The Somerset reporter., 1908-03-05
Held to Await Action of S. ].
Court.

Herbert Woodbury. was held with
out bail for the September term of the
Piscataquis county grand jury on the
charge of numbering his wife, Phoebe
Maud Henderson Woodbury., whose
body was found hanging to the door
knob of an upper room of the Ex-
change hotel in Foxoroft Feb IS,
after disappearance of three months.
Judge Smith of the Dover Municipal
court, gave this decision late Thursday
at the conclusion of the preliminary
hearing on the charge against Wood
bury, Woodbury. who has not been i'll
goodihealth for the past few months,
took Judge Smiths decision philo-
sophically and there was no demon
stration among the spectators who
crowded the court room. The pris-
oner was Immediately removed to the
Dover Jail.
Attorney Goodwin for the defence an
nounced after the rendering of Judge
Smiths decision to hold Woodbury.,
that should his client be indicted be-
fore the Piscataquis county grand
Jury he should ask that the trial take
place in some other county where
there would not be SO much likelihood
of prejudice against the prisoner.
The hearing of the charges against
Woodbury. commenced last Tuesday,
and the State rested today at 1910
O'Clock after Detective Richard F.
Leader of Lewiston and L. A. Rich
ards of Ellsworth had testified. The
arguments of Attorney Goodwin for
the defence and of County Attorney
Burgess took up over an hour apiece.
Attorney Goodwin argued for the dis
charge of Woodbury. on the ground of
insufficient evidence, while County
Attorney Burgess called particular
attention to the evidence of physi
clans to the effect that while, in their
opinion death was caused by strangu
lation it could not have been caused
by hanging from the door knob where
the body was found. Mr.. Burgess
also said that jealousy was the cause
of the alleged crime.
The charge against Woodbury. was
attended by many unusual circum
stances. Mrs. Woodbury. who was his
third wife, disappeared last November
and it was understood that she had
left her husband after a quarrel. At
the time the couple were running the
Exchange hotel, but after Mrs. Wood
bury's disappearance The house was
closed up. AS the weeks went by
without any word being received
from Mrs. Woodbury., some of her
relatives began to fear foul play and
on the 18th of this month, accompa-
MED by officers, they made search
of the deserted Exchange hotel.
In one of the upper rooms, the door
of which had to be forced open, the
body of Mrs. Woodbury. was found
hanging to the door knob. So far as
was brought out at the preliminary
hearing which closed today there was
no evidence of a struggle in the room
and the woman's clothing had not
been disarranged. Woodbury. who,
after the finding of his wife's body,
was detained as witness claimed
that his wife must have committed
suicide, and an autopsy was held to
determine if possible, the exact cause
of death. Coroner II. A. Holt and an
assisting physician said as a result of
UbOll Autopsy Ohat5 w bAOA 1oob jung
ment, the woman did not meet her
de ath by hanging, but was choked to
death in some other way. They said
they found the windpipe in its normal
condition, and this condition bore out
their theory as the windpipe would
resume It's normal condition upon the
release of the pressure upon it,
whereas if death had been caused by
~ l1of hn
slant pressure upon the windpipe
would have kept it closed. Wood
bury was thereupon formally arrested
on the charge of murder and was
given his preliminary hearing, which
resulted in Judge Smiths decision to
hold him for the action of the S. j.
court.
To~l of Thouiyc