The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1920-01-15
ANOTHER STRANGE OCCURRENCE
RECALLED
Could This HoIdup Have Anything to
do or be Connected With the Bart
ley Murder

do or be Connected With the Bart
ley Murder
Portland, Jan. 10 (Special Late
on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct.
Is last, party of Portland people
were held up on the road to Canada
about 80 miles from Jackman.
The circumstances connected with
this hold-up are such as to cause the
party to wonder whether it had any
bearing on the BARLEY murder Of that
night in Moose River Plantation.
The hold-up of the Portland party
was not for the purpose OF robbery.
Not a single thing connected with the
stopping of the party took the form of
a crime 1t was, however, out of
the usual, startling and presented
phases which none of the men in the
automobile have yet been eble salts
factorily to explain.
AS one member of the party tells
the story they were on their way
back from a trip to Canada They
came down the road thru Jackman
at a fairly good pace, but did not stop
there. On the previous afternoon
Oct. IA, on their way up, they made
stop at Jackman. There these men
talked to Nelson w. BARLEY concern
ing several matters. At that time.
according to the man who relates the
story, BARLEY was in the best OF
spirits. There was nothing in his
manner to indicate perturbation, worry
or any kind of trouble.
They had reached a point about 80
miles south of Jackman. 1t was
about 5 o'clock and growing dusk. As
they went along, they saw a man in
the road ahead, wildly waving his
hands as signal for them to stop.
I'VE thought" says the relator OF
the incident, that II was one of
Sheriff Mooers' deputies on the look
out for rum-runners. Not having
any rum. we stopped without further
notice, altho the man kept on gestic-
nlating until we reached him and the
machine came to standstill.'
Upon bringing the car to a stop
and getting out they found that the
man had signaled them was very
young and that he wore Canadian
uniform. His story was that he had
/ been driving his automobile and gone
! 10 sleep at the wheel, the machine
i had wobbled, Yeered from the road
and run in among the trees at the
roadside, before coming to a stop.
Investigation by the party showed
Buick roadster well in from the
road and up against tree, which had
brought it to standstill. Every
member of the party. says this man.
marveled how the car ever could have
gotten there. mo man ever could
have steered it to that position with
out wrecking the machine" declares
the teller of the story. But the ma
chine was practically uninjured.
They made a tow line fast to it and
dragged it back to the highway.
An examination of the road showed
that for a distance of nearly 1000
yards the machine had been webbing
about the road. AT the point whore
the car left the road there was bank
on one side over which a car swerv-
ing in that way would have plunged
carving the occupants Of the car to
almost certain death and the machine
to destruction. At the other side
was the woods and 1t was into these
that the car plunged.
Answering questions put to him by
those who were helping him out the
Young man said that he had left New
York the morning before and except
to eat and take gasoline he had driv-
on steadily up to the time of the ac-
cident. He said that he was in q
hurry to get to Canada. In no way
! did he indicate the reason for his
hurry Questions asked with an idea
of bringing information on that line
were ignored
He also said that he had served II
the Canadian flying corps,
When one of those in the party
suggested that it would be advisable
for him to get some rest before driv'
ing much further, as the next time ht
fell asleep at the wheel he might no
be so fortunate, he asked where there
was a good place to stay. He was
told that the Parlin Pond camps were
the nearest place.
So far as known he did not go tC
those camps that night
Because of his great hurry to geI
to Canada coupled with his reticenct
as to the reason for his haste ano
the fact that he easily could nave
reached Sugar Berth woods In Moose
River plantation early that night, the
Portland men recall the incident al
one of more than passing interest.