Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-08
DEEPLY IN DEBT.
PenneI| Played Great Bunco
Game on Eastern Friends.
Brother Asks Attorney Thayer to Turn
Money Over to Him.
Inquest Will Be on Lines of Locating
Burdick's Murderer.


into the death of Arthur r. Pennell
which is scheduled to begin next Fri
day, before Judge Murphy, will be more
in the nature of reopening of the in
quiry into the Burdick murder mys-
terry than to determine whether Pen
nell's death at Genres stone quarry was
| due to accident or deliberate suicide.
| District Attorney CoTtsWorth has an
! nounced that he will subpoenae Fred
/ erick Pencil, administrators of the
4 Pencil estate, and brother Of the dead
man; Thomas Penny, attorney for the
estate, and Wallace Thayer who was
Pencils confidential friend and legal
adviser for years.
| Il intend at the Pencil inquest vir-
| tually to reopen the Burdick inquest.
During that inquiry I shall endeavor,
with the consent of the court, to bring
out as much information as possible
tending to clear up the Burdick mys-
terry. | believe that the evidence
brought out on the Pennell inquest will
be of value as bearing on the MURDER"
| said District Attorney Coatsworth.
IF the court permits me-" continued
the district attorney, Il shall place Mr.
Penneli, the administrator, on the stand
and demand of him that he produce
the dead mans papers. l shall examine
Mr.. Penny with the idea in mind of
securing any information he may pos
sess bearing on the Burdick case. Mr.
Thayer, who was Mr.. Pencils attor-
ney prior to his death, may be privi-
legged under the law to Withhold infor-
nation. 1t will rest with him as to
whether he will consent to divulge what
he may know. He undoubtedly ought
to be in possession of considerable in
formation
He said also he did not consider the
Burdick case as closed.
do you consider that the revelations
just made concerning Pencils alleged
swindles substantiate the verdict in the
Burdick case pointing to Pencil as the
murderer"
Yes, 1 do"
''There has always been a deal of
talk to the effect that Pennell did not
have the nerve to commit murder. The
swindles which he is said to have car
ried on for years show that the man
was of larger calibre than he had been
given credit for being. 1t required a
lot of intelligence and thought to per-
petrate any such extensive swindles
and carry them on successfully for
years.
1T is not every man who can live
double life as Pencil did and keep his
true character concealed from his most
intimate friends for so long. Steven
sons creation in DR.. Jekyl and Mr..
Hyde was hardly more improbable.
Pencil always conducted himself as a
gentleman. He moved in good society,
met his friends in society and in bust
ness, maintained a good front and new
er in any way by public act or deed
justified the suspicion that he was not
man of honor. If Pencil had nerve
enough to do that he had nerve enough
to commit greater crimes"
Mr.. Coatsworth said that it probably
would not be possible at the Pencil
inquest to bring out the story of Pen
nelrs alleged defalcations.
There is apt to be a bitter fight at
the Pencil inquest over the authority
of the court to compel the admins
traitor and his attorney to testify and
produce the dead mans papers. 1t is
claimed on one side that the inquest is
for the exclusive purpose of establish
ing the cause of death and prove a
crime if there was one.
1t is said that the court will have no
right to inquire into the financial af-
fairs of Pencil or take testimony bear
ing on the Burdick murder AS to the
question of crime, it is held that suicide
is not a crime under the statute. At
tempted suicide is a felony, but when
the attempt is successful there can be
no crime.
The insurance companies are greatly
interested in this question, and an eff
fort will be made to restrict the in
quiries of the court for the purpose OF
preventing the insurance companies
from getting any evidence establishing
the suicide theory.
District Attorney Coatsworth stated,
today, that the question of how deep
the Investigation should go at the Pen
nell inquest was a matter entirely with
in the discretion of the court.
cd know is that shall insist that
every bit of information be brought
out" said Mr.. Coatsworth. THE court
can compel Mr.. Pencil and Mr.. Penny
10 testify and produce papers. am
going to find out about this Burdick
murder, insurance companies or no in
surance companies. / don't care a rap
whether Pennell committed suicide or
not and l shall make no effort at the
inouest to prove that he committed sui
eide. I do not intend to pull any chest
nuts out of the fire for the insurance
companies, but if in the natural course
of the investigation information of val
lie to them comes out l cannot help
that"
T Frederick Pennell has left town
and his present whereabouts are I'M
known. He had talk with his attor-
new Mr.. Penny, yesterday afternoon,
and then quickly left the city. Mr..
Penny said, today. that Mr.. Pennell
was out of town and that he did not
knov when he would return.
wallace Thayer, the late. Arthur r.
PenneIps friend and adviser. was seen,
TODAY relative to published statement
quoting him as saying that there was
No doubt that the story of Pennelrs
misc appropriations was true and that
penneIrs brother, ]. Frederick Pennell, |
Continued on page 80 |