The Somerset reporter., 1909-04-15

Continued from first page J

phone that murder had been com
mitted at Bingham. He and two of
his deputies we're Just going out to
make search in Skowhegan for
which all arrangements had been
perfected, when the telephone rang.
In answer to inquiry, Mr.. Mooers wab
informed that his deputy, Perley q.
Foss, at Bingham, was on the scene
and was doing all he could from that
point to locate and apprehend Not
tage. Mr.. Mooers then got into COM
munnication with Deputy John l..
Foss of Solon, instructing him to get
three good men besides bimself aud
to proceed toward Bingham, two by
the railroad track and two by the
highway. The instructions were that
Nottage must be taken, dead or alive.
Mr.. Mooers sat at his telephone until
ten O'Clock, following and directing
the chase. In the meantime Nottage
was coming toward Solon, following
the track of the Somerset railroad.
He must have seen or heard the
searching party coming from Solon,
for when near the residence of Fred
Magoon, he left the track and struck
across the field to the highway.
Deputy Foss, who was accompanied
by Thomas and Willie Tuscan, all of
Solon, when they came to the foot
prints near the Magoon place and
noted that they branched off toward
the road, they were confident they
were on the right trail and turned to
the highway, following the traces in
the snow. Nottage's trail took to the
road and along it toward Solon village
for fifteen rods or SO, and then swung
fn hn rafI iV,
There was no question now as to who
was ahead of them and they made the
best time they could down across the
river at Solon, tracing along the river
all the time. After leaving Solon, the
party was made up of Leslie Lombard,
Bert Goodrich and Deputy Sheriff
Foss, all of that town, with Robie
Sands and Ed. Small of Bingham. AT
the Lane Crossing, about one mile
from Embden station, they found that
Nottage had turned to the highway
again. The officers followed along
through Embden, past Embden pond,
and on arriving at the junction with
/ the New Portland road, about seven
miles from the Lane Crossing, they
found where the man they were pur-
suing had doubled and redoubled on
his track in the attempt to confuse
them. This caused them but few
moments delay, however, and they
were off after him again on the New
Portland road, which leads off to the
right, very confident now that he was
not far ahead. Half a mile from the
junction of the Embden and New
Portland roads just referred to, they
found the tracks turning out of the
road toward the barn at the Albee
place and traced them to the point
where they entered the building.
The overtaking of Nottage, the OBJ
ject they had been striving for all
through cold and stormy night, was
accomp lished. What the pursuers
had already done, the following of an
armed and desperate man, in the
dark and storm, took plenty of nerve
and, at it's end, came the necessity of
carrying the hunt into every nook
and corner of the Albee barn.
Deputy Foss with Lombard, Goodrich
and Small, plunged in without delay,
however, and proceeded to examine
every place where man might hide,
fearless or regardless of the fact that
pistol might fash doom to one or
more of them from a dark corner at
any moment. After completing the
search below they went to the hay
loft and Nottage was found beneath
the hay by Lombard, as he was walk
ing from one side to the other. AS
the hay was kicked one side, Not
tage was perceived, laying face down
ward ! both hands concealed under
the face. AS the men were gather
ing about him. he asked, "Have |
shot my wife?" Lombard replied,
eyes, but she isn't dead" AT this
moment Deputy Foss grasped Not
tage by one arm and Ed Small by the
other, but before the two men could
raise him, the pistol which he had
held in his hands with the muzzle in
the mouth, was discharged, the bull
let going upward toward the brain.
Nottage never spoke again. He was
taken to the home of Sylvester jack
son, nearby, and in an hour and
quarter was dead.
Nottage was son of the late Liberty
Nottage, formerly we'll known lum-
herman and farmer of Lexington.
Neither of his parents are living.
He was % years of age. Nothing in
his previous history seems to have
given promise of the desperate deeds
with which he ushered himself out of
this world. His wife, Lucinda, was
born in Norridgewock, q years ago,
the daughter OF Mr.. and Mrs. Sylves-
ter Chapman. She had been di-
vorced from previous marriage and
child, three years of age, the result
of that union, is living. Since her
marriage to Nottage, they had lived
with her parents in Lexington, until
their recent separation. A child by
the second marriage, also survives,
the baby referred to between hus-
band and wife, in the parlor at the
Bingham hotel, just previous to the
shooting. There are reports that
Nottage had followed his wife to Oak
land, not long since, and that he at
that time threatened her life, his con-
duct being such that the Maine Cen
tral employees were obliged to inter
fere and protect the woman.
Jealousy, or a dispute over the
custody of the child, following a
separation after few months of un-
congenial married life, seems to
have been the cause of Nottage's
reckless deed. The tragedy involved
an untimely and unhappy ending for
two lives, leaves two little ones who
must some time learn of it with a
feeling of horror, and places a cloud
of sorrow upon at least one home
that many years cannot remove.