by Laurel | August 19th, 2009
August 19, 1093, page 3
Holyoke Man’s Body Taken From Maine Waters. — Error in Identification. — Thought at First to be That of Victim in Scribner Alleged Murder Case.
Kineo, Me., Aug. 18. — One of the most peculiar cases ever investigated by the Maine authorities developed today.
The county officials ascertained today that a body found in the lake near here, instead of being that of James Myers of St. John, N.B., the woodsman who is said to have been pushed from a lake steamer on July 6 by Joseph Scribner, now in jail at Dover on a charge of murder, is that of Louis Greenwood of Holyoke, Mass., a lumberman, who was supposed to be in Canada, a fugitive from justice.
On Sunday last the badly decomposed body of a man was taken from the lake. As no person was known to have been drowned recently, other than Myers, it was supposed that the remains were those of the New Brunswick man. Today, however, Frank J. Andrew, who occupied a bunk with Greenwood in a logging camp, on viewing the body identified it as that of Greenwood’s. The identification was positively confirmed by the authorities later.
It develops that Greenwood spent the winter in the camp of a Charles Jackson, a Bangor lumber operator at Socatean. He came to Kineo in the middle of April and obtained employment with a local man. He secured a room with a workman named William King.
Lumberman Out.
On April 28, the date upon which the lake was free from ice, it was the desire of many of the lumbermen to go down the lake on the first boat of the season. Greenwood, Mr. King states, appeared to be in an usual hurry to have him go on the boat, and in the rush for the lake King forgot to take his money out of his trunk and place it where it would be safer.
Greenwood did not go on the boat. Next day on King’s return he found that his companion and his money were both missing. Natural suspician attacjed to Greenwood, and King notified the authorities of his loss. Telephone messages were sent to several points but no one could be found who had seen Greenwood.
A clue was encountered, however, in the shape of a missing canoe. Later a canoe was found at Birch Point, opposite Kineo. It was inferred that the missing man had used the canoe to cross the lake and had escaped to Canada by way of Rockwood and Asquith.
Came From Holyoke.
Greenwood’s companions discussed his disappearance for some time. The way that the undestood that he came to the Maine woods from Holyoke, Mass. When he landed in Kineo he had a rifle oer $11 in his pickets. He intimated that he intended to save money and strike for Canada.
The boy was taken to Greenville, where this afternoon King viewed it. He identified a certificate representing $20 in gold, a silver dollar and a number of fie-dollar notes which were his property. He convinced the coroner at the Inquest that the money was his, and it was returned to him. The money was in a roll in the dead man’s pocket, and was in excellent condition, notwithstanding its long immersion.
Greenwood weighed 175 pounds, was 35 years of age, and was 5 feet 10 inches in height. He had a swarthy complextion, black hair and a mustache. The authorities will probably communicate with the Holyoke police.
From The Boston Journal.
