Criminal Law Commons^™

The Trial Of A Lady On The Suspicion Of Theft, Who Was Confined Thirty-Three Days In The Suffolk Jail, J. R. Caldwell

Maine Bicentennial

An 1829 account of "an amiable, educated and virtuous girl" arrested for allegedly shoplifting a pair of kid gloves and jailed for 33 days before being brought before a judge for prosecution.

A Charge Delivered To The Grand Jury Of The Circuit Court Of The United States, At Its First Session In Portland For The Judicial District Of Maine, Joseph Story

Maine Bicentennial

The printed transcript of Judge Joseph Story’s address to the first Grand Jury to serve Maine’s federal circuit court in Portland. Story states: “The circumstances, under which I address you at the present moment are perhaps without a parallel in the annals of the other quarters of the world. This District has just been admitted into the union as a free, sovereign and independent state, possessing in common with all the others an equality of national rights and honors, and protected by an excellent constitution framed, by its own deliberations, upon principles of justice and equity.” The address goes on …

The Trial Of Moses Adams, High-Sheriff Of The County Of Hancock, Before The Supreme Judicial Court Of The Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, On An Indictment For The Murder Of His Wife From Minutes Taken At The Trial By John Bulfinch, John Bulfinch

Maine Bicentennial

Moses Adams of Ellsworth, Maine, was charged with: "not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil, on the twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen, with force and arms, at Ellsworth ... in and upon one Mary Adams, the wife of the said Moses Adams, in the peace of the said Commonwealth, then and there being, feloniously, willfully and of his malice aforethought, did make an assault ... with a certain deadly weapon called an axe, of the value …

The Trial Of David Lynn, Prince Kein [Sic], Jabez Meiggs [Sic], Elijah Barton, Adam Pitts, Anson Meiggs [Sic], And Nathaniel Lynn. Indicted For The Murder Of Paul Chadwick, Containing A Compendious But Clear And Full Statement Of All The Evidence, Together With A Correct Abridgement Of The Pleadings Of Council, And The Charge To The Jury, As Delivered By The Court, Peter Edes

Maine Bicentennial

In 1809, Paul Chadwick was hired to survey lands held by the proprietors of the Plymouth Patent, including property that fell within the boundaries of the town of Malta, now known as Windsor, Maine. The land survey caused upset among settlers as property ownership was called into question. Vowing to defend their property, on September 8, a party of fully armed men, some disguised as Native Americans, approached Chadwick advising him to cease his activities. Chadwick declined and was shot, dying the following day.

David Lynn, Prince Kein, Jabez Meiggs, Elijah Barton, Jonas Proctor, Adam Pitts, Anson Meiggs, and Nathaniel …