the woman had lived
pre- yious to her coming here and Of
whom she had recently told her brother
in-Iaw, Fremont Littlefisld, that he was
r sponsibls tor hsr delicate condition,
has been out of town today. He returned
to his home early this evening and local
officers will visit him tomorrow morning
to have him give an account Of his
whereabouts during this forenoon. Ma ny
are Of the opinion that the murder was
committed BY tramp, but the officers
claim the woman would not have been
in the place where abe was struck down
IL there had been stranger In her pres
enoe. They believe she was we'll ac-
quAintsd With her AssAilant and that she
went TO the barn Of her own accord. They
have decided to work on the case on
that line. An autopsy will be performed
tomorrow morning, after which a cor
oner's jury will convene.
There IL at present no clue to the
person who committed the deed.
The murder occurred. as far as present
o'elook this morning and was discovered
shortly Afterwards. but no trace OF the
murderer could be found.
The crime was discovered By Mr.
knight, the owner OF the barn, and
George Warren. who had returned TO this
place from the woods In search Of o
plank. They were attracted BY fearful
which the barn Is situated, end on inves-
tigation discovered a. thick volums of
smoke issuing from the barn cellar. The
two men secprsd several buckets OF water
ana succeeded In quenching this flames.
which were found to have Originated In
q cow stall in the cellar.
AS the fire was extinguishsd, the odor
Of burning flesh caused them to invssti-
gate st'l further. and they uncovered
from the Debris Of the woodwork and
rsfuas the nude body Of Mrs. Fannie
spragus. 80 yesrS OF age. Her throat had
been out and the head was almost severed
from the body. willis the skul was horri-
tly crushed and beaten almost to jslly,
and there was bad confusion over the
right eye. the blsw from which In itsslf
would have bean sufficient to cause In
slant death.