Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-05-08
When Ed. Young Gets Stiff Jail
Sentence Friday Morning in
the Municipal Court-Caught
Dead to Rights
HIS ROUNDUP DUE TO
FINE WORK OF POLICE
Prisoner Proves Old Offender
with State Prison Record Be-
hind. Him - Denies Charges
But Evidence Against Him
Is Overwhelming

The arrest Thursday afternoon OF
one Ed Young and his arraignment
Friday morning before Judge Lancas-
ter of the municipal court on the
charge of larceny Of poultry Is believ-
ed by the authorities to have dispelled
the mystery which has heretofore
shrouded the wholesale stealing in
various sections Of the city for some
time past, and to have placed a re-
striction on the liberty Of the one who
has been doing the stealing for some
time to come.
It will be remembered that the war
rant on which Young was arrested
Thursday afternoon charged him with
being an idle and disorderly person
without any visible means Of support,
but that proved to be but a ruse by
which he might be taken into custody
without being made suspicious Of the
real nature Of the charge which was
to be preferred against him and 70
substaniate which the police were in
possession Of an abundance of evil
dence.
When Young was brought into
court Friday morning he found that
he was up against several charges, all
of which he fought out himself and
without the aid Of counsel. The first
charge on which he was arraigned
night of Feb. 25 last, II hens and
two ROSTERS of the Rhode Island Red
breed from the premises Of Owen e.
TAYLOR, who lives on the Widow San
ford place, so-called, in Manchester.
The complaint was sworn out by
Mr.. Taylor and Young's plea was that
of not guilty. 1t came out in the tes-
timony that Young had made the trip
to the Taylor place in a wagon, al
though at that time the ground was
covered by one of the heaviest snow
falls of the winter and that he had
hitched the horse inf. the woods near
te four corners: that in transferring
the poultry from the henhouse to his
team he had to make several trips.
during which a weAL defined path was
said to have been JhaAe in the snow;
that when the he6s fwere missed the
next morning the tfacks of the team
in the snow were easily followed, no
other team having Beene along, and
places were found Where Young had
tried to get rid of the hens but had
failed. Young's answers to the
charge was a complete denial, but the
court promptly convicted him and
Of
and two months in jail.
The second complaint was sworn
out by City Marshal HARDWOOD and al
legged the larceny of five hens from
parties unknown and to this charge
Young also entered a plea Of not
guilty. Included in the evidence in
troduced was slip which was found
in one of Young's pockets and which
was q record of sale to Merrill Bros.
of this city on Thursday. Young de-
MED this sale but Eugene Merrill o.
the firm above mentioned identified
the slip and also identified Young as
the man of whom he had purchased
the poultry.
Other evidence which was introi
duced included two suit cases and an
overcoat which the police had found
in the room occupied by Young In q
house in Gage street place, one OF
which suit cases contained shorts
bags stained with blood and more or
less covered with poultry feathers,
while the other case also contained
shorts bags and suit. including
cap and a pair Of socks, the bags and
the inside Of the case being smeared
with blood and feathers, and there
were also feathers on the clothing.
The overcoat was also daubed in va
rious places with poultry droppings.
There was also in the latter case u
halter.
Young admitted that one Of the suit
cases and the overcoat were his prop
erty but denied all knowledge OF the
other suit case, but the lady with
whom he was boarding at the time Of
his arrest said that the case in ques-
ton was her property but that she
had loaned it to Young. Young was
also found guilty of this charge and
was given a similar sentence as in the
first case-S10 and costs and two
months in Jail. He was then arraigned
on the charge of vagrancy, to which he
pleaded not guilty but was given a
sentence of 90 days in Jail. Late in the
afternoon he was committed.
A singular coincidence in connection
with the trial Of Young was the pres
ence in the court room Of the prisoners
young son Alvah, aged IL years, who
had arrived in Augusta Thursday aft
ernoon, having that day walked from
Washington, where he had been CIV
en- home some time ago, and who had
come here, ne said, to see Augusta
The boys parents separated some
years ago, leaving him alone, at which
time he was cared for by being placed
in the Children's Home, later being
sent to a place in Washington. He
was taken back to Washington Friday.
The capture Of Young by the police
was a fine piece Of work, as hen
thief is one of the most difficult Of
crooks to be caught dead to rights"
as he was. City Marshal HARDWOOD and
his officers had been working on the
case for three weeks Or more, picking
up evidence bit BY bit, and for a short
time past City Marshal HARDWOOD had
had the case well in hand, aRd was
only awaiting the proper time to nab
the man, which time came Thursday.
T. ,s<~f.> Pc,