Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-21

location was about as vague as the
| bulk of the particulars.
But finally when few of the facts
had been sifted from the fiction it was
learned that the trouble had occurred
| at the house of Del Warren, about a
mile and half out on the Ridge road.
The police We're notified about the Tune
| the injured man arrived, officer Cham
berain being the first to get the news.
1t looked for while as if it might be
murder and the officers were not taking
chances on having their man get away.
They had no difficulty in LOCATING
| Warren, however finding him in bed
| at his home. He was arrested ana
brought down to the police station TO
be locked up. 1t was good deal more
| difficult to get at the true story of just
what had happened or what had caused
the trouble. Some of those who were
present We're not in condition 10 re-
| member and those who were had no
inclination to talk before they were
Obliged to in court.
But from what was learned 1T SEEM
| ed that there was merry party spend
ing the afternoon at the Warren nome
stead. No one is exactly sure just how
| many were present, but 1t was IN the
| nelghborhood of q dozen or 10, men
and women. When the officers got IN
| sight of the house there was grand
| scramble to get out of the way. Men
| scooted across the fields back of the
house or to any place that seemed to
4, afford a hiding place. Things were
comparatively quiet in the house when
they arrived, only a few of the original
party having remained to face the mu-
sic.
The flowing bowl apparently had
been circulating been pretty freely and
| the majority of those present had not
| neglected their opportunities when IL
| came their way. Old cider mad
prominent place in the jOllification and
altogether it was q merry little time.
But as is usual in such cases all
things did not move smoothly and
there was some fighting talk. Then
what followed is told in about as many
ways as there We're witnesses. one of
| the party who seemed fairly capable
Of remembering what happened says
! that one of the men got stirred up
| over something and showed an inclina-
| lion to fight. Hall attempted to quiet
| him either peaceably or by force, when
Warren pulled out the Ratchet from
| some convenient place and struck Hall
| on the head with it,
Hall wasn't knocked down, but man.
aged to stay on his feet and stagger
| out to the barn, assisted by the man
| who gives this version of the affair.
Hall himself when questioned by the
police apparently couldn't remember
much of what happened. He says,
however, that two of the party were
starting Il row when he started to leave
and was struck with the Ratchet in
the hands of Warren. He couldn't re-
member who it was that caused the
trouble or much that happened after
he was hit. When the trouble COM
menced they We're sitting around the
stove drinking cider, according to this
version.
Joseph Simpson, one of the neigh
bors, was walking in field near the
Warren house when the trouble began, |
heard the outcry and went over to in
vestigate. He found Hall with the
wound on his head bleeding profusely
and hurried him down town to the doc
tor as quickly as possible.
Warren was not in condition to tell |
a straight story of his part in the af-
fair and none of the others who We're |
present and capable would say any
thing, yesterday.
Although Hall was not seriously in
jured he had Il pretty narrow escape
from death, as the blow struck was
apparently a heavy one and had it
landed bit differently would probably
have resulted fatally. AS it was the
affair created quite a bit of a sensa-
ton for a quiet Sunday afternoon.