Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-28
"NoT GUILTY.
Continued from Page Five.)

killed, making in substance this state
fnent.
Mother, I've got a confession TO max
to you before ! die. | Was in ReaoIiei'
when Matte Hackett was killed. fhre
ot1ier tramps were with me, knees
ed at the door and asked for sonetlihs
TO eat. Matte came out ana the One
tranps took her and carried her cow
by the bushes. They committee d non
rIble crime on her and | got GOWN Oh
my knees and begged them 70 let hel
go. A man a.. feet tall, with piue es
and sandy cdnpaeNi9n and halr pointed "a
a. revolver sat me and threasehe" ~, -
shoot, When Mr.. Hackett cahie
ether tranfps pat fore me Noo''s "'i' :
u..nt over the STONE wall
yWitross remembered talking over the
sassior with Mr.. Stevens buta did
not remembesr Mr. HareiietC IN 37
~ witness said Willie told
,se 49, Matti,s brought out the food
1e 10 tramps carried her to the
anq ~ willie said that the man with
~. pus', 49, ovas and the red hair put the
a ~ 80 a,onnd the girls neck, for he
49,. saiIor man. The girl said TO
49, ..you nasty. Sirty thing and he
replied. You shut PIP III MOI ie' ""
s,s mt call Abe name &C john
son or any tramp thRt mao zen VIZ.
him. Witness said. H son oidi, ~
that he helped carry THE pouy 81 49,
Hackett back to the Souse' itheas
said she had told stevens ma ~,
would not tell the who'll Iia,'el ui't's
she told 1t before judge ana Jul =
Frederick f. Hurd of L neon lesa
fed that Willie Hurd cahie me 1i |
house and said that he waSs tIaii't,'nS
on his way back from the Aiing o
he and three others were at W IN
etfis the night of the murdt
went TO the barn with Mr. HacRt
enticed the girl To go down on nv
and one of the fellows seized thf 81
by the arm while the other paS
moose around her neck. He heard
Hackett coming and went over
stone wall. He told about two felloK
being in the field after the COWS 1t Wa
sometime in July that he told thESt
story. Witness went TO FIR. Nancy an
told the story of his nephew's confesy
sion TO him.
Had Willie been in the army, do YOU
know" asked County Attorney wiz
Hanson.
ssHe said he had. I never saw thy
papers"
His nephew told him that he tied they
knot around the girls neck and thatV
he and his companions assaulted the
girl Willie said he had long ulster
and cap on the night OF the murder
Mrs. Frederick F. Hurd testified that !
she heard Willie Hurd before he snot
himself tell about the Hackett murder. c
II was one of the three tramps that !
did it, He said he was in Auburn i
Jail. Witness gave it to Mr.. Martin, the I
detective. Didn't believe his story |
until he committed suicide.
Mrs Amanda Clendennin of Winn
testified that she had known Willie
Hurd for long time. He had told
her of the Matte Haekett murder and
said that he did it and put the twlne
around her neck. He said that he and |
the other tramps didn't calculate to |
kill hef, they calculated to take the
Irvine off her neck. She believed him,
didn't suppose he would tell such a
straight out lie as that about himself
He was telling everybody around there
about 1t, it seemed to worry him. She
was not relative.
Detective Hartnett in Rebuttal.
Timothy E Hartnett of Portland
was put ON by County Attorney Will
hanson in rebuttal. Had done in
yestigation for the attorney generals
sdepartment Investigated the Willie
Hurd confession in August 1906. In
teryiewed Mr.. and Mrs. Hurd of Winn,
got photograph of Willie. which he
gave to Sheriff Ham. Saw all the inn
mediate relatives of the suicide.
Learned he had told several different
stories
Saw Mrs. Jipson and several MEM
beers of the Dolley family in company
with Deputy Sheriff Stevens Found
that Hurd had been drinking heavily
prior TO his death and was violent
when he committed suicide. Hurd had
driven everybody out of the house and
went in and shot himself with a rife.
Was fighting drunk and had threat
ened to kill his sister and Wallace
Dolley. After returning home in 1906
Hurd was afraid of strangers and
would hide under bed and in the at
tic when he saw anyone coming. His
relatives are convinced that he killed
himself on account of the Matte
Hackett murder Witness read de-
tails of his investigation from the re-
port made at the time and said that
he was Of the opinion that Hurd was
"daffy" on the subject. The different
narratives told by Hurd We're outlined
by the witness Hurd had also told |
that he was in Readfield at the time |
of the Matte Hackett murder but haG |
nothing to do with il. Mr.. Hartnet.
did not learn that the suicide was |
committed on account OF any fear of |
Hurd's being arrested as deserter, |
although as matter of fact he was a
descrter
Was there any detail in his story |
which he couldn't have got from read
ing the newspaper at the time" asked |
County Attorney Williamson.
Il don't think SC. There were as |
many different stories as people / had
seen that he told it to-"
Photograph of Willie Hurd taken |
when he was II years of age was
identified by Mrs. Dolley. Former
Sheriff Ham of Kennebee county testi-
fed that he inve stigated many tramps |
after the Hackett murder. Two were
arrested in Liyermore Falls and could |