Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-12
Two Augusta Men
Found Guilty of
Assault on Officer

Assault on Officer
IN the afternoon session of the Wa
terville municipal court yesterday Ma
poleon and Eddie Thibodeau. brothers.
both Of Augusta, were found guilty of
assaulting an officer on the night of
Jan. 6. The complainant was Oscar
Haglund, deputy sheriff of Kennebec
county. Napoleon was sentenced to
serve four months in Jail and his
brother was sentenced to serve 80
days. They appealed and bond for their
appearance before the January term of
The superior court was set at $1,000 for
the former and $500 for the latter. The
bqndsmen were William Vigue and
Nelson Thibodeau.
Haglund was the first to take the
stand. and when questioned by County
Attorney Frank z. Southland his story
was that on the night Of Jan. 6 he had
a warrant to search the home of Will
liam ViSue at 1875 College avenue. He
was accompanied by Deputy George b.
Lydig, Deputy Rufus Page, Deputy
Sheriff Warren IL. Moses, Earl w.
Webb and Henry D. Clough. They ar
rived at the house soon after midnight
and were admitted at the front door by
Mr.. Figue. who did not care to have
the warrant read. Clough was station
ed at the back door to see that no one
left the house. Haglund was in the
kitchen directing the search when he
heard somebody knocking at the back
door. Vigue went to the door and ad-
mitted the Thibodeaus and Perley But
Ter. After a short time Paul Thibo-
deau asked Haglund If Webb and
ClouSh were sheriffs or not, to which
Haglund replied that they were not.
but he said that they had been APP
pointed as aides for the night. When
Thihodeau insisted that Webb get out,
Hasiund sent him from the house.
Haglund was then asked If he was a
sheriff and he said he was. Several
sarcastic remarks were made to him
and then the Thibodeau brothers took
him by the shoulders and forced him
drew mis- revolver and went back into
the house, where he continued his
search unmoslested. The Thibodeaus
left the house shortly after this.
When Arthur J. Crafty. counsel for
the defendants. questioned Haglund in
cross-examination the sheriff said he
did not know what prompted Thibodeau
to ask whether Webb and Clough were
shcrif>s and he said that Lydig was in
the cellar during the whole affair."
Lydig said that although he was in
the cellar when Webb was ordered
from the house, he had come up into
the kitchen when Haglund was told to
get out and he claimed that he saw the
assault.
Napoleon Thibodeau was the next
witness. He told how he and his
brother and two other men, Perley
Butler and Mr.. Carey of Augusta
were on their way to Augusta and,
as it was SO late, had decided to
stay over night at Vigues house. He
had key to the house and when he
went to the back door Clough was
on the steps pointing a revolver at
the party. He was brushed aside
and the two men entered the house,
Clough following them. He said that
he was told that several of the
searchers were not sheriffs and he
pushed Webb and Clough out of the
house. He claimed that he and his
brother, Eddie. had taken no part in
the assault but had stood quietly in
the Kitchen during the whole quarrel.
Ihibodeau said that he started to
push Haglund out but as soon as he
learned that the latter was a sheriff
he stopped. He asserted that he had
no interest in the house that was be-
ing searched and that he did not
know that a sheriff had any right to
call in outside. aid
Eddie ThibOdeau said that the
party paid no attention to Clough
when he greeted them with a revolt
Yer in his hand. He claimed that the
only words that he had with Haglund
was when he refused to tell the sher-
III his name. According to the wit
ness both Haglund and NAPOLEON
Thibodeau took hold Of themselves
at the same time.
Mrs. Eva Vigue. William Vigue's
wife, said that she was in bed when
the searching party called and that
her husband went down stairs to let
the men in. She claimed that Webb
came into her room and flashed
light In her face but that she did not
see Haglund upstairs When the
argument in the kitchen started she
feared that something of a serious
nature was to happen SO she went
doWn stairs. When she arrived in
the Kitchen, she said. Clough was
standing IN the doorway with a re-
Volver in his hand but he went out
OF the house shortly after. The tes-
timony of Perley Butler was identi-
cal to that of Eddie Thibodeau.
Rufus Page. a federal deputy, was
the last witness for the state who
was called to the stand. He said
that Webb and he were in the dining
room together but he claimed that
webb did no searching, He had pone
into the kitchen by the time that the
Thibodeau men came into the house
and he said that several sarcastic
terms were used before the Thibo-
deaus took hold of Haglund and
forced him out of the house.
Both the afternoon and morning
trials attra cted great local interest
and the court room was packed on
both occasions,