Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-25
Is Revived by Death Of
Chas. Stain on Poor Farm.
His Confession Sent Father and
Oliver Cromwell 10 Prison.
Suits for Fertilizer Bills Won by
Plaintiffs In Supreme Court.

When the news was given this week
that Charles +. Stain had died at the
Skowhegan poor farm, the story of the
most famous murder trial that ever &c .
CURED in this state was revived. and
nearly everybody through this county
since then has been talking about the
ease. stain died a pauper and most
miserable wreck physically and mentally
\ few hours before his death he was ask
cd to make "a statement in regard to the
murder case, but he would say nothing in
regard to il.
1t will be remembered that Feb. %. ISL
news was spread that ]. w. Barron
cashier of the Dexter Savings Bank. had
been found murdered in The bank. hay
ing been gagged and choked by parties
then unknown. The case baftied tn" "x-
pert detectives for 10 years until Charles
T.. stain. who then was in the Somerset
Jail serving n sentence for theft, called
Sheriff !. II. Mitchell to his cell one night
and told a story of the murder which
led 10 the arrest of David stain, father
of Charles +. stain, and oliver Crom-
well. and they were found guilty and SEN
fenced to life Imprisonment at Thomas
ton About five years ago they were par
,ioned after serving 90 years of tn" Sch
fence. II was only through the confess
sion of Young stain that these two men
were eyer brought to trial. Young stain
i'm his confession To Mitchell said:
My father. David Stain. Oliver Cron-
we'll Billy Scott and myself started from
N.dfiaId Mass, some TIM in August III
1877. We came to Gardiner, Maine. We
came TO Skowhegan. They left me there
and told me- they would mt me III ifihe
ham. | do not know how they got to
Dexter. They met me few DAYS later
there. ana We started back 10 Meditid.
ON the boat from Gardner back thty
We're talking all the tim" about Dexter
and the banks there and tn" names OF
Barron tcashier Of the Dexter bank and
Curtis, another official.
.Thlcr wears afterward l went home,
having been in ThomaSton during that
time Father was sick and he thought h
was going to die He became wild and
the first words he said about the murder
We're Take him away. Charlie. Take
him away. Oh, take Barron away No
onc was i'm thu house but my sister and
myself. The next day he told me TO <"
and get the Bible and he would confess
all about the murder. He made me prom
Use that | would not say a word about II.
He said that he, Billy Scott and Cromwell
planned to rob both banks in Dexter on
Feb. -. 1877. He said that Billy Scott
watched outside and Cromwell and he
went to thu bank and unlocked the door,
He thought there was no on" there. Be
fore they knew it they stood face To face
with Cashier Barron. said he struck
Barron with slnugshot and struck him
twice before he fell. Cromwell jumped
down ON him and choked him. They then
gagged him and handcuffed him and put
him in the vault. lie said they did, not
get much money.
The two cases tried in the supreme
court yesterday afternoon Were both won
by the plaintiffs. The first one was Frank
E,stcy VS.. Mrs. Eunice Creighton. The
amount sued for was $40 for fertilizer
sold to the defendant by the plaintiff. The
fertilizer was engaged by the defendants
husband he having since gone through
bankruptcy. The plaintiff brought suit to
recover from Mrs. Creighton on the
ground that Mr.. Creighton was acting at
the time of the sale agent for Mrs.
Creighton. The jury returned a verdict
of $120
The other case was somewhat similar.
Charles A. Whiting of Norrdgewock sold
to David Creighton fertilizer to the
amount of s65. After Creighton went
through bankruptcy the plaintiff sued
Mrs Creighton to recover the pay on the
ground that Mr.. Creighton when he
bought the fertilizer was acting rs agent
for his wife. The verdict was for the
sum sued for with interest.