Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-11-12
Daniel Murphy,
Dying Convict,
Seeks CIemenCy.

Thomaston, Me, Nov. 1I.-Danici
Murphy, who is serving life sentence
in the State prison here for the MUIR
der Of his father, Daniel Murphy. in Il
!iitle shack back of the mountain at
Mars Hill on the night Of June 6, 1898.
must die. Murphy is III with tubercu-
Iosis in the prison hospital and, in
the belief that he has been sufficient
ly punished for his crime. Charles
dustin Of Mars Hill is circulating Il
petition through Aroostook county for
his pardon. The document has been
signed by most of the business men i'll
Mars Hill and Elaine and a hearing
on the case will be held at an carly
session of the Governor and Council.
Through a curious chance Governor
Haines. who will sit in judgment at
the hearing, was himself the prosecut-
ing officer who sent Murphy to prison.
The ease was tried before the late
Chief Justice Wiswell at Houton in
October 1898. and Governor Halnes
was then the attorney general of
Maine. He was assisted in the prose-
cution by County Attorney Lambert
and Murphy was represented by Don
\. II. Powers and by E. y. Holmes of
Caribou.
The crime was one of the most
brutal and bloody in the annals OF
Maine. The murdered man had sep
arated from his wife, Mary. and had
only recently returned to live with her
and their two sons, Daniel and Leo. in
the cabin back of the mountain. On
the night of the murder the two boys
came in from a call on a neighbor
and were eating a lunch at the kitchen
table. Their mother was asleep in one
bed room and their father in bed in
another which open directly out of
the kitchen.
\ dispute arose over some posts
which we're to be placed in the cell
lar and Daniel called his father a liar.
according to the testimony at the trial.
He then went into his fathers bed
room and screams and the sound of
blows awakened his mother, who left
her bed and started toward her hus-
bands door. She met Daniel coming
toward her out of the room, dragging
4 bloody axe. behind him. Leo, the
other son. was standing back to her.
his hands on his fathers shoulders.
The old man had been savagely as
saulted with the axe and his legs were
nearly severed from his body. He had
$500 with him when he returned to the
family and s1o0 of this was found on
the floor beside his bed. 1t had drop
ped from his stocking while Daniel
had been raining blows upon him with
the axe The two boys. were locked
up in the IIoulton Jail on the charge
of murder.
The trial caue the following octo-
Der and. owing to the vide newspaper
publicity which The case received, it
was with the utmost difficulty that u
jury could be secured. The following
panel, however, was eventually sworn
in: A. T. Kalloch. Ashland; George
Tarvell. Symrna Mills: Daniel Worth
ley, Ludlow; Il. Il. Libbey, yDyer
Brook; Daniel W. Libby. Amity.
Alexis Lavesscur, Grand Isle; Charles
Cottle, Hodgdon; James w. Tyler,
Hodgdon, and George l.. Watson. Lit
Teton. Leo Murphy was acquitted but.
after trial, which lasted four days, a
verdict of guilty was brought in
against Daniel 1t was urged in his
behalf that the crime was committed
in the heat of passion and that he had
suffered much abuse from his father.
An appeal was taken to the law
court but, two years later, the motion
fora new trial was denied and Daniel
was sentenced to life Imprisonment in
the State prison here. He commenced
serving his sentence on April 20, 1900.
He has been model prisoner, the Of
ficials say, and has worked steadily
until the inroads of disease compelled
him to go to the hospital. The doc
tors say he has but a few more months
to live.