Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-24

here this morning in behalf OF what
seems to me to be very just and
legitimate claim. | will be as brief as
can, but l sincerely feel that the
members of this House should know
something about this matter before
they pass upon it; so l will brleny
endeavor to review the facts con-
cerned in the case of this poor, unfor-
committed to the state institution at
Bangor until the time he committed
these deeds.
On the 14th day of February, 1920
George Stanchfield presented himself
to Orman B. Fernadez. sheriff of
Penobscot County, and told him that
he was traitor both to God and to
his country and that he desired to be
committed to the Penitcntiary at At
lanta, Georgia. Although Sheriff Fer
nadez is not q mind reader, he read
lily saw that this man was not right,
and he arranged for him to return the
following day. When Mr.. Stanch-
field returned upon the following
morning. the sheriff had DR.. Milliken
in attendance to make a thorough eX-
animation of the man in regard to his
mental state. DR.. Milliken made a
very thorough examination of
Stahchfield and declared him dan
gerously insane. Immediately Fer
nadez called up Peter Davis of Yea
Zie. Chairman of the Board Of Select
men of that town, and asked him if
he would like to have Stanchfield
70 hn q
for the Insane upon a temporary
commitment. Davis Immediately told
him yes and he was committed to the
institution. John Farrar, deputy
sheriff and a police officer, transport
ed him there in an automobile. Mr..
Farrar has had considerable expert
ence with insane people in a Massa-
chusetts institution, and he cOnsid-
cred this man to be so dangerous
that he put him in irons and they
carried him to the hospital in irons
and delivered him to the oarctallers
of that institution in irons, telling
them that they considered him a very
dangerous man. In the course of Il
day or SO, at the request of the Sc
1ectmen of Neazie, DR.. Starrett made
another examination OF the man and
he thoroughly agreed with DR.. Milli-
ken that he was dangerously in
sane man. Then DR.. Hammond of
the staff made an examination. Those
three men said that he was danger
ouSly insane and DIR. Hedin concurred
with them in saying that he was in
sane, and later DIR. Tyson said that
he considered him dangerously in
sane. Until April end there was no
very noticeable change in the cOndi-
ton of this man Stancbfield, but
upon April Gath he escaped from
that institution, went down to the
river, borrowed boat rowed across
the river, hid in the woods through
the day, and that night gentlemen,
he swan across the river in the vi
entity of the Vcazie dam and returned
TO his home. The next morning he
was returned to the institution by
his'mothcr, and my heart goes out in
sympathy to that poor, unfortunate
woman who has had to be subjected
to the newspaper notoriety that is
involved in this case. | have known
these people all my life, and it is a
very unfortunate occurrence to me;
but, gentlemen. the next morning she
returned this insane man to the in
stitutiOn and told DR.. Hedin that he
had swan across the PenobScOt river
the night before and asked that he
be paroled If you look over the
chart in regard to father mother
sisters and brothers, the grandmother
and great grandmother, you Will find
that perhaps they are not just what
they ought to be. Some of his peo-
pie have been inmates of that or 9TH
err institutions. and his mother. gen
tlcmen, did what any mother would
have done at the request of her son.
she asked that he be parOlcd from
that institution. Immediately DR..
Hedin released him in the custody of
! his mother, and the only guaranty
! that he had was her statement that
she would look after him to the best
of her ability. Immediately the Sc
lectmen of NeaZie got in communica
ton with the hospital authorities and
they said that they did not think that
George Stanchficld was a fit person
to be at large, and whoever answered
+ the telephone said that they consid-
cred him just a little bit foolish.
Well this man that was just little
bit foolish commenced to go around
! the town making ncighborly calls
and saying that he guessed he would
make way with the Greenleaf girl,
his one time sweetheart. He said that
! there were certain buildings in that
! community that should be burned
/ because the people had refused him
! jobs, and upon May 10th, in the mid
die of the night, the people of that
! locality were awakened by flames
| shooting up into the sky. The rext
morning it was found that this man
/ heart, that he went to the bedroom
window, put a shot gun in through
! that window and fired two charges of
shot, one taking effect in her cheek.
! and the other one shooting off the
! lobe of her ear. Then he went up to
| the Austin w. Jones Company build
| ings, where in the barns reposed one
/ Holstein cattle in the state of Maine.
! To those buildings he touched a
match Then he went across the
! fields to Mr.. Prouty's and touched a
match to Mr.. Prouty's house, but by
| this time his matches had become
wet and he could not go any further
! in his destruction of buildings.
The Jones boys have done as much
| for the agricultural interests of Pen