Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-21
BOSTON man IS
: HELD FOR APRIL
TERM OF court

Sufficient evidence against Frank
G. Stevens of Boston was found "
Judge Charles w. Atchley in NUM-
cipal court yesterday on a charge Of
breaking and entering the garage Of
Wilbur A. Dickey in Clinton on the
night of last August 26, that he --as
was bound over to the April term
of the Grand Jury in Augusta.
Bonds for his appearance were set
at $500 and as Stevens vas I'M
able to procure these he was taken
to the county Jail in Augusta to
await his trial.
The State witnesses were Mr..
Dickey, the owner of the garage, md
George Mcguire, a deputy sheri. f
Penobscot county. Stevens conduct
ed his own case and was the only
person to offer testimony in the de-
tense.
On exhibition in the court were 9
number of automobile accessories,
alleged to have been taken from the
garage. and three burglar tools
which the State contended had been
made by blacksmith in Herman
by Stevens orders. The tools were
those used by safe crackers 20
into a safe by smashing hole
through the lock.
The greater part of the automo-
bile accessories had been marked ny
Mr.. Dickey and they were easily
recognized as his own property.
With the exception of a spark plug
tester thaU tn, -
house of Mr.. Stevens son-in- law, a
Mr.. Hoppe of Herman, the tester be-
Ing the only article found in the
possession of the defendant. Stevens
said that the tester had been given
HIM by Hoppe and that he did not
know where it had come FROM
Stevens claimed Massachusetts as
his home but from March, 1923, I'M
til the latter part of August, 1924,
he had worked in Derby, Maine. as
a carpenter. While working here he
found many opportunities for visit
ing Hoppe and his family in Her.
man. According to Stevens testimony
Hoppe and his family. wife and
I child. bought a small farm in Her.
man about two years ago and had
lived there since that time. Later
he became an agent for the sale Of
oil heaters for stoves and furnaces.
Hoppe at one time owned three au-
| tomobiles while Stevens owned md
| drove an Overland. Hoppe last fall
was hit by the shot from the re-
| volver of deputy sheriff as he was
! in the act of breaking and entering
! store in Smyrna Mills. He is now
| in Jail in Bangor.
Stevens told how he had lad the
! fnn1o Honnn Inv,
| smith in Herman and he admitted
! calling two or three days later to
! see If they were finished. He said
> that when he got the tools he put
them into tho back of his car I'D
, forgot about them.
! The respondent remembered see
i ing neither the accessories nor the
| tools in Hopes house at any time.
| He said, however, that there was IL
! ways a great deal of what he would
| term Junk" around the house and
| he had seen motor meters there
similar to those on exhibition.
1 On September Is Stevens and the
| Hoppe family went to- Massachu-
J sets and Stevens took up residence
at 1852 Commonwealth Avenue, Mis-
ton. He was living at that address
when authorities placed him under
, arrest and took him to Bangor TO
! answer charges of breaks in the
| northern part of the State.
When questioned by Dickey, Ste
vens denied that he had ever lold
| the blacksmith to make a hurry
| task of the tools. The r~1son he
gave for not working the whole of
the month Of August was that the
shops where he was employed had
! closed down. Dickey told Re
! court that one of the burglars tools
,, was found in q car in Portland along
with an electric drill and some dyna-
: mite: another at Smyrna Mill after
Hoppe had been shot. and the third
, in Hopes house in Herman.
Mcguire testified to finding the
accessories in Hopes house, except
the spark plug tester. which ne SAID
| was in Stevens possession.
Stevens is thought to be about 40
years old, but his appearance Is that
, of a man of 60. He took the judges