Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-22


tagcs in the towns OF Monmouth and
in the state prison at Thomaston,
while the ease of Bickford, who is a
| boy of ]. was continued until the
| April term. William Shaw of Augusta
on an illegal keeping charge was given
| fine of 500 or 60 days in Jail. AS no
| further cases were ready for trial I'M
| til Saturday court adjourned for tie
| day q: 2.i0.
The second jury, which was out at
| the time of adjournment of court
Thursday afternoon and was instruct :
ed to bring in a sealed verdict at the
| opening of court Friday morning. re-
| turned a verdict of guilty in the case
| of Bernard T.. Getchell Of Augusta,
charged by Indictment with main
| tanning liquor nuisance. The case
| was given to the jury at 4.43 Thurs
day afternoon and it was 1920 Thurs
| dav evening when they reported to
! the officer in charge that they had
agreed mon verdict.
William H. Bckford and Riley II.
| Tras< of Oakland. two young men
against whom eight indictments We're
| founi for breaking and-entering cot
tages on Lake Cochnewagen. located
| in Readfield and Monmouth, came up
for sentence. Joseph Williamson ap-
| peared for Bickford ard M. II. SIM
mons for Trask.
| Deputy Sheriff Harry e. Merrill OF
! Monmouth testified in regard to the
breaks and stated that the respond
cnts had broken into 30 cottages in
Monmouth and two in Readfield,
They had apparently sought to wreck
the cottages rather than to piunder
them. Witness testified that in the
Gilman cottage at Monmouth in which
the boys stopped over night IA OUT OF
80 pancs of glass were broken, every
piece of crockery ware in the house
was shot up. beds were ruined ana
the panels of the doors were CUT
through with a bowie knife.
Trask. when questioned by inc
Judge lad nothing to say in regard
to the charges against them Attor-
new Simmons stated that Trask was
the child OF a drunken father and at
u was a street vagabond and sent to
the reform SCtloOl. A''N - I0''>
had dore time in the kennepec county
iail for larceny Of meat at Oakland
station and had also served Tune III
Bangor and Auburn jails and mad peeh
imnrisoned at Bridgewater. Mass. nc
arg,1ed that the respondent was men
tally deficient and that further m
nrisonroent would not have any re-
straining effect upon MN.
Attorney Williamson stated that
Ricllford was but II years of age ana
tho son of a father, VINO mad served
10 wears in state prison, and W1ilc
ENGAGED il. breaking into the cottages
wac under the influence of his older
Communion. Trask. He represented
that the boy had relatives IN Gardner
who were willing to look alter MIN i
h. was placed under probation.
ethel NJ. Hood, wife OF Robert }.
Hood of Gardiner, and sister Of the
respondent, Rickford, testified that
when the boy was at her home ne
WAS well behaved and worked steadily
in tie shoe shop. He left her home be-
cause his father took him away. She
declared that she and her husband
if so ordered by the court and would
secure steady employment for him.
William II. Bickford testified that ne
ran away from home when L. years
or 2pc because his Darents did not
usc him right" He left Gardiner be-
cause his parents wanted his money.
He was earning $3.50 a week and
Maid 50 a week for his board. Re-
snondent afterwards worked in a gro
Gerry store at Oakland. Respondent
told the Judge that he made the breaks
into tho cottages because he was put
IN m If nv Trask" He declared that
no did none of the shooting at the
croc,,erv ware in the cottages Re-
spondent told the county attorney that
he stole meat at Oakland last June
because he was hungry. He admitted
that he had rcvolvers and knives upon
him when he was captured. Attorney
Williamson argued that BickfOrd II
nroperlv cared for would cease to be
menace to the community.
County Attorney Hildreth asked Tor
a state prison sentence for both re-
snondents and said that the city Oh
Gardner 0lU uOt went S'"'S
ford as a resident.
Judge Hall in pronouncing sentence
declared that crime of the two Dogs
was one of the worst cases OF vandai
ism of which he had ever heard and
that the wrecking of cottages in TINS
manner owned by summer residents
from outside of the State by criminals
within the State gave to. the State OF
Maine bad name.
The case against Riley Trask was
| disposed of by sentence to the state
/ nrison at Thomaston for two years
| each on three Of the eight indictments