Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-06-05

up to this time, UP to my knowledge.
didn't give her any liquor. I told
you I just finished it at her cottage.
J left the house and went to Hay
We I'd cottage.
] don't know what she had on her
lower extremities. She held a
ell the way by the track to the
Hayward cottage. Didn't have a flash
light. hid one revolver under mat
tress down stars, jewelry in my coat
pocket and one revolver took with
me. I ran aloEg, stumbled and made
as fast time as I could back to the
Hayward cottage. I entered by the
same window. went \straight up
stairs. right through the kitchen. I
never saw Mrs. Towns after shot
that I lifted her eyelids up or felt
he.' heart.
set the fire upstairs. went out
by rear door. l came back to the
Gray cottage as fast as could. 1t
was probably half an hour or three
quarters getting back. I went up
stairs to where Aida was. She was
laying right there In bed. Don't
know If She was awake or not, her
eyes were closed. did not light any
lights in the Gray cottage when.
went there the second time.
went over to the window and
lifted up the sill and looked down
towards the Hayward cottage. She
did not see the fire. She asked me
wha. whistles were blowing for and
I told her it was g. fire in the village,
- hA,~ rk IL h. =
for some time. ] sat in a chair in
front of where the bureau now
stands. She had>hung her dress up
very neatly on q hook. There were
some clothes on the sewing machine.
l asked her &c she was hungry. She
said she would like a cup of coffee
and half a grape fruit. / went down
stairs, made a fire, percolated the
coffee and prepared the grapefruit.
There was no light up there, 1t was
very nearly daylight by this time.
stood beside the bed as she ate the
grapefruit. I may have asked her il
there was sugar enough in the coffee
or on the grapefruit. I went down
stairs and came up. 1 stood there
and watched fer quite a spell. saw
some men en- the railroad track. I
and maybe for half an hour stood
there and heard voices. I was awful
upset and nervous. had an awful
pain in my head. Didn't know what
to do. Can't describe everything.
Voices came to door on lakeside and
seemed TO be quite good many of
them.
Then she stood right up straight,
just like that and screamed as I re-
call it, just once and then 1t hap
pened. I choked her. I just leaped
across the room and grabbed her
by the throat and choked her with
both hands. ] forced her back onto
the bed on her back. She did not
stop breathing Immediately. At no
ti:hc do remember seeing any blood
On her face. She became quiet
and I started to bind her body UP,
using the sheet torn into strips.
don't think, row, that I choked her
to death although I thought so
then. There didn't seem to be any
life in her. wasn't in my right
mind. I couldn't look at things as If
were doing 1t with clear brain
under ordinary circumstances. I
don't know just how it seemed but
she kept still and my idea was to
keep her still and keep them men
out of the cottage. rolled her over
and took the under mattress.
II know that just very few mo-
ments elapsed when she screamed
and choked her and someone poun-
ded at the doors and the windows.
can't describe just what did happen
then, because I was crazy that was
all there was to 1t. I decided /
couldn't get away and didn't have
time to lay her body out as I had
been accustomed to laying bodies
out. You know, binding up the body.
I wanted to make the thing impact,