Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-21
OF MATTE HACkETT.
Continued from Page One.)

the lower floor, and failed to find any
trace OF the girl He then started for
inc door, and as he stepped out, he
'earu tne sound as of someone Strang-
ing out by the roadside, and started
III the direction of the noise. He stop
Pea and listened and heard the sound
gam and then ran down the road and
found the girls body as has been told.
without going to the house Hackett
ran for his wife to the Cole place.
where she was calling. situated $50
."ards distant to the Northeast. All
alone.
The distance from trc house door to
the place where the girls body was
found. is 169 feet, by actual measure
ment, while in straight line ii is only
600 feet
These are the facts upon which many
and diverse theories have been based
by the public which is watching the
affair.
The first theory WAS that of the
tramps who were said 10 have been
with Jones who called at Hacketts for
1000. Louis Hunton, 4 constable living
near Kent's HILL saw four tramps on
the road In the afternoon. Later. two
Decker boys, somewhere about 10 and
IL years Of age, stated that they saw
three tramps on the direct road by TIL
Hackett place. ha!c :, mile nearer
Kent's Hill.
One was knocking 1t the door Of Il
house occupied by Mrs. Breed. and tho
other two were looking i'll At the win
dow. They fix the time ut s o'clock.
as they We're going 70 the pasture for
the cows When the tralnps saw the
boys they ran across the road and hid
In some bushes. The place has been
visited by the Journal man, who found
evidences that the bushes had been
trampled down by some intruder.
On the other hand. Mrs. Breed testi-
f1es that she Eat on her piazza from
to 6 O'Clock that afternoon, and saw
nothing Of tramps d strangers. Fur
therinore, Luther p. Maxim. accom-
panied by a small boy named Everett
Nc kenncy, was returning from base
ball game at Winthrop. aud coming by
this road, stopped their team near the
identical spot where the crime was
committed. to ascertain the cause Of a
bllSNl lSHl dI inc llOuSS VI 0CO' l<uiiSp
OH q cross road.
The light proved TO be the torches %
children who were at Hlay. This was
about o'clock in tho evening, and no
signs were seen of any strangers, teams
or pedestrians, nor was any sound Of
trouble heard.
If the girl had been carried from the
house against her will by tramps, there
would have been some sign of a Strug-
gle, and some noise Of cutlery, but no
such things occurred. Furthermore, the
absence of any marks of violence or tho
girls body. with the exception of til"
finger prints on the arms, and a slight
wound on the cheek, g. to show that
she was not roughly handled by three
tramps.
The theory that the deco was COM
mitted by jealous lover, while it re-
4ciyod some support from the stories
of Mattie's shopmatce. who worked
with her in Lewiston, and said that the
girl had expressed A fear Of n former
sutton who had sin"a married. Is not
strong enough to appeal to those who
know the most about the matter. If
Matte had gone ou: by appointment
Shr would have prepared the supper
first. but the evidence shows that Shc
expected to return. The fact that the
girl had appeared worried for some
time past. is explained By the family
by the fact that she WAS expecting to
have to undergo an operation for APP
pendicltiS, and naturally looked upon II
with dread.
The most natural conclusion is that
the crime was not tho work of trampS
or OF q rejected lover out If a woman
who knew the girl. au,l who was actu-
ated by a groundle5s suspicion. think
ing that Matte was exercising an I'm
proper influence over her husband and
IN q at Of insane jealousy lured the girl
from the house and took her life.
The girl would naturally go out with
a woman who called to her but would
never have left the house with a
strange nan without som" struggle or
outcry.
The Woman toward whom tho suE-
piCiOn is directed was seen and recOS-
nized on the Nickerson load. By sew
cral witnesses. including I. J. Hawcs.
Burton Davis, Marcellus Williams ana
Mrs. ChaS. Bean, who was the last per-
son to see her before she faded from
sight, this being about 10 o'clock i'll
tho evening
Thus tho Woman's whereabouts ARC
accounted for up 10 Within half An hour
of tho time the Grim" was committed.
and all Indications poin, t. tn" fact
that Matte Hackctt was murdered by
the same woman whose footprints wnro
discovered i'll the Nickerson brothers
CorEfield.
liLt although the officers feel certain
that they are on the right track, still,
other theories are nJt abandoned and
IN" three trlnps, said by Florence
Dexter of North Wayne. to have been
seen within three miles of the Hackctt
place. and by others still nearer, were
appreherded at Livornlor, Falls, Sat
uriay, and will be taken to Augusta.
today. for Identification. and hel!
pending the Investigations
Certain rumors wcr. also abroad that
lester Lyons Of South Boston, who was
supposed TO be engaged to Miss Hack
CT but now denies it, WA to ne ar
rested III connection with the case. but
IN" county officials deny that such *
the case.
AIr