Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-08-08
REEDS STORY
Continued from Page One.)

bright eyes to match. and trim OF fig
ure, becomingly attired. she is quite a
striking looking woman. She gave no
signs Of being effected either one way
or the other as the evidence for and
against her was put in. Her compos-
Ure was not cqualled by that of her
husband, who was In state of utter
collapse directly after her arrest.
Mr. Merrill's position. in his open
ing for the State. was that tie re-
spondent had purchased the hotel
property for small amount of money,
bad put $1,000 insurance on 1t. made
repairs and then put on $4,000 more
insurance. That she was in commune
cation with Otis Reed, and that he
met her in Lewiston where the two
arranged matters; after that, she went
to Massachusetts and later wrote Reed
in regard to the burning of the build
ings. The contention of the State was
that the buildings were not worth any
where as near as much as the insur-
ance she had placed on them, and that
her intent was to dcfraud the insur-
ance companies.
The first witness was Samuel Z. Remick
of Madison. by whom the State proved
the three policies of insurance of 5000
each. On first examination Mr.. Goodwin
drew out facts which were an indirect
admission on the part of the witness,
who was the agent with whom Miss
EirSchner contracted for insurance. that
he considered the hotel buildings worth
an amount larger than the amount placed
upon them.
i,t, d..
New Portland. testified as to the respon-
dent mailing a certain special delivery let
ter. This letter was dated few days
before the fire and WAS in regard to !,
and Mr.. Reed. The Wilton postmas ter
Cyrus Cyrus Senderson. and Fred Brown
who delivered it. were also put on til.
stand to account for its receipts at Wilton
and it's receipt by Reed.
Mr.. HodcsdOn thought the hotel build
ings were worth $1,000 or $500, or not oven
$500 at the outside.
Thomas Carpenter. hackman at Lewis
ton. identified Miss kirschner and Reed as
the parties he met at the station in Lew
istons and carried to Hotel Atwood
The surprise of the day came when Otis
Reed was called. Tonight. he stands self
confessed of the crime of arson. 1t was
not at first intended by the State to put
him on the stand. but 1t became neccs-
sary, since some of the witnesses who had
been summoned did not appear. BY his
own admissions he Is guilty of setting
fire to and burning the hotel at West New
Portland; furthermore. his story if true
makes Miss kirschner an accessory. In
substance his story in regard to meeting
Miss kirschner and burning the building
was as follows:
is 80 years of age. He first met the re-
spondent at Wilton over Il year ago. Later
she went to West New Portland to open I,
hotel and he soon followed for the p,lr
| LII,
of the agreement he was to have his
board for his services and when he SHOULD
have gotten his divorce from Mrs. Reed
he and Miss kirSchner were to be mar
ried.
He had not been at the hotel more thar
a month before she proposed the burning
of the buildings. She was to have tht
buildings insured for a greater amount
to go away together with the insurance
money obtained. Several times afterwarc
she spoke to him about the matter and
each time he agreed with her plans
Sometime last February. he went t.
Wilton. where he could make higher pay
While there he was visited by the sheriff
with executions taken out by his wife fol
the support of his children. Later he
went back to Miss kirschner's place tc
get some things he had left there. Al
this time they again talked over the mat
ter of the proposed fire. On the Sth da y
of June. he received letter from her
asking him to meet her He did meet he,
at Leeds and together they went to Lew
iston. She proposed to stop there over
night and agreed to register as man and
wife. He registered as +. II. Jones and
wife at Hotel Atwood. and they occupied
a room together that night. He agreed
to go to West New Portland. Tuesday
night. if possible. to burn the buildings
at that time. and she gave him the keys
to her hotel. On the following day she
departed for Massachusetts.
Al about q O'Clock nf ha N q
of June II he left Wilton on his bicycle
for Pennington and from there went ia
West New Portland. When within about
n mile of the village he left his wheel
terirg. with his key. the front door of the
hotel. he went into the office to get some
Kerosene. before going up two flights Of
stairs into the actic. There he set fire to
the building and then went back to Farm
ingtOn.
Mr. Merrill offered in evidence letter
Of Miss kirschner's at Beverly. Mass. to
Reed. asking him if he had done it. and
saying that if he wished he might wait
until Saturday night. BY this the State
contends she was asking him if he had
already burned the hotel and telling him
that if he had not he could wait until Sat
urday night.
MIR. Goodwin. attorney for the respond
Ont. did not offer any testimony in de
fence.
Reeds testimony against himself
IIuSt ne taken as conclusive. as against
Miss kirschner it goes for what it is
wOgth. What led him to make the dis
closure is a matter of conjecture. He said
no inducement had been held out to him.
but that several persons had told him it
would e" easier with him if he told the
truth. His testimony was that he liked
Miss Kirschner liked her previously. but
recently she married another man.
Whether her marriage to the other fellow
inspired Reed to tell the story which h.
told. today. is a question whose answer
we do not know.
Judge Bachelor found probable cause
against the respondent and she was bound
over for the grand iyry. The amount Of
bonds was set at $IO0. and as she could
not furnish satisfactory sureties she was
given into the custody of the sheriff.