Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-24
4 KNOW WHERE A man
IS BURIED IN THE WOODS, .
Joseph BuzzelI, Dayton, and Olney Merrill,
East Pittston, Arrested, Charged with
Deed, Mrs. Maude Snow, Dayton, as
Accessory=-Body Not Found.
CHILDREN TELL OF MURDER.

Biddeford. Me, June 23.-The start
ling developments today, resulting in
the arrest of Joseph Buzzell a Dayton
farmer. and olney Merrill, laborer at
East Pittston. on the charge of muir
der and the arrest of her mother, Mrs.
Maude Snow of Dayton, were the Sc
quence Of a simple yet unexpected re-
mark by 9-year-old Gladys Snow that
a man was buried in piece of woods
adjoining their farm.
The statement, followed by a COM
plete story of an alleged crime by
which Charles /. Wentworth, aged 81,
who was a Dayton butcher, native of
Saco and d nephew of Former Mayor
Harry A. Weymouth of that city and
who mysterieusly disappeared three
years ago this September. was beaten
to death, startled York county officers
while they were searching on the Snow
farm for silverware buried there by
DIT" Fred &. Snow, an inmate of the
county Jail. who at the May term OF
court pleaded guilty to breaking into
a large number of summer homes and
stealing hundreds of dollars worth of
household goods. etc. which were re-
covered from his home.
Sheriff Charles o. Emery and Dep
uty Sheriffs MeKeen and Pennell went
to the Snow place and took along the
two Snow children. Gladys, aged 8,
and Beatrice. aged I, who are the only
witnesses for the State IN the case to
-, ha g
yer. Since the arrest of their parents
in the spring. they have been living
with the family of Lewis Maybury In
Saco.
While the party was looking about,
Gladys volunteered the information that
man was buried in piece of woods
adjoining their farm The officers say
they did not urge the children, but let
them tell the story in their own way.
The children said their mother was
washing dishes when Weymouth, who
lived with the Shows. ran into the kitch-
en- and exclaimed:
Here come Merrill and BuZzel1 For
Gods sake. don't tell them I am here"
The two men, according to the chill
drens story as repeated by the officers.
suspected Weymouth was there and, drag
eing him into the room from his hiding
place beat him numerically and until he
was dead. Then they damned his body
into box, much too small to receive it.
so that they had to jump on it to crowd
1t in, and buried it in the woods it is
alleged.
Sheriff Emery was so confident of the
truth and value of the recital that he
swore out three warrants, charging Mer-
rill and Buzzell with murder and Mrs.
Snow with being an accessory. Buzzell
and Mrs. Snow were arrested at once
and placed in Alfred jail. but Merrill
was not taken into custody until late to-
day, when he was arrested at East Pitts
ton. where he was employed. The off,
Gals at first understood he had been ar
rested early. Buzzell is about 10 years
old and owns a farm. Merrill is five
years his senior.
Mrs. Snow, who is younger than the
two men, denied there was any trouble
but admitted that Weymouth was given
a terrible beating at their former home
In Saco, from where they moved to Day
ton three years ago last April, by Frank
Whithead, the man who is alleged to have
dSiodiNNu HIS poHu VI @lUp LOT dppedf-
ance last May on the charge of breaking,
and larceny in connection with
the Shows.
County Attorney Asa A. Richardson,
Sheriff Emery, his deputies and report
ers spent the greater part of today with
iron rods picks and shovels, searching
the woods around the Snow farm for
Weymouth's body, but up to P. M. they
lad not been successful and had not even
found trace of the grave claimed to
nave been hastily dug three years ago
Mounds of earth We're found time and
tgain and the sounding irons were driven
nto the earth, but without result.
AT o'clock the officials decided to send
or the two little Snow girls, and an au-
-omobile was dispatched to Saco for
hem. 1t was hoped they might locate
he unmarked grave but nothing had
'een revealed up to sunset, when the
earch was abandoned for the day.
AS there can be no prosecution without
he body for evidence that crime has
'een committed, the officials decided that
when the three prisoners are formally ar
aligned before Trial Justice Ernest C
Continued on Page Twelye.)