Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-09-21
SUPERIOR court
Verdict of Guilty Returned in
Case Against Bellavance and
Breton 'eNot Guilty." the
Verdict in Miller Case

A verdict OF guilty was returned IN the
case against Hermidos Bellavance and
Fred Breton. and not guilty In the case
against Christopher Miller at Wednes-
days session of the superior court.
State vs.. Hermidos Beliavanee, Fred
Breton and Fred CIoutier
The first case tried was No. n. State vs..
Hermidos Bellavance, Fred Breton and
Fred Cloutier. indicted for breaking and
entering the shop of Sarah Roderique on
upper Water street, Augusta. Fred Ciou-
tier had defaulted his bail. The other
men were represented by M. E. Sawtelle.
The property alleged to have been taken
from the shop was three boxes OF cigars.
valued at So, eight packages Of cigar
cites, valued at $3.50, and small change to
the amount of $3.50. The total amount
involved was ST. Night officers Corbett.
Cyr and Roix, and Mrs. Roderiaue, were
witnesses for the State. Mr.. Corbett tes-
tilted that about midnight Of the 18th day
of June, this year. he was informed that
a break had been made In the snop IN
question and he Immediately went up
there. Upon his arrival at the shop ne
found Night Officers Cyr and Roix there,
and they had the respondents, Bellavance
and Breton, handcuffed. The man Clou-
tier was gone. The officers took the re-
spondents to the station. Mr.. Corbett re-
manned to investigate He found cigars.
cigarettes and money, small coins, scat
tered over the floor.
Officer Cyr testified that Mrs. Roderique
was running the shop in question at the
time. Of the alleged break. He said
little after IL o'clock on that night a Mr..
Lashus, who had a barber shop in the
same building with the shop Of Mrs. Rod
cirque, came down Water street on the
run and told he and Officer Roix that
somebody had broken into the Roderique
shop and were turning everything upside
down in the shop The officers immedi-
ately went to the shop, tried the front
door and found 1t locked. They saw the
RESPONDENTS at the front window for a
moment, went to the back door and called
upon them to open the door. 1t was n
nally opened and the officers went IN. Or
ficer Cyr went upstairs and at the head
of the stairs found Bellavance. Then
went down stairs, heard noise behind
a door, and there found Breton. Both
men were handcuffed. He said that about
that time Mr. Corbett arrived and they
left him to investigate, and they took
the respondents to the police station.
Officer Roix corroborated the state
ments of his brother officer.
Mrs Roderique testified that she was
away at the time of the alleged break and
did not return until los Monday morn
ing. She said that she had to bust" In.
as the back door had been nailed up. She
did not notice that the place had been
broken into until the night officers came
around about o'clock in the morning.
The she said she found cigars and cigar
cites and a part of the money that she
had left in the register, scattered over
the floor. On cross-examination this wit
ness admitted that she was the same
Sarah Roderique that was convicted on
April Is, 1916, in the Augusta municipal
court on avcharge Of illegal possession Of
IL quarts Of whiskex : also the same Sarah