Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-07-19
Story Of the Crime.

Story Of the Crime.
The fact that the charge against
Fosburgh is manslaughter instead of
murder seems to have been lost sight
OF in the mystery attending the trag-
edy and in view of the fact that state
mentS made by the family of the dead
girl are contradictcd by the officers of
the state. and The stir caused by the
action of the authorities in making the
arrest of the brother has scarcely
waned since he was taken into custody
last January. Moreover, the case has
not lost interest from the fact that the
Fosburgh family long has occupied a
high position both on account Of wealth
ana social prominence.
The story OF the killing Of Miss Fos-
burgh as told by the family Immediate
ly afterwards was to the affect that
she was not shot by burglars. The
theory of the state officials is that the
affair was the result Of a sudden and
terrific family quarrel in which young
Forbugh. using his own revolver. shot
his sister, although intending the bull
let for some one else.
dence to prove their charge rested up
on the state ana for months detectives
We're working in this connection. the
defence was by no means idle. even
though much Of the evidence discover
ed Immediately after the shooting
seemed strongly to support the Fos-
burgh side of the case. The untiring
energy of Il loyal and devoted mother
and the wealth of the father has been
used in securing half of New England
for traces of burglars. believed to have
been in the vicinity OF Pittsfield last
August.
This quest at one time seemed to
have resulted happily for the friends Of
young Fosburgh. A gang Of four men
We're caught in RI ode Island for the
alleged wholesale t eft of copper wire
from the street car barns ami the
electric light station in Massachusetts
and Rhode Island and it is learned
from the confession of one of the gang
that they were near Pittsfield at the
time Miss Fosburgh was killed. one
Of the thieves named Quinn. escaped
arrest with the quartet in Rhode Is
land. After many interviews with the
four prisoners. the members Of the
Fosburgh family became convinced
that Qinnn was the one who shot the
young woman.
on the other hand the prosecution
claims that they have run down every
movement of the gang and had proved
that none of them could have been con
nected with the FoShurg crime.
The government has not been spar
ing in expense nor has il weariei in
collecting the small threads of evidence
in other directions while the county of
Berkshire has already provided for an
additional tax levy to cover the cost
of the trial which seems destined to live
long in its criminal annals. At the
time of the murder liberal rewards
We're offered not only by the local au-
thorities but by the Fosburgh family
for the detection Of the murIcrers
In the story Of the trage ~ the sew
cral members Of the family agreed
with slight deviation oven to the IA
year-oll daughter Beatrice, who slept
with her sister May ana who claims to
have seen the burglars. Among the
details given are the following:
After particularly harmonious even
ing thc house was closed and the family
went to he'd some time about midnight
The house ut that time contained Mr.
and Mrs. R"h't. T.. Fosburen Sr Young
Nr. and Mrs Rnh't. $ Fosbur"h NJ 4,
May Fosb1rgh. Miss Beatrice fashurcn
and 4 guest. Miss Bertha Sheldon "
Providence. Somr imc aboui 1."h O'Clock
IN the morning OF \ug. %. the elder Fos-
hlrph saws he was awakened by 4 noise
in his room and discovered a STRANGER
masked with 4 pillow case. standing hv
his fedsidc with a revolver pointed at
Mr.. FoShurch's head. Mr. + Flehurel
sprlng from the led. sranned with tn,
Intruder knocking the revolver from hi.
hand and under the bed. and Mrs FoS-
hurrh who WAS also awake. came to her
husbands assistance. At this iCncture a
g cond burglar appeared and dealt Mr.
Fosburgh a bow on the head with Il sand
bag which felIod him To the floor
The Younger Fosburch. aroused hv the
noisc Of the struggle. FASTENED from his
room 10 the front part Of the house 10
the assis ancc Of his father. Miss MAY
Fosbursh. also awake ned by the disturb
a-~n. ." rcd ne Nai'Wg.- IL. r IN n T.
vance of her brother and received a bal
let from Il revolver in the hands of one
# the Burglars. She fell back into tn
rms of her brother. who cased her fail
10 the floor and then grappied with the
'urglar who fired the shot. In the des-
! crate cncoTnter which followed the 9th
. r burglar came to his companions as
istance AMI gave yornc Fosburgh n blow
rom SGndUag which uaZed him for 4
moment. Quickly regaining his senses
H'osburgh nursucd the three burglars.
One wont down the back stairs ana two
others. he sly ". jumped out of the win
low onto the balcony roof and from there
o the gro nd Young FosbIrgh said tha
lc grabbc the last one by the coat tails
rs he went through the window but had
20 let go. 1t was al this time. young
'osbursh saws. that the second shot was
red the bullet penetrating a comb-case
N the bureau.
;hooting of Miss Fosburgh. or of the
:truggle with the burglars. She was
Weakened by the uproar and stepped in
o MAY FoSDurghs room where she saw
Beatrice Fosburgh and Robert S. Fos-
burgh leaning over the body of their sis
Ter Beatrice said burglars have en-
cred the house and killed May"
1t is claimed that the masks were made
from pillow cases taken from a bed in
he snare room that the burglars took
lWay an odd revolver. an old pair OF
tro,Isers belonging to Robert Fosburgh.
IN old pair of shoes and stockings, and
;hat the affair occurred on a bright moon
light night.
The governments case is mainly Sc
rret Ii is known that they utterly scout
the burglary theory: that they will en-
deavor 10 prove that there was a family
mIarrel that night in the Fosburgh house;
mai during the quarrel young Fosburgh
,nd his father came to blows. and that
in the excitement the younger man dis