Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-07
SATURDAYS DOCKET
At MUNICIPAL COURT
CONTAINS VARIETY
Sidney Case Proves Star Attrac-
ton of the Morning to Habi-
tues of Courtroom-Spicy in
Spots

case from the town of Sidney
held the floor for considerable por-
ton of Saturday forenoon, in which
Augusta legal talent figured and which
furnished quite an amount OF interest
for the hapitues of the courtroom
The central figure in the case was one
Rufus H. Sabine of Sidney, who was
charged by Mrs Elva S. Brown, also
of Sidney, with being an idle and dis
orderly person having no visible
means of support and neglecting all
lawful calling or employment Melvin
E. Sawtele appeared for the complain
ant and the respondent was repre-
scented by Former Judge Benedict F..
Maher and entered a pea of not guilty.
In the hearing which followed the ar
raignment the respondent offered no
testimony.
From Mrs. Browns testimony it ap-
peared that the date of the alleged
assault upon her by the respondent
was April 9 of the current year, that
she was at the time at his home where
she had been asked to go and make
some bread for a Mrs. Thayer, WIZ
whom the respondent, lived; that when
the Thayer woman went out OF the
house the respondent made an inde-
cent assault upon the complainant,
and that she repulsed him. Mrs.
Brown also claimed that the respond
ent had circulated scandalous stories
about her, and had annoyed her in
various ways and that she had told
him to keep away from her. She fur
Their said that she had lived in Sidney
since March IL last, and that she had
never known the respondent to have
any occupation.
Mr.. brown. husband of the COM
plainant, testified that Sabine had the
use of the Brown barn and kept two
automobiles therein that in operating
them the respondent had demolished
the Brown chicken coops and driven
over the garden. although there was
room enough in the yard for him TO
go back and forth with the autos
without doing these things; that last
Thursday the respondent drove wit
a muddy wagon against the clothes
on the line: that witness had spoken
to the respondent about his careless
driving the first time that he had done
so; that the respondent at that time
had said that he would pay and would
not repeat the offense.
Another witness, George Nichols,
testified that he never knew Sabine
to have any occupation; that he saw
the respondent take a little girl into
the barn at about Z o'clock one morn
ing; that the respondent took about
two feet of wood belonging to the wit
ness and later returned some refuse
wood in payment. Mrs. Nichols, wife
of the witness, testified along the
same lines as her husband and also
said that she had seen the responder.
go into the barn with two other little
girls.
Following an extended CROSS exam
nation of the witnesses the court
brought the case to a close by finding
the respondent guilty and imposing a
sentence of 80 days in Kennebec jail,
from which an appeal was taken and
bonds furnished in the sum Of $500
for Sabine's appearance before the
January term of the superior court.
Another cnse heard was that in
which G. A. Cloutier was arraigned
to answer to a charge of assault on
one Gedeon Maheu, aged Is years,
which was alleged to have been COM
mitted at about o'clock Thursday
afternoon. Dec. 8, in front of the Cas-
avant & Cloutier Co. store on upper
Water street Robert A. Cony appeared
for the complainant and Former Judge
B. r. Maher for the respondent a
plea of not guilty was entered.
From what was learned in the tes-
timony the boys of the neighborhood,
including the Maheu boy. who lives
with his parents in the tenement over
the store mentioned, use the platform
or piazza in front of the store to play
upon, and to the annoyance of the
proprietors of the store, and on the
afternoon in question when Mr.. Ciou-
tier left the store to cross the street
to letter box for the purpose Of mall
ing a letter, he found the boys on the
platform and told them to clear out"
All of the boys oheyed the order with
the exception of the Maheu boy, who
claimed that it was his piazza" on
which ground he refused to 20. 1t
further came out in the testimony that
the respondent threw the boy down
and kicked him, and that also after
getting a horse whip in the store he
struck the boy across the legs with the
whip. Under the circumstances, the
court found the respondent guilty but
sentence.
Two other cases which came before
thte court Saturday, morning had for
their charge intoxication, one Of them
being just Of the ordinary kind where