Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-26

dishes every morning and on Satur-
days Mrs. Bellows and the girls clean
ed the house. The girls did very little
work out of doors. but witness remenf-
bered that once the two girls had as
sisted Mr.. Bellows and his son, Ches-
ter. in the cultivating.
Practically all the orchard is visible
from the house. she said, and from the
house she could see Mr.. Bellows at
work cultivating' the peas, but could
not see him in all parts of the bean
patch. She had never heard Elsie
scream in the field. Elsie never went
into the field with Mr.. Bellows without
Chester being there. A person travel
ing along the road could see the field
very plainly, she said. She never saw
any conduct on the part of Bellows
that he had ever had any improper
relations with the girls. And che told
of Mr.. Bellows denial of the story that
Edna had told her about his conduct
toward her. She had investigated and
thought that the girl was not telling
the truth.
No threats were made to the girls at
the office of Lawyer Bridges. she said.
Elsie had first signed a paper involv-
ing Mr.. Bellows but had afterwards
said she had not understood what she
was signing and made oath that it
was not true. ~
In August. 1919. the girls left the
house and went to other places to live.
When she had gone to get Edna, Mrs
('rOShV I,ar To
the girl down to Mr.. Hodges house.
Miss Leslie of Augusta had questioned
the girl Elsie. she said. In May, 1920,
Deputy Sheriff Digham of Waterville
had read a paper to them The girls
were taken from her at Waterville. No
summons were Serveo on her to go to
the Waterville municipal court. Mr..
Digham had asked her to go to the
court with the girls and ARRANGEMENTS
were made to have the case continued
to the following Thursday. On the day
set for the hearing she was at Wood
stock, N. B.
Mrs. Bellows said that she and Mr..
Bellows and the little gin Lila, had
gone to Canada because she had heard
the little girl was going to be taken
from her. When the farm was sold,
she had received $3.50 for her equity,
Mrs Bellows told of an interview with
Edna and said that Edna had told her
that Elsie had been put up by Mr.. and
Mrs. Prentiss to tell a lot Of lies to get
Mr.. Bellows put behind the bars, that
they had tried to get her to tell such
lies. but she had refused. Witness said
she had never offered the girl money
regarding the case. She testified that
Mr.. Harrison had made threats. The
two girls had taken trip to Albion
with Mr.. Bellows and were very pleas
ed with their trip. s
AT the Office of Mr.. Bridges she had
not heard Mr.. Bridges or anyone else
call Elsie Harrison bad name.
At no visit of Mrs. Prentiss at her
house had she ever made any state
ment regarding Mr.. Bellows and the
girls, said Mrs. Bellows. Mrs Ida
Prentiss was fond of the girl Elsie and
wanted to adopt her. Mrs. Bellows
testified. a
Mr.. Prentiss had on one occasion told
Mr.. Bellows that If he was In his place
he would go just as far as money
would carry him. according to the tes-
timony Of Mrs. Bellows.
Mrs. Bellows said that neither she
nor Mr.. Bellows had said anything
about calling the Prentiss house a
house Of i'll fame. The girl Edna had
said that she had gone down to Mr..
Hodges to see about not returning to
her home. the witness testified.
The letter which had been read by
the county attorney Mrs. Bellows adj
mitted that she wrote. but she said
that Mr.. Bellows knew nothing about
her writing 1t. She had signed the
letter for Mr.. Bellows. James Ed
ward Bellows"
Mrs. Bellows Cross examined
Cross-examined by County Attorney
Sanborn, Mrs. Bellows declared that
she had never heard Mr.. Bellows use
vile language in the presence of the
girls. She said that at no time was
Mr. Bellows alone with the girls. His
son Chester was always with him. She
did not want them to be alone with
him. The girls had never gone into
the field to help Mr.. Bellows in cultt-
waiting.
The statements Of the two. girls
charging Mr. Bellows with indecent
conduct Mrs Bellows said were false.