Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-21


witness turned and left the travelled
road ard walked in the Grass beside
the road. The woman was OF medium
height and wore dark clothes. Gould
not say whether it was the respondent
or not She was walking so rapidly
that witness spoke about it at the tine
Perhaps Man Disguised as Woman.
Witness ON cross examination by
Atty. McCHllicuddy said that when he
first saw the woman she WAS about
200 feet away from the team. The per-
son witness saw was either a woman or
= man disguised in woman's clothes
1T may have been a man disguised in
woman's clothes, 1t walked faster
than a woman would naturally walk, ,
Witness thought the person had on q
cap and not an ordinary woman's hat,
Couldn't say whether the person had
on a long or short outer garment. Had
no view of the face.
You have thought the person vas a
man."
such thought fashed across my
mind"
you never thought il might have
been. man until after the murder
was committed, did you2' asked Atty.
Williamson.
net until after the murder"
Mrs. Gladys Stating. formerly Gladys
Beane, testified that she was living at
her fathers home at Readfield on the
night OF the crime. Her father arrived
at about ! O'Clock. They went out
under tree with q lantern TO look
for n pencil and saw q person going
cver the hill while, they We're hunting
FOR The pencil The person stopped over
and almost ran in passing along. She
had on a long cloak. Witness thought
the person was woman, The person
was either bareheaded or had on cap.
Had you any doubt at the time
about the person being woman at
that time?" asked the attorney general.
Il had no doubt at that time"
Footprints in the Swamp.
Witness saw footprints in the swamp
near her house between her house and
the Guy Williams house. It was quite
"a little distance from the house, moro
than the length of the courtroom. They
were made by quite a large womans
shoe, 51a or or larger. The tracks
pointed toward Readfield village.
Just as mamma was putting the
children to bed we thought we heard
footsteps passing from the road
through the orchard said the wit
ness "The first tracks We're beyond
the orchard where the land was
swampy.
Witness was with her father when
she examined the tracks. 1t was on
the next afternoon after the MURDER
Witness on cross examination by
Atty. McGillieuddy said that she was
but II years old on the night of the
murder She was about u feet away
from the person when the person
passed the house. Could not see the
person by the light Of the lantern. 1t
might have been more than Il feet
away.
You can't say now upon your best
recollection on your oath whether the
tperson was a man or woman?"
! NO
Was it the next day, are you sure,
! that yoii saw the tracks,"
1T might have been the next day
but one l remember seeing the tracks
in the read,
You couldn't tell whether the track
was a mans track or a woman's
track"
NO, 1 couldn't
Mrs. Lillian Beanie, wife of Charles
Beane and mother of Mrs. Starting
WAS next called. Her husband arrived
home about 80 on the night of the
ierime. He and her daughter went out
to the orchard very soon after he came
home. He took lamp with him. 1t
was about IL minutes after he got
home.
While witness was putting the chill
dren to bed, heard noise as of some
one going through the yard and into
the orchard in the rear OF the house
Witness went out but saw no one. 1t
was about half an hour from the time
Mr.. Beane came in from the orchard.
The footsteps sounded swift coming
into the ward.
Witness on cross examination said.
the sound was at first like that of a
team driving in. 1t was not walk.
Witness on redirect examination said
that it could not have been team
because the team would have been
obliged to turn around.
Atty. McGillicuddy-Mig there not
have been more than one person
w tliltSS--- lttIt HllBiil IiuNe. DGeH Il
dozen for all I know.
Deputy Sheriff Testifies.
Fred W. Brown of Readfield, deputy
sheriff under Sheriff Ham, at the time
of the Hacl1et murder, testified that he
was at the Hackett house on the night
Iof the murder until 8 A. NJ. the next
day. Went out with Mr.. Lane, Friday
afternoon, in the cornfeld to look for
footprints. The footprints Were be-
tween the wall and the eornfield, head
ed up the hill, and ran parallel to the
road. The footprints were lost in the
Nickerson driveway and afterwards
reappeared. The tracks appeared to be
fresh and looked as if made by wo-
mans shoe.
Witness admitted on cross-examina-
ton that great many people were
around the Hackett premises on the
day following the murder and that
some of them might have come across
the field. The measurement taken at
the time of discovery of the tracks
was lost. He thought. the shoe was
about 912 inches long, couldn't remem-
Der the width.
Would not Fit the Tracks.