Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-04-24
EASTMAN TRIAL.
Prosecution Opens in Case
Against Chas. R. Eastman.
Harvard Instructor, Charged With
Murder Of Richard Grogan, Jr.
Story Of Grogan's Death Given by Assistant
District Attorney.

Cambridge. Mass. April GA crowd
of spectators which filled the court
room at East Cambridge. today heard
the opening argument of the prosecu-
ton IN the trial of Charles r. East
man, the Harvard instructor, charged
with the murder of Richard ii. Gro
gan. Jr. The audience today included
many women, among whom was the
wife of the defendant and her sister,
the wife of Richard III. Grogan, Jr..
the dead man.
Assistant District Attorney George
A. Sanderson, in the absence of, Dis
trict Attorney Weir presented the gov
ernment's case. In giving the details
OF the affair it was pointed out that
on the day previous to that on which
Grogan was shot he had accused
Eastman of being out with girl
The next day GIogan and Eastman
We're shooting at a target. when neigh
bors heard cries of help murder" and
the two men were seen engaged in a
struggle. AS neighbors ran to ;hes
scene. Grogan was lying on the
ground. groaning and accusing East
man of having murdered him. East
man met the accusation with the dec
laration that it was an accident.
Mr.. Sanderson began by describing
Richard Grogan, the victim of the ia
tality and Eastman. the accused man.
Grogan. he said was 50 years old. of
good muscular development, even tenn
pered. not Quarrelsomc. reliable and
outspoken. Eastman was 30 years old.
a college graduate. possessed of perfect
self control. fertile, resourceful and de-
termined. He said that Eastman and
Grogan had married the daughters of
the late Alvin Clark. the well-known
telescope maker and that in March.
1900. the estate was under the control
of Grogan. the deceased.
Continuing. the lawyer said that on
July 3. Grogan was at work in the
Clark factory, when Eastman came in
and Grogan accused Eastman of hav-
ing been ''out with woman" Mrs.
Grogap came in and Eastman said to
her "Dick has accused me of being out
with girl
The next day: the Fourth of July. the
Eastman and GrOgan families dined
together ard late in the afternoon
Eastman suggested that he and Gro
gan go to the yard to shoot at tar
get They did so.
At about $40 o'clock neighbors heard
cries of "Oh. oh. help! murder!" one
man who was passing looked over the
fence and saw the men struggling. The
shorter man cried out: Don't" and
".Charles you've murdered me-"
Another neighbor went into the yard
and Grogan told him he had been shot
twice and pointing to Eastman. there
is the man that shot me-. To a woman
who was there Grogan also said he had
been shot by Eastman. Eastman de-
cleares that it was an accident and
GrOgan denied it.
Mr.. SandersOn then described the pis-
tolls used by the men, saying there was
one 44-calibre and three SIS. two OF
which were center fire hammefless and
one an old 32-rim fire. Mr.. SandersOn
said tina: in a statement to the ponce
Eastman said that the Old rim nre
weapon had exploded accidentally. the
bullet entering GrOgan's body, but ne
said nothing about a struggle nor or
having a shot through his trousers leg.
Mr.. Sanderson said the jury would
have to determine whether the bullet
Wh1cn killed bTcBai SA'''
center fire hammerless revolver OF the
old rim fire weapon.
In his conclusion Mr.. s3ncer5on SET
folth consicely that the government
contention was that the bullet wnich
caused Crogans death came from one
Of the modern. hammerless :2-caiipfe
reyolvcrs and not from the old one as
the defendant had declared. The case
he said. bore every element or MURDER.
The government would attempt 10
show that Eastman did not recognize
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