Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-03-22
Supreme judicial Court.
MARCH TERM, 1910.

q MARCH TERM, 1910.
Hon. VIM. p. Whitehouse,
O Justice Presidin,
Charles F. Whitman, Clerl
Stanley Estes, Stenographe
Ralph T. Parker, County Attorne,
Hiram r. Hubbard, Sheriff
/ Harry d. Cole, Jaile
William A. Bicknell, Deputy as Crie
w. A. Bsrrows, Messenge
Walter l.. Gray, Librarian
A succession of criminal trials occl
pied the first part of the week, beginnin
Monday morning.
= The first case was that of State v,
Joseph Chase, indicted at the last Oc'C
her term for receiving stolen goods
Chase is Russian Hebrew who has bee
at Rumford for three or four years, for
while conducting junk business in tn
? basement of the house in which he lived
and later becoming a peddler Of dr.
goods.
The goods concerned in this indic'
ment came from the furniture store O
Elliott W. Howe, and consisted of lac
curtains, draperies, quilts and other art
cles. On the 26th of March, 1909, Deput
Sheriff Fl. l.. Elliott, armed with scare
warrant and accompanied by Mr.. Howe
searched the house on River Street oC
cupied by Chase and his father-in.law
BRAN Klain, and their families. Tn
goods which appeared in this case, ant
which were identified by Mr.. Howe a
coming from bis store, were found in
trunk in room occupied by Dora Klain
Some time later Charles Winslow, wit
drives the delivery team for Mr.. Howe
was suspected and arrested, and made ;
full statement of his connection with til,
matter. Winslow was q witness in thi
case, and testified that he took thes,
goods from the store and delivered then
to Chase at Chase's suggestion. receiving
a small sum from Chase for doing so.
In his own defence Chase testified
that be bought the goods in question
without any knowledge that they wer,
stolen; that he took them at one tim,
from the team driven by Winslow, anC
paid him the price named, amounting t.
S2S.70, without dickering; that as ht
was having whitewashing and Other
work done in the house, he had the
/ Soouo paOn0u away III tiuun W Pio
tect them.
The two younger daughters of Abrau
Klain, Dora and Ida Klain, testified fol
the defence, and there was some conflict
between their testimony and that of the
states witnesses as to the details of the
search of the house.
County Attorney Parker conducted
the case for the state, and Mr.. Hutchins
of Rumford and Mr.. Wright for the de.
fence.
The jury was out some more than ar
hour and half Tuesday morning, and
returned verdict of guilty.
Andrew B. Jordan of North Bridgton
pleaded guilty to forgery of his wife's
name to a note. Hon. A. S. Kimball
appeared for Mr. Jordan, and made a
statement of the circumstances under
which the act was done. In fixing the
sem ence, Judge Whitehouse said it was
his theory of the criminal law that it is
not the severity of the punishment but
its certainty and swiftness that is effect.
i've. Justice should be tempered with
mercy. He imposed sentence of six
months in Jail at Augusta.
Georgianna Potvin, already of several
appearances in this court, was next tried
on the charge of maintaining liquor
nuisance at her house on Waldo Street,
Rumford Falls, where she runs what she
terms candy store. County Attorney
Parker conducted the case for the state,
tu;n Of hu
thony Dwyer of Biddeford.
The state relies upon the evidence of a
search of Mrs. Potvin's premises by
Deputy Sheriff Elliott and other officers,
when there were found on Mrs. Potvin's
person two pints and half pint of whis-
key, in other places about the premises
two bottles containing quantities OF
whiskey, and a large number of empty
bottles in two hides in the house.
Police officers also testified that they had
seen numbers of men going in and out
of the premises, and had seen intoxicat
ed men coming away from there.
Mrs. Potvin testified through an in.
terpreter that the bottles of whiskey
found on her person she had taken
away from her sister, who came into the
house under the influence of liquor only
| short time before the search, and that
she knew nothing about the two bottles
containing whiskey found in other parts
of the premises. Her counsel argued
that the case was n matter of spite
against her on the part of the officers.
The jury was out only few minutes
before returning verdict of guilty.
Roland McPhee of Rumford was next
| tried on an appealed case from the Rum
ford Falls Municipal Court charging him
with sale of three pints of whiskey to
Joseph Forth. Forth testified positive
ly to buying the whiskey of McPhee in
the forenoon of the 4th day of December,
1909, it being delivered in room in the
steam laundry building on Canal Street.
Another witness testified to seeing the
transaction when the liquor and the
| money were passed
The defence was an alibi, and besides
| McPhee two other witnesses were put on
who testified that McPhee worked cut
| ting birch on the farm of j. F. Hall, at a
distance of some three miles from Rum
ford Falls village; that he began work
on the Sd of December, and worked
there ten days, and that he was at work
there all day on the 4th of December.
The two who testified to this effect were
Mr.. Hall and man who is now employ
ed by him.
County Attorney Parker for the state;
Mccarthy for the defence.
The jury was out only short time be.
| fore returning a verdict of not guilty.
Abraham Klain of Rumford was next
| tried on an indictment for receiving
stolen goods. Klain is a Hebrew who
has been in Rumford for number OF
wears, aud has of late been running a
livery stable on River Street. The
goods concerned in this case were some
lace curtains, draperies, couch cover,
aud a piece of oilcloth. The evidence
was very similar to that in the Chase
case, and some of it was identical. Klaiu
is the father-in-law of Chase, and they
all live in the same house on River
Street. The goods in this case were
found in the same trunk with those in
the Chase case, but Winslow testified
that he delivered them to Klain at the
latter's suggestion and request.
Klain testified that he bought the
goods from Wiuslow not knowing that
they were stolen, and that they were not
delivered to him at several times as
Winslcw had testified, but that they
were all brought at one time; that the
price which Winslow asked for them was
SI4, but that he told him that was toe