Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-12

demned youth from tile eieI'iiN
In less than three weeks small ARMY
of men. women and children were d.
work with this petition securing va
after day additional signatures anu
when finally it was presenter 10 ~
ernor Guild there were over llo'ooo
names attached to IL.
Even with the presentation or the
petition the lawyers did not rest. IN
fact, as the time for the execution APP
preached they labored so necessarily
in their search for new evidence " pI
plS ccd before Governor HuiiH III " iIi''''
appea. for the Communication "l 'he
tence that fuckers case hecalhe tiio
CHEZ subject of conversation IN TINS
city ana i'm the state. This eXtranril-
nary ulblic interest was evidenced by
the ",ace devoted TO the matter III Inc
newspapers IF Boston. the proceedings
Of tire Governors hearing occupying Il
space that is usually only given To
matters Of unusual national impor-
lance. such as vOlumihouS P1"sl-
dents message to Congress and the like.
The attorneys for the prisoner went
before Governor Guild, not only with
new evidence, but with a general plea
for executive clemency and with atii-
davits which il was frankly stated.
would have no standing in 4 court OF
law. The most important of this new
evidence related to the stick pin which
it was alleged by the prosecution dur
ing the trial had been stolen by Tuck
er from the Page house. The defence
claimed that the pin was the personal
property of Tucker and additional
proof in support of this contention was
placed before the Governor.
1t was at this time when the con-
denned youth could count his days
upon this earth upon the fingers Of
both hands that Medical Examiner
Francis Harris east temporary glow
of hope over the Tucker household by
announcing that he had erred in teSli-
flying as an expert at the trial. DIR.
Harris told the jury that the knife
wounds found on the body of Mabel
Page had been made by a knife similar
to the one owned by Tucker. But the
hope aroused by this statement died
almost at its birth. for in few days
Dr. Harris issued another statement in
which he said that he had finally de-
cidei that his evidence given at the
tainty of witness who had been called
as an expert by the government was
not lost sight of by Mr.. Valley and he
referred To the matter at some length
in q Flea before Governor Guild. Dr.
Harris, who was called as the witness
at the hearing. proved To be as con-
fuSing in his oral statements as he had
been in his written one and referring TO
orc of the latter which he had named
1.-THE Dreyfus Affair Of Massachu-
sets" he said that he had been writing
on tho case along the lines Of Emil
Zola. the French novelist.
The famous stick pin from the outset
seemed to be the pivot upon which the
case against Tucker revolved. This
was true at the trial and it was also
true at the governors hearing. MI.
Valley said that the stick pin and its
Identification by Amy Roberts, ser
want at the Page household. convicted
Tucker. At the governors hearing
the defence for the first time was able
to produce a witness who positively
identified the pin as the property Of
Tucker.
Mabel Page was murdered at her
-
ing of March 81. 1904. Her body was
found several hours later by her aged
father. On nearby table was fcunl
a note stating that she had been
called to Boston because of the illness
of her brother. 1t later developed that
her brother Harold was not i'll and the
handwriting on the note and Il postal
card which was found in one of Tuck
er's pockets figured in the trial. tn
cOntcndiLg that the hand
writing as shown on the postal card
was Identical with specimens of Tuck
cr's handwriting.
The police authorities We're without
clcw for days. At length they
learned that Charles l.. Tucker. an
young man of rowing
habits had been seen near the Page
house on the day of the murder. They
found Tucker and on taking him to 4
police station questioned him, but re-
leased him. They did not abandon the
trail however. and Tucker knew they
were following him. About 4 week
after the first examination Of Tucker
the officers We're prompted by evil
dence to search fuckers home. There,
in an old coat. they found a broken
knife blade stained and Scared, the !
scars Indicating that an effort had |
been made to destroy it by means of Il |
file y stick pin Of peculiar design was |
also found. 1t WAS soon learned that
Mabel Page had owned 4 pin similar to |
that found in fuckers coat. This, to- |
get her with the fact That stains on the |
knife blade We're suspected Of being !
those Of blood as well as the cause Of |
fuckers act in breaking the dad" into |
three pieces caused his arrest. In
iictment for murder in the first degree |
followed.
In prosecuting the case Attorney |
General Parker maintained that rob |
berry preceded the murder, but tho |
wounds in tho wom?n's body bore mute |
testimony that her assassin was fend- |,
lshly brutal. The fist thrust of the |
knife made mortal wound, bat the |
knife blade was plunged deep and Of |
ten afterwards. The evidence at the
trial was largely If a circlmStantiai |
nature and counsel for the defence pro-
luCed witness ana many to prove az
llibi. but the pin ana the knife played |
more prominent parts than did any
witness produced by either the PROSE