Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-30
ROMANCE GETS A
VERY RUDE JOLT
IN POLICE COURT
But Youth and Maid Though
Fate Has Separated Them
For the Present Will Still
Love on in Hopes of Hap
pier Days

That the course of true love does
not run any smoother in some cases
than it did at some time in the dim
! past when some mortals experience
! prompted him to pen bit of Sent1-
ment tC that effect was impressed up
/ on Raymond Erskine, aged about p
years, when he was arraigned Friday
! morning before the municipal court
| on the charge of having aided and
abetted Clara Frances Mex enney, aged
! 10 years and an inmate at the Maine
Industrial School for Girls at Hal
| lowell, in escaping from that institu-
ton
The action was brought under Sec
! ton "a of Chapter 143 of the Revised
Statutes and was the first of its kind
| to come before the Augusta court.
! The chapter in question reads as fol-
/ lows: Whoever advises, induces, aids
! or abets any girl committed to the
/ charge or guardianship of said trus-
tees to escape from the school or from
/ the custody of any person to whom
said girl has been bound or intcusted
by said trustees or by their authority,
or knowingly harbors or secretas any
girl who has escaped from said school,
or from the authority, custody or con-
troll of said trustees, or from any per-
son to whom said girl has been bound
or intrusted by said trustees or by
their authority, or elopes WITH any
such Girl, or without the consen; Of
said trustees marries such girl dur
ing the term of her commitment. sail
be punished by fine of not more than
500 nor less than $50 or be imprisoned
not exceeding six months"
The case for the State was conducted
by County Attorney w. II. Fisher.
The respondent was represented by
Burleigh Martin of the firm of Murchle
& Martin and entered a plea o. not
guilty. Witnesses examined at the
| hearing were Clara Frances Mcken-
ney the girl in the case; Hon. E. c.
CARL, at whose house the girl was
temporarily employed; Miss Gertrude
L. Mcdonald, principal CT the Maine
Industrial School for Girls, and Mrs.
Lillian Mosher, who keeps a boarding
house at SO Cony street.
The testimony given in at the hear
ing showed that the McKenney girl
caree to the residence OF MIR. CARL.
who Is the president of the board of
trustees of juvnile institutions. May
I6, through an arrangement with the
MANAGEMENT of the school, to be tenn
pararily employed in doing house
WORK and that soon after her arrival
she met the respondent, who was en-
ployed as a delivery clerk at the Locke
market That it was q ease IT, love at
! first sight there was ample evidence,
! included in which were several letters
| from the respondent to the girl, parts
! of which were read to the court by
the county attorney.
That matrinnony was intended was
also :l9wn. and in the testimony Of
Miss Mcdonald, principal of the school,
il came out that the respondent had
called to see her in an cndeavor to Sc
cure permission to marry the girl
that she had told him of the impossi-
bility of such thing and tried to dis
suaae him from such a project. She
also gave him some good advice. the
wisdom of which he apparently ,'eal-
lied a. the time of the inc, view. but
from later developments evidently did
not follow.
Further evidence showed that. while
the love affair." as it was termed
by one of the witnesses. was steadily
progressing at the time of the inter-
view between the respondent and the
principal of the scnool, its volcanic
feature did not develop until Friday
night, May 90, when the girl left the
CarlI residence with Erskine and went
! to Mrs. Mosher's house on Cony street
and engaged room under the name
of Fred Chase, for himself and wife,
and which as such they occupied
Following the disappearance of the
girl Mr. Carl notified the authorities
of the school Saturday morning of the
| fact and also swore out warrant
for the arrest of Erskine, which fol-
lowed later in the day, he being plac
ed under bond for appearance at
court the following Monday morning
At that time, however, the girl had
not been located and the hearing was
continued to Friday morning. Shortly
afterward the girl made her appear
ance and was taken in charge by
Miss Mcdonald and later returned to
the school.
In her testimony the McKenney girl
Friday morning told the court quite
different story from that told by
her last Monday, and the admissions
made by her did not go very far in
helping the case of the respondent,
nor did the letters introduced, all of
which she identified as having been
written by him to her. Mrs. Mosher's
testimony that she had let Erskine
the room for himself and wife, he
giving her the name of Fred Chase,
and that on the occasion of her ask
ing the two if they were really mar
ried thew had told her that they were