Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-10-18
OTTER CREEK MURDER.
o,-y SNAIL CONFEssEs AND
PLEADS GUILTY TO MURDER.
.vSrrScrD TO LIrE IMPRISONMENT
THE CONFESSION IN FuLL--sroRy
OF THE CRIME.


with the confession OF Guy Small OF the
n,.gssr II Mrs. Emma Turnbull at Otter
c,ses on August =, his plea Of guilty to
A.. Indictment for murder and hi. SEN
,snce 10 life imprisonment at State prison,
The curtain drops on one Of the touiest
r,urders ever committed in Hancock
couuty. The community Is spared the re-
hesrsai of the gruesome details Of the
murder, the jurors are relieved ofthe try
inr ordeal Of rendering a verdict in a
murder case, and the county Is relieved of
the expense Of . trial.
Mrs. Emma Turnbuil, q widow, aged
torty.six years, was murdered at her
home in Otter Creek on the afternoon OF
Friday. Aug. 4, Mrs. rurnbuil. who had
been berrying, returned to her home
about O'Clock in the afternoon. One Of
her boys, returning home about O'Clock,
foond blood on the floor. His mother
was missing. He gave the alarm, and
search was at once made, but 1t was not
until : o'clock in the evening that the
body was found in the edge OF tho woods
only a short distance from the house,
the bead beaten to pulp.
County Attorney Mason. with Sheriff
silsby and other officials at once started
IN Investigation. Suspicion, from the
t-st, was directed to Guy Small, End
while no direct evidence connecting him
with the crime wss at first discovered,
circumstances tending to strengt hen the
suspicion were woven together.
AT the request VI County Attorney
Mason, State detect e wa. sen; ~
Attorney General Pattangail to assist in
the Investigation. This detective gathered
no new evidence, but before leaving he
esse, went over the heads OF toe local
otiicisls and swore COS q Warrant Tor
smsii's arrest. In tho H.eantins County
attorney Mason had enlisted the services
ofa Boston detective agency, snd even
before the arrest OF Small was made, a
detective from this agency was working
secretly in Otter Creek, and Small was
under close observation.
The arrest OF Small caused change in
the plans OF the county-attorney. There
was a hearing at Bar Harbor, Small
was held for the grand jury aud com
nitted to the county Jail. The detective,
giving the name OF NJ. Clarke, who had
been working secretly on the case at Otter
Creek, was sent to Bangor the same day OF
smalls commitment, returning to Ella
worth in the afternoon. He was met by
Sheriff Silsby, and hung about the jail
Office until evening, when he put over the
ruse OF break at the rear OF c. l.. Mo-
rang's store, was arrested BY Sheriff
ssisoy and Night Officer Mcintosh, given
a hearing the next day, and bound over
for the grand jury. fine purpose, of
course, was to gain the confidence and
possibly confession from Small in the
Jail. II may be said here that this man
obtained nothing from Small until after
his confession to the county attorney.
AT the same time another detective
from the Boston agency, working openly,
and woman, working secretly, were at
work on the case at Bar Harbor. From
this end came the first direct evidence
against small, when one OF Smail's boys
told OF his fathers burning his clothing.
This evidence was mot obtained until
last week.
AS the term OF court neared, Small
showed signs OF breaking down, and
after the visit OF his boy to ths jail last
week, he told Comfy Attorney Mason he
would like to talk with him. His con-
fession followed. This was last Friday
repeated before County Attorney Mason
and Sheriff Silsby, reduced to writing
and signed by Small. The confession in
full follows:
ELIswoRTa. Me-, Oct. 9, 1915.
/, Guy NJ. Small, Of Mount Desert, In the
county OF Hancock and State Of Maine, being
first daily sworn. do make the following vol
untary statement in relation to the Emma
Tnrnbuli murder:
On the fourth day Of August, a. d, 1851
had dinner at home about Has. Lincoln
Wright had dinner at my home. then went,
in company With said Wright, after orchids.
We went over In the vicinity OF the Russian
tea house. While there went into the said
Russian tea house and bought one pint
of whiskey OF Eddie Callahan. We drank
that pint together.
then went back and bought another pini
and quart Of whiskey OF the same Eddie
then returned to my house, arriving there
AL n - sxtt hot N a