Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-03-07

| AiA ShS a. "dtSINule, now ne
walked back and forth. Saturday nights
and Sunday night in order to lose no
time from his work.
1t was early in 1890 when he began
his payments and in 1899 he had re-
duced the debt SO that he was able to
hire 5000 on mortgage of the place.
which mortgage is still unpaid.
Attorney Eaton then continued say
ing: On the place south lived Hosea
| Stevens. I am aware of the maxim
| whlcl shys we may speak no i'll of the
dead' put 1t is fact that this man was
one OF those unaccOuntable characters
that we lnd in some of our back woods
towns. he was one of those natural
| porn DULLES that want to be licked once
week to keep them properly civil.
John Blomiley furnished him a butt and
ne proceeded to make life miserable for
MIN. All sorts and kinds of trouble
arose from Blomiley at the instisation
! of this rlah Stevens"
| Mr.. Eaton said that he would not
weary the court with n recital of all
these things for it would take the time
OF the court for weeks if he went on to
d'seuss. In detail, the provocation
which Blomily had.
MI Eaton told how Hosea Stevens
had made the farm of John Blomiley a
| stamping ground for his cattle, horses.
sheep and hogs.
tie told how Stevens had neglected
to kee? un his fences. how he abused
i'iomiley when he sought legal redress
Tor these depredatiOns.
Mr.. Eaton also told how Stevens cir
culited stories about Blomiley's wife
and daughter for years.
MS Is the sort of thing that Hosea
stevens WAS heaping upon Blomiley all
these years. He even used to make all
sorts o. noises and bowling around the
Rlomiley house and then tried to make
Mrs. Blomley belive that the house
was haunted. John Blomiley bought IL
dog to keep off Stevens's cattle. The
dog disappeared and Stevens got the
credit of it and no doubt deserved it,
Blomily bought another dog and the
dog died of sudden and violent sickness.
The county attorney will argue" said
Mr.. Eaton, that John BlOmiley made
threats against Hosea Stevens. No
doubt he did. / have seen Il rat pushed
into corner, show his teeth, but l new
er saw any material harm result there
from. This man, Stevens, was a big,
lank, muscular Yankee, six feet tall.
weighing over 200 pounds and Rlomily
was no match TO-. him either in fertility
of his mental resources or physical
strength.
The day that Stevens was shot, his
SOW and pigs were out on the farm of
Blomiley. Mrs. Blomilcy, seeing Stevens
passing, asked him to drive them home,
but Stevens. with an insulting remark,
refused to do so. Mrs. Blomiley then
went to the woods where her husband
was working and told him about it and
| he went down to borrow IL rifle to kill
those pigs with, but Stevens bright
keen fellow that he was. saw that his
| hogs were in danger of being killed and
went and drove them home before
Rlomilcy got back with his gun.
| when Stevens saw Blomiley coming
home with the gun he addressed him
with contempt and sarcasm and asked
him what he was going to do with the
shot gun. Blomily was excited and
| raised the gun and fired and Hosea
Stevens met the reward of all his years
| of deviltry.''
Mr.. Eaton then introduced several
witnesses, including the respondent,
| Hon. o. B. Clason of Gardiner who sold
him the farm. Geo. Is. Colby of Water
Vile. the foreman under whom BlomiIey
| worked in the mill. and w H. Mccartney
with whom he boarded. These testified
| as to BlomiIey's good character. honesty.
and right intentions. Fred MoSher and
Sanborn Mosher, recalled. and George
| Staples of North Belgrade. was called.
and testified that they had heard Stevens
Iv,,n ntyn ,,l, m
| wife and daughter
Biomily. the respondent was then call
ed to the stand and told in brief his life
story in detail. giving the events of the
18th of November
| He testified that he went down the road
to borrow gun to shoot the hogs with
| that were running over his place. and
| that he should have gone by Stevens
without stopping had not Stevens address
ed him i'm an insulting manner
He said that he was excited and that
Stevens was excited and that when Ste
vcns told him he would not shoot anv-
thing he raised his shotgun and blazcd
away
Sheriff Ham testified that BlomiIcy was
all broken up at the time of his imprison-
ment at the Jail. that he cried most Of tho
tiHlc LOT Two udyS ana tnat he could not
sleep for two or three nights SO that
medical attendance was needed in his be-
half.
Attorney Eaton addressed the court
asking that Blomiley be given no more
| than a fine: that in that way BIomiIy
| would be q citizen of the county and of
| some use to the State, but in prison he
| would not be worth much of anything
to anybody.
County Attorney Leigh then addressed
| the court briefly. asking that the full pen
| atty of the law he imposed.
| Justice Spear then sentenced Blomlcy
| to 10 years at hard labor in the State
| prison, prefacing his sentence with a
| short review of the case as he saw it Ho
| said In part that it is the duty of good
citizens to obey the law: that no man
has right to take the execution of the
| law into his own hands.
In this case the respondent saw fit to
| take the execution of the law, so far as
redress of his own grievances was con-