Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-20
MURDERED.
John A. Hart Meets Death
On Steamer Larchmont.
On the Joy Line from New
York 10 Providence.
Motive Was Probably Robbery-Perpc-
traitor Unknown-No Tangible Clews.

| PROV drnce. Z. l.. Fob. l9.-J"hn A.
| iialt. an engineer. employed last sum-
| n,cr on H. 4. Rogers power boat III"
| Vixen. was murdered or the JOY Line
| steamer I.arrhnlont while a passenger
| from New York. to this city last night.
| The rlurdcr WAS nos discovered until
| this afternoon. when after all the other
| passengers had left the steamer and tn"
| stewards i'll making theil rounds dis
| covered the state room occupied BY
| Hart closed and the door locked Thu
! door was forced and the body of Hart
| was found in Tao upper berth with
| bullet wound III the neck under the left
| check bone. A nl,,nlle- had been thrown
over the head, and upper portions of
| he body. The body was clothed in I'M
| dergalmcnts. but the outside clothing
| q: the man was missing. No weapon
| vas found in the state room while a
| 'rotch chain. Il ring ana Il considerable
| sum OF money. which the de ad man was
| known to have possessed had been tax
| II. The matter VAS reported to the po-
| ice hero AMI Medical Examiner jay
| Perkins later he'd III autopsy. finding
| kat the man was murdered and the
| motive probably robbery.
| III" notice have hat little to work
| upon as they believe that the murder
| or escaped Immediately VI oil the land
| ing OF the boat here a. noon, and had 4
| GOOD start before the body was dis
| covered. They are. however. looking for
= man who is said to have acted
| strangely on the boat, and to have at
! :racteG the attention Of several of the
| crew by his nervous behavior. and his
repeated inquiries as TO whether the
boat would reach this city in time for
| him to catch the l2.01 train for Boston.
| Hart was d years of age, and the
son of Lorin p. Hart. Of this city, AMI
| he was on his way 20 visit his father.
The identity Of he murdered man was
in doubt until the father visited the boat
and secured permission from the medi-
| cal examiner to remove the body. On
viewing the body Medical Examiner
| Perkins immediately declared that the
wound could not have been self infiict-
| I'd. F:e expressed the opinion that death
Il must have berl instantaneous.
4 The police have been unable to find
any on who could give tho slightest in
II formation concerning t!irt's move
r'ents after he came aboard the boat.
Il Hart was a native Of this state, ana
Il worked in various places in this city.
Sinsc lst November h" had been en-
i rloyet! as a fireman on the Pratt Aus
tralia COS. Tug Number :. He COM
muncated with mis- fathe" here regu-
larry and made frequent trips to this
city. So far as known, he was not ac-
Uuaiutrd with any Of his fellow pas
II scngcrs. His body was discovered by
steward Ronrrt DickorsOn Of New
York. Steward Dickerson said:
II Il was making my rounds to clean
i ~ the statero0ms, when l found the
door Of Harris room locked. l obtained
a key ard upon opening the door, was
II horTi!i"d to inl the body lying in the
II upper berth with a blanket apparently
II lrrarEcd over the face. The body was
clad o7ly in underwear. / noticed that
Il there were no coat trousers or vest in
the room. ! notified the chief steward,
Who Informed the police This was
.'nmctinr after all the passengers had
left the boat Daring the right neither
II Of others of tn" crew heard the slight
st disturbance CT any thing to indi-
II cate that anything was wrong on
Il board"
II At the autopsy II vas found that the
H bullet had entered the left check and
had lodged in the base o. the brain.
Tie weapon was cvid entity held within
II two or three inches Of the face When
II fir d. as The poWdor 81 ain blackened the
H pillow on which the man lay. 1t is the
H opinan Of the medi al examiner Per-
H kins that the man was asleep when
H -hot and that he breathcd but a few
II minutes after the bullet entered his
head. in al! probability not moving at
H all. An examination showed that the
II murdered must have made his escape
II by the door from thu state room into
II The corridor the snail Window in thu
room not having been tamrered with.
II One Of the watchmen on the steamer
told the police that a man in Khaki
II uniform slept in the corridor near
II Harris state room but that he was ap-
H narently sound asleep all night. the
Waterman having passed him several
H times.
The only passenger known To have
)een awake after midnight was man
Who at 30 O'Clock got a light for his
II cigarette from tie Waterman.
New York Feb. 19-The New York
police were asked. tonight, by tele-
phone by the police of Providence to