Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-21
TAKEN TO SkOWHEGAN.
Dr.. Twaddelle Will Be Arraiened To-
day for Attempted Murder.

ohONltSdIl, NE, btt -u--NSptCldiJ
DIR. Joseph B. Twaddele. who was
arrested today at North Arson on
warrant charging him with attempted
murder. was brought here this after
noon and will be arraigned at , o'clock
tomorrow morning before Judge
Bachpller in the SkoWhcgan municipal
court Sheriff clyde T. Smith says
that he has Il very strong case against
Twaddelle. According To the officer
Fred Knights of Norridgewock,
brother of the doctors wife, received
last May an anonymous letter saying
that the writer had been employed by
Twaddelle 10 do away" with him,
meaning knights. But little attention
was paid to this letter and later
knights received another letter re-
questing him to come to Arson.
Between the receipt Of the two let
tiers a man called ut the home of
knights late one night and requested
that he be taken to Madison. The re-
quest was refused Some time later
another man called and made the same
request. with the same result. The
second call was also made late at
night.
The last call aroused the suspicious
Of knights and he followed the visitor
down the road towards Madison and
saw him turn into a driveway leading
to a group of deserted farm buildings.
Knights continued until he came to
another set of buildings and then
turned into the driveway, where he
concealed himself to watch the
vacant premises where the other man
had turned in and TO await develop
ments.
After waiting some time he saw
covered team emerge from the drive
way and start up the road The cur
tains We're closely drawn and he was
unable to see the occupants, but a
| team coming down the road in the
opposite direction passed the other
and knights stopped it and inquired of
| the occupants who was in the team he
| had just seen coming from the drive
| way leading to the deserted buildings.
| The driver responded that one of the
men was DR. Twaddelle. but that he
| did not know the man who was with
! him.
| 1t is alleged that after this occur
| renee DR.. Twaddelle gave to Charles
! Skillings Of Arson his rife and that he
also on two different occasions gave
| Skillings q two ounce bottle containing
| a LIQUID. This liquid has not been. an
alyzcd, but Sheriff Smith says he is
acting on the supposition that 1t was
poison and that if this proves to be the
| case he vii! attempt to prove that 1t
was to be administered to knights.
Sheriff Smith says that he has in his
possession several unsigned letters adj
dressed to Skillings, as we'll as several
bearing DR. Twaddelle's signature. He
asserts that there is n marked simil-
| iarity in the handwriting Of the two
letters and expects to prove that all
of them were written by the same per-
son.
When the case comes up for n hear
ing Saturday morning Twaddelle' Will
be represented by Hon. August SIM
mons of the Somerset county probate
court, an old family friend. The Stale
will be represented by a. X. Butler Of
Skowhcgan. Twaddelle is not locked
up in the county Jail but is paroled IN
charge of Deputy Sheriff Goodwin.
The matter was reported first to
! Obed Stackpole, an Enforcement dep
uty. who was then working in and
about Skowhegan. Mr. Stackp0le is
reported to have also been a State de-
tectIve and it was for this reason that
he was called on to investigate after
the second anonymous letter had been
received by Mr.. knights. The matter
was later reported, about a month ago
10 Sheriff Smith, who has since been
Investigating the case and securing
evidence which resulted today in the
arrest Of DR.. Twaddclle.
Twaddelle married for his second
wife sister Of Fred Knights Of Nor
ridgewock 4 sister Of the man he is
accused Of trying to kill The couple
separated several years ago and since
that time the doctor has lived with
: his daughter at Madison, while his
; wife has lived with her father and