The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1905-04-27
MURDER AT ATHENS.


We clip from the Wateryil'e Sentinel
the following well written account of the
circumstances which led up to the mur-
der, description of the locality and Of
the family history and habits Of these
peculiar people, who live for the most
part In a little community Of their own,
near the village of Vest Athens.
The battered and bruised body Of William
Knight, aged 50, is lying at the home Of his
son, Eugene, in this town, while Rufus Brown
aged 40, is in the county Jail at Skowhegan
awaiting hearing and trial on the charge Of
Killing him. The story Of the crime is
stranger than fiction and as bad as can be
found anywhere in the slums Of New York,
or any other great city, when all is told from
the beginning to the end.
Ii is stated that the excessive use Of hard
cider is responsible for the criae.
The crime was committed about II O'Clock,
Thursday night, in the section of the town
inhabited by "The Browns and ruttles," as
they are known to the residents. Sheriff
Smith and Coroner Addition Of Skowhegan
were notified by Deputy Sheriff f. II. Cook
of Athens as soon as he heard Of the affair,
which was several hours after il occurred, and
they hurried to the scene by teams as quickly
as the condition of the roads would permit.
The body was viewed on the ground in the
dooryard of little hut and ordered cared
for A short Investigation directed suspicion
TO Rufus Brown and he was placed under ar
rest and taken to Skowhegan without any
trouble at all. The legal preliminaries Of a
ii trial =
Such in brief is the story Of the affair but
to understand the situation one must 90
some ways back. "Ihc Browns and Tuttes'
Athens. The section Of West Athens inhab-
tied by them has never been given any COM
monty accepted term but the class Of people
that live there are generally known by the
two family names given. There are other
names in the neighborh1od but these two
predominant and all are related by all de-
grees Of relationship.
The section has been growing up for the
past 10 or 2 years and at present includes
some dozen families. They are known by
reputation and heresay all through Somerset
county and some others as well There IS an
alarming percentage of half witted and prae
tically all are illterate. Half-afraid and half
indifferent, the better people Of the section
have given but little attention to this peculiar
class. They have gathered from many towns
and are mostly town charges. 70 the ma
jorily town order IS accepted as a matter of
course and as a most legitimate source Of
revenue
Children, not wholly bright, have been al
lowed to grow to manhood and womanhood
neglected by all their neighbors. Few if any
have ever gone to school and the strangest
ideas about various things prevail among
them. Girls have married when scarcely in
their teens and have had cousins and other
relatives for their husbands. Related blood
has been intermingled until race peculiar to
itself has been developed.
The morals of the tribe, for tribe is the
word most commonly used in referring to
these people by those who know them best,
are in an astounding condition Story after
story is told that can hardly be credited, and
yet must be. Some stories are naturally the
better, after being told several times, but
there Is enough in stenograpic reports Of
court proceedings
There is a cluster of less than half dozen
houses near the village of West Athens.
Other dwellings Of the same character are
scat cred about the little place but it is the
nature Of this strange people to get together.
The little cluster OF houses, or rather huts,
cover less than two acres. There is no regu-
larity whatever in the arrangement, one little
hut being placed behind or beside another as
is most convenient
These dwellings are hard to describe truly
and accurately. An Indian camp Of wigwams
would be more orderly and much more at.
tractive. Log cabins would be palatial be.
side most OF these dwellings. Rougher than
the out-buildings on a poor farm, 50 small
that it seems Incredible that human beings
can exist in them. Perhaps you have seen
some little old hut of hermit. built by some
half wild man that he might exc out mlser-
able existence away from his kind Take
several such as that and put them together,
hit or miss, in a rough, broken, rocky pasture
and you may get some idea OF what is to be
seen where "lhe browns and the Iuttlcs
live.
Take, for instance, the dwelling where the
murder is supposed TO have been committed.
The ridge pole IS not 10 feet from the ground,
and the hut i, not 10 feet square Nearly
square in shape with squat roof, it turns its
weather beaten, rough boards to the road and
near its border. The windows are such as
are used in stables or outbuildngs, the panes
being Of the smallest kind and four in mum
Der A crack on one end of the building,
made by the varying boards, has been rude
~ covered with bit of slab. The windows
are not well fitted and glass is missing The
door is Of boards like that of an ordinary shed
and swings lamely on il, delapidated hinges.
There is hut one room and there cooking,
sleeping and living are aanc. The floor is
of the roughcSt. the furniture Of the meanest
quality and Of necessity very scanty
Some Of the ether dwellings are larger bui
none of them are better than the ordinary
Maine farmer uses for wood shed or her
house, Some are shingled all over. some
merely boarded. Some are in good repair
and Others Just standing. There isn't a sign
of paint or whtewash about anywhere
The land itself where these novels are
situated is Of the poorest and most unattrac-
tive kind, swampy in places and rocky in
others, rough and broken everywhere \
small brook makes its way through in the
rear Of most the dwellings. Children are
very numerou, and play about like puppies
or kittens in the dooryards and on the floors
OF the little houses. When a stranger APP
pears they Immediately begin to 'shov of
in most comical manner, and even SOME
times more repusive than eomical
As has already been said many # these
people are charges for some one or another
Of the surrounding towns. Scarcely any have
land enough to make pretcnse at farming,
small garden being the general limit The
men work for the farmers. doing odd Jobs of
whatever can be found 70 10 IN a IiuIe coun-