Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-15
TRAMP ARRESTED
On Suspicion of Connection
With Shirley Murder.
Affair Shrouded in Mystery and the
Officers Hard at Work.
The Hoidup Gang Suspected a Case Of IN.
usual Brutality.

one Of the most mysterious mn, der
cases in the criminal history of Maine
for many years is that Of ]. Wesley
Aita and his family. consisting of his
wife and daughter. who were found
burned to crisp in the ruins of their
home on the Shirley road, six miles
from this town. by Charles Tibbetts
"-unday morning. The Journal has al
| 'eady printed "A story OF the case. but
tuere is much that has not been told
| Alien lived on a handsome farm over
| locking Lily pond. one of the many ia
| Voiitc resorts with the fishermen in this
section. His house was story ana a
| nail structure with an ell Of considcra-
| BE length. The house sat side to the
road was old fashioned in its interior
arrangement. and from the side door
on the south side. 4 path led to the
barn. some 20 rods away. on the righ;
as one entered the front door was a
door leading into the sitting room or
parlor and the stairway which led in
to The second story. In the rear of the
parlor was bed room on the north
| side Of the house was the kitchen.
which looked out onto the highway.
| and in the rear of this another bed
| room. The ell was occupied by large
| Dom which was used In the summer as
! a kitchen and a store room or shed.
| As before mentioned. the other men,
| hers of the family besides Mr.. Allen,
was his wife and daughter. His wife
| slept in the parlor. Mr.. Allen occupied
| the room in the rear Of the kitchen
! ANA the daughter slept up stairs.
| Mr.. Allen was 50 years Of age,
| weighed 200 pounds and was in fairly
GOOD health. His wife was about his
age and her health was very poor. The
d:tught + was II years old and attend
ca school q mile from her home. Mr.
ana Mrs. Allen had one othcr child
Eugene Allen. who is a travelling sales
man for a New York jcwelry house
| The people living on the Shirley road
| ave always been bothered by tramps
ana especially at this season of the
year. These offenders We're for the
most part mon who had come out Of
| the woods to Greenvillc and laid
| around there until they had spent all
their money and then started out TO
act their living from begging ~ the
tanners back door
| Allen was 4 gr,Iff sort Of man and
| il always made him mad to have Il
nobo call at his door. His wife was al
ways frightened of them and when
| they called she referred them to her
husband. There il no question hut
what the Allen family was murdered
bat whether the three people were kill
| cd first and then the buildings burned
on vice versa. will probably never be
known. Various theories are advanced.
One is to the effect that a tramp called
| at Aliens. Sunday night. and asked
| ms. Allen for something to eat or :.
place to sleep. She sent him to her
husband who was in the barn finishing
| his days work There the two men
had n fight and Allen was killed. the
murderer dragging his body into the
barn from the yard where the fight
took place. He then went back to the
house. where he attempted to criminal
| ~ assault the women, and fearing that
he would be detected. set fire to the
house. after killing the women. then
went out and set the barn on fire and
made his escape. The position in which
he be dies of Mrs. Alien and her daugh-
ter were found show almost conclu-
robbery.
The county officers We're informed of
the murder. late Monday afternoon,
and Immediately proceeded to Monsoon.
In the party were Sheriff Ireland and
Deputies G. +. Dearth. Otis Martin. J.
NJ. Knowles and Eben Bray. Coroner
J. l.. Martin. County Attorney Durgin
and Constables d. J. Jackson. The
party remained at Monsoon over night
and left, this morning. for the scene
of the tragedy. accompanied by big
crowd of Monson people, and many
came to the scene from Shirley and
Greenville. The officers made an eX-
animation of the premises Immediately
on their arrival. They found
the body of Mr.. Allen in
the stable. 1t was burned beyond
recognition and was identified by the
neighbors by a wallet which was found
lying near the remains. Twenty-Five
feet in front of the barn door were
three pools of blood mixed with gray
hair. Mr.. Aliens body lay head to the
door and about two feet from it,
The body of Mrs. Allen was found in
the kitchen in the ell and near it the
remnent Of a lamp. The officers be-
lieved that the woman held the lamp
in her hands when the tramp called at
the door and there is theory that the
tramp killed Allen in front of his
wife's eyes and, that she tainted at the
sight, and that the tramp. finding her
in a stupor when he returned to the
house. attempted to assault the girl
The body of the latter was found in
the cellar in a position directly under
the location of her room on the second
floor. The fact that she had not gone
TO bed is proved by the finding Of the
steel homes of her cOrsets in n position
showing that she had not prepared for
retiring.
IN tho ruins a number of watches.
coins knives, etc, We're found. Several
Of these watches were sent to Mr.. AL
lon by his son last fall, and the old
man had been trying to sell them Two
Of The watches had stopped at $40
o'clock. which shows that the crime
was committed about that time.
After making further investigation.
CONTINUED on page ~