Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-20

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Counsel for the State.
rection diagonal with the road, her
head being toward the south. so that
her feet were nearest home.
The Fatal Cord.
Her waist was unsnapped. Her hair
was down and disheveled. Around
her neck was cord, Upon examination
Of the cord it appeared that about a
foot from the end of the cord loop
several inches in diameter, had been
tied, and the other end of the string
had been put through the loop, making
Il slip moose. The knot where the moose
had been drawn tight was at the back
of the girls neck, making two strands
completely about the neck. After being
drawn tight, the loose end and the long
emo We're tied in what is described as a
granny knot at the back of the neck
and both ends We're brought around
and tied in a square knot in front.
Her nose had bled freely and her face
was covered with blood On her breast
was pinned small watch. Upon each
arm little above the elbow, were
marks, apparently of the thumb ana
fingers of a hand, the thumb, in eacl
case being, on the inside of the arm
No other marks except those made by
the moose appeared upon the body.
No Marks of Struggle.
There We're no marks of a struggle a
the spot Subsequent medical eXami-
nation showed that she had not beer
criminally assaulted. Apparently, a.
she was headed toward her home, tht
moose had been thrown about her neel
by someone standing behind her 81
that she. had been pulled backward il
the position in which she had beel
found.
All the conditions of which ! ha4
spoken were not taken note of ny ne
father when he discovered the CIR
Many of them, notably. the moose, wer
t not discovered until the body was re
| moved to the house and became cyl
dent only ON careful examination b
the physicians.
Mr. Hackett saw no one about tn
girl, but as he rushed down the roa'
toward where she lay he heard some
one running over the lodges in In
Nickerson pasture toward the east.
Now the first theory of Mr.. Racket
was thai the girl had been attacked b.
tramps, but it was soon found tina
there were no signs of any struggl
/, in the house. as there must have beef
il she had been forcihly carried out o
it, and investigation soon eliminate
the idea.
Suspects. Eliminated.
Next it was thought that some male
acquaintance had induced Matte Il
walk down the road with him and haf
attacked and assaulted her. and sus'
picion was directed against youns
married man named Hopkins. who hat
paid some attention to Matte and wht
had driven into Readfeld village dur
ing the evening. But it appeared b.
several reliable witnesses, one o
whom had been with Hopkins all th'
afternoon, that Hopkins could no
have been at the Hackett place tina
evening Some suspicion was alS'
directed against man named Bar
rows, who had paid Matte some al
tention, but it was shown that ne was
| in his house. two and one half miles
distant, a few moments before th'
murder was committed. The where
abouts of Mrs. Hopkins and Mrs. Bar,
rows was also investigated and eacl
was shown to have been in the com
pany of others at the time of the muir
| der 1t was not for tWo or three days
that it became generally known tina
| the respondent had been absent from
| her home from an early hour IN th'
evening until nearly midnight, an,
| that she had returned in an extreme
| ly agitated condition.
Mysterious Wcacn On Gic<ersor
Hin.
! Now it will appear from the testi'
mony Of several re,i., ole Witnesses wE'
! saw her, that IN lht Gusss 81 the eve
ming shortly before The mus der i'oi
place some wonlali VINO ttoK ptccau.
| tons to escape Leing Identified walked
very rapidly up the Nickerson Hi
upon the road leading from the Read
| held Corner toward the Hackett place
1t Will further appear that abou
| daybreak the next morning, fresf
| footprints made by womans shoes
We're found indicating that the weare'
| left the road a the point marked C
walked along the edge Of the Nieker-
son eornfield. and there came out intt
the road There footprints were
= traced to the corner of the Nickersor
, hill and Hackett's road and thence
toward the Haekett house until they
were lost under a mass of trave
which had been called to the house
, during the night by the murder. i
| will further appear that in the same
: cornfield, in about the line which
would be taken by a person fleeins
from the body in the direction which
Hackett heard some one, the fresi
prints of a woman's shoes were fount
leading in a direction away from tht
body and that these tracks and those
4 in the edge of the field were made by
the same shoes.
| 1t will further appear that some time
after the woman had been seen goini
up the hill and at time which mus
have been after the murder some on
was heard Fastening through the doc
yard If Charles Beane which is jus
below the entrance To the Niekersol
field upon the opposite side of tn