Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1904-08-02
Had Been in the Water Two Days.
BODY OF ED" JUDKINs FOUND NEAR
cRocKETT's BRIDGE AT NORWAY.

BODY OF ED" JUDKINs FOUND NEAl
cRocKETT's BRIDGE AT NORWAY.
A rather startling piece of news whic
spread over the two villages Saturda
morning was that the body of Leonar
E. Judkins, generally known as ED
Judkins, of Norway, had been found il
the water Of the lower part of Tennessee
wassee Lake, just below Crockett
Bridge. What made it particularly
startling was the fact which came on
at the same time, that the body hat
been lying in the water for not less thai
| fifty-four hours, though the fact tina
he had disappeared was not general,
known until about the time the bod,
was discovered.
JudkinS was man 80 years of age
who had worked at different times a
farmer, guide and general laborer. H,
married some years ago daughter o
NJ. +. Cannon, who died about yea
later. For some time past Judkins ha(
been living at Clint Mills near Norwa.
Lake, and working in the vicinity.
Last Wednesday night Judkins tool
supper with the family of Mr.. Cannon
referred to above. Mr.. Cannon ha,
charge of the pumping station of the
Norway Water Co., and lives at the sta
ton. He does considerable work on
the pipe lines of the company, and is
known to many of the people in the two
villages.
After supper. about S o'clock, Gam
mon and Judkins took a row boat and
went up the lake. JudkinS had bottle
of alcohol. Cannon says that they
stayed up the lake until after the moon
was up, and then started for home
Judkins was rowing the boat. A very
dense fog came in, and they were unable
to see anything, and wandered about for
a long time. The boat ran ON to some
thing, and Cannon thinks that in try
ing to get it off they must both have got
on one side of the boat, which went
over. Cannon, who is good swim
mer, struck out, and after some time, he
does not know how long, made the east
shore and landed just below Crockett'S
Bridge. AS nearly everybody in this
vicinity knows, the water of the lake
flows under this bridge, and below it
widens out somewhat, though much mar.
rover than above.
After reaching the shore Cannon
shouted for Ed for some time, but got
no response, and finally concluded that
the other man had succeeded in making
the shore as he had, and Cannon went
home by the road, distance of some
thing like half mile.
Shouting was heard at about o'clock
Thursday morning by the people in the
house of Charles Freeman, who lives at
the top of the hill just above Crockett's
Bridge, but Cannon seems to have been
not the only one who was doing shouting
in the vicinity that night. The steamer
Pennesseewassee came down the lake in
the middle of the night, and young
man who in the fog had lost his way in
the bog near by, was guided out by the
shouts of the people on the steamer.
After reaching home Thursday morn
ng Cannon explained to his family that
hey had capsized, and during the fore
noon sent his boys to pick up the over
turned boat~which had meantime been
seen by other parties near the bridge.
Assuming that Judkins had got safely
lshore, Cannon did nothing more
,bout him until Friday evening, when he
began to make inquiries. At about the
same time Mills, with whom Judkins
lived, began to make inquiries, not being
disturbed at a short absence, but think
ne that so long one meant that some
hing had happened to him.
The body of Judkins was discovered
about o'clock Saturday morning by
John p. Judkins, who lives near the
bridge. 1t was a short distance below
he bridge, about twenty feet from the
east shore, and in four feet and half OF
water.
Coroner Albert p. Bassett was at once
notified, and accompanied by physicians
md other officers, went to the scene and
The body was removed to the under
.aking rooms of j. +. Bolster, where an
autopsy was performed by Drs. b. +.
Bradbury and II. l.. Bartlett.
The body was somewhat discolored by
wing in the water so long. Immediate
y under the right eye was wound with
somewhat ragged edges, about an inch
md quarter long in nearly horizontal
direction, and going in on a downward
slant to the bone. There were no other
marks on the body. The wound was
pronounced by the physicians as not
sufficient to cause death, though it may
have stunned him sufficiently to prevent
him from taking care of himself iTthe
water. Judkins, by the way, is said to
have been an expert swimmer. One OF
the lungs contained no water, the other
about tablespoonful. The stomach
small quantity of undigested
food, and had a slight odor of liquor.
.Judkins was dressed in respectable
suit of clothes, and wore watch and
chain. The watch had stopped at :3S.
Saturday afternoon Coroner Bassett
jury consisting of Freeland
Howe, F: A. Danforth, Lewis |. Gilbert,
Charles II. Adams, Aaron Page and
George w. Hobbs. They viewed the
body, and then waited for the arrival of
County Attorney Ellery c. Park of
Bethel, who, it was learned, was in Bos-
ton and was to return that day, and it
was thought he might arrive on the
afternoon train. As he did not come on
that train, the inquest was adjourned till
10 o'clock Monday morning to give Mr..
Park an opportunity to be present.
Monday morning, as County Attorney
Park had not returned, the inquest was
further adjourned to ten O'Clock Tues
day morning.