Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-05-26
Talks with Police
Continued from Page One)

But it was at the State House, in
conference with Chief Sanborn that
the first story of the relations be-
tween Mr.. and Mrs. Kirby were relat-
ed since the terrible happenings of
the night of May 10 and following. In
the Office of the State Highway Com
mission, accounting division, Mrs.
Kirby was closeted for several hours
with Chief Sanborn. At the end of
the conference, Chief Sanborn gave
the press a general resume of the.
Wife's story.
Wed After Short courtship
The story which Mrs. Kirby told,
willingly according to Chief San
born, was a review of the lives of
these two people, who met while both
were attendants at hospital for the
insane, were wed in eight weeks
courtship, she discovering in three
weeks that he had not married under
his right name 1t was a story in
many phases happy. in many phases
sad and at times tragic. She was at
the home of her step-father, Sunday
night and at that time, told her story
which was repeated at the Monday
afternoon session.
Tells OF Kirbys Trip to Saco
She told how Kirby came there to
Saco, "Wednesday night on the eleven
O'Clock bus He told her of the hap
penings at Winthrop as they appear
ed in the afternoon papers of We'd
nesday. He said that if it didn't
clear up, he didn't know what he
n Ia
back and face the music" She again
told him TO go back and he said Il
know, but I've been in trouble be-
fore and they'ell look up my record"
BY this, she said he referred to the
time some money was lost at the
Nyack On. W State Institution Tor
the Insane. They were both attend
ants at that place. They Tell IN love
and after eight weeks were married,
that being in 1922. He used the
name OF James Joseph Crawford and
she was then Ruby Howe. 1t was
three weeks later that she learned
his name to be Harry A. Kirby. About
that time he skipped out when a
numbersof pocketbooks in the dorml-
tory had been missing. Before ne
left he was questioned in connection
with strangulation and rape case
which had occurred about or shortly
before the time they We're married.
He refused to answer. She said she
couldn't believe anything wrong of
him as he was the perfect lover and
he got for her everything that she
wanted. When he didn't want to
say yes to her desires he was very
polite to her in his refusals. She said
she never suspected him until he
came to her that night last week.
Then she said, she prayed she would
never have to face him again.
Has Change of Feelings
If was lust about at this point in
the story that she changed in her
feeling and said that he had yellow
streak, measuring with her arms.
This change of feeling all came about
in two minutes or so, when he APP
peared to her last Wednesday night.
He never had q gun, Mrs. Kirby
said. He did have shot gun at one
time which he had borrowed. She
left Winthrop about week before
the crimes were committed, having
made a short visit at the camp. When
she went back to Saco she took
baby carriage with her.
Wife of Good Appearance
Mrs. Kirby is a well poised woman,
dark of hair and straight of figure
Her hair is bobbed and she wears 1t
straight. Her wide brimmed brown
horse hair hat hid her face well as
she went about the city Monday. Ana
without doubt, very few people re-
allied that this quiet, refined APP
bearing young woman, with perhaps
a near tear in her eye, was the wife
of Harry A. Kirby, who is charged
with the most outrageous crime
which has besmirched Maine history
in a long record of years. Mrs. klr-
.y wore a tailored blue suit and a
scarf of Roman stripes. she hao nlSh
color and dark eyes and spoke in
high jerky tone of voice. she APP
peared to he very calm as she ira
xersed the corridors of the State
House and she held her head high.
Put back of it ALL one could see that
this wondering wife is iaboring un-
der a strain.
Story Told in Saco
The story which Mrs. Kirby told in
Saco. Sunday night, also in the pres
ence of Chief Sanborn, was In part
as follows:
Mrs. Kirby revealed that her hus-
band arranged secret meeting wltn
the crimes were committed In
Winthrop. and tried to persuade her
to return to the Gray cottage. where
Miss Hayward's dead body vas then
concealed.
Hun wouldn't come here to see
me-" said Mrs. Kirby, because ne
doesn't like the Chief I always call
NV stepfatn.r Chief you know so
Hun-that's my husband. Harry A.
K:rbv-telephoned from Portland to
the house here and left word for me
to meet him that night at the cottage
at Old Orchard. went there and met
him. He came on the IL O'Clock car
that night from Portland.
1--WE were alone together all that
night at the cottage.
Told Wife of Affair
"He told me about the terrible
things that had happened at Win
throp. He said Mrs. Towns had been
shot and Miss Hayward had been alb
Quoted. He said robber had broken
into their cottage and burned II
down. 1 didn't know either woman.
"He said some young men had
come to the cottage where l had been
staving with him until two weeks
ago. He said they told him about
what had happened during the night.
He said he didn't want to so back
because they might come back there
and try to make trouble for him.
"He was sort of whining, you know,
and he said: L don't know what to
do l told him to go back and race
it.
HE went to bed and went to sleep
and I sat there and looked at him
and wondered what he had done this
time. We md been married only
three weeks and we were still madly
in love with each other when the