Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-09-12
POLICE COURT.
Judge Andrews Had a Busy
Session, Yesterday.
-Four Sidney People on Trial for As
saulting a Boy.
Case Hangs Over Two Of Them and Oos pu,
Under $500 Bonds.

1
court had busy forenoon ves,ordav
| FIRST lor ms consideration were tw,
DRINKS. Joseph Balorant and Charles
Whaien. both OF whom were given :
fine of So.
| Inc next case was that of State VS.
I certain Sidney parties for assault upo1
BOY about 10 years of age. Mrs
heuei Williams, Ellwood Williams
Mrs. Clara Reynolds and Miss Ami,
| Trip were were the respondents. Tn,
| complaint was sworn out against then
| by an Augusta officer upon the recon-
| mendation of a number of citizens Of
sidney. who claimed that Ernest Rob
lnson. who lived with his grandmother
Mrs. Ruel Williams, had been cruel,
whipped and beaten a number of times
by the respondents. The complaint
however. stated the assault to have oc.
Cured last Saturday.
When the time for the trial arrived
| the court room was packed with spec.
tators. the larger part of whom wer.
from Sidney, much interest being mani.
tested in the case.
The State had summoned Jonathan
Nj. Ballard, Joseph Robinson, Ephraiu
Ballard, John Ballard and Herbert f.
Trask and Alamander Ellis as witness
SEES. After the witnesses had been
sworn the first mention took the stand
Mr.. Ballard is an aged and respected
citizen of Sidney. and testified substan-
TALLY as follows: There had been a
number OF complaints come to him that
Ernest Robinson, the lad who lived
with Mrs. Williams. was being NAL
treated; he had been requested a num-
Der of times to bring the matter before
the officers but had not done so: the
first time he heard any complaint was
last June; on the date mentioned in the
complaint he was in a blacksmith shop
which he owned and rented to Herbert
Z. Trask. when the boy came in and
said that he had been severely whipped
by the people at Mrs. Williams; in or
der to satisfy himself he had the boy
show him his body where he had been
whipped; he found a dozen or Is marks
which showed a very severe beating
apparently with a strap and places on
the boys ankle where he had apparent
ly been hit with a whip. He called
other people to see the stripes on the
boys body.
When cross-eXamined he stated that
the boy treated kindly as the motive of
his testimony.
The next witnesses were Mr.. Billiards.
two sons. Ephraim and John, Joseph
Robinson and Herbert E. Trask. who
testified to having been present at the
time mentioned by the first witness
and coroborated his testimony.
Alamander Ellis. the final witness for
the State. was present at the house of
Mrs. Williams when the assault took
place. He testified that he saw Mrs.
Reynolds whip the boy severely with
whip and that Miss Trip pushed the
boy over in an angry and abusive man,
ner. Ellwood Williams then came in
and with an oath said that he owed the
boy a whipping and that he might as
well give it to him then as any time.
Williams took a strap and beat the boy
until Ellis could stand it no longer and
got up and went out. Mr.. Ellis is Il
very aged and infirm man and could
not prevent the assault
The four prisoners together with the
boys who was purported to have been
beaten were then sworn as witnesses
for the defence. The gist of the testi-
mony of the prisoners in their own be-
half was that the affair at the house
when il was claimed that the boy was
ill-treated was simply a little "scuflle,
entirely in fun. The boy had stick
not n whip, as the State claimed-and
said that Mrs. Reynolds and Miss Trip
fun they did take it away from him,
hlt that he was not struck with Il,
neither was he violently pushed over
by Miss Trask. Ellwood Williams
then came in and told the boy to be
uuict. The boy refusing, he took ms
belt and just brushed him with IT,
The boy then took the stand and told
tho story substantially the same as the
prisoners. but admitted that he went TO
tho blacksmith shop and showed his
bodv to Jonathan M. Ballard and
others there.
William Reynolds volunteered at TINS
time RI testify that the Billiards. were
actuated by a desire to drive the Will
I;.u,. family away. Deputy Sheriff
Henry T. Morse was called to the stand
and SAID tudl eiAN -
Tuesday morning, when he made the
arrest but could find no marks OF Ill
treatment. The court. however, seemed
from its remarks to think That there
was every probability that the marks
would disappear from the flesh OF a
how within the time elapsing between
Saturday and Tuesday
Attorney George c. Sheldon, who APP
no.red for the defence. then made his
plea for the prisoners.
The Judge in summing up the case
said that if the boy was ill-treated and
tbep came into the court and made the
testimony he did under duress there
was sufficient reason why he should be
mt in other hands than his grand
mothers. If he was not ill-treated and
want to the neighbors and claimed to
have been, the proper place for hin
vas. in the Industrial School. He said
| that he had laid this matter before the
saIactmen of Sidney and that they
would look after it.
| As far as Mrs Reuel Williams was
| concerned he found no direct evidence
oairst her. although he thought i
J atrange that she should not have re
r,onstrated with the others as 1t wa:
natural for a grandmother to DO whei
hor erandchild was being abused.