Recently Phil McAlister, of the Buckfield Historical Society, ran across this intriguing composite of clippings. He’s wondering (and so are we) if anyone can tell us more about this mysterious murder.

The photo shows farm buildings owned by Elihu W. Turner, a 75-year-old Hartford farmer, before they burned to the ground, according to the clipping.

“Turner is believed to have been slain in the kitchen of the home, his body hacked into pieces and dragged to the barn where it was burned,” the clipping says.

Next, “1929” is handwritten on the clipping which goes on to say that human bones (a jawbone, one tooth and an upper arm bone) were found in or near the kitchen range of the burned farmhouse.

“Turner’s hacked and charred body minus the head and limbs was found in the northeast corner of the barn cellar the morning of the fire. No trace could be found of the skull or limbs at the time although the ashes in that section were carefully raked over and sifted,” the clipping continues.

“But it remained for Harry A. Packard, photographer and newspaper correspondent of Norway, to find part of the missing bones in the ashpit of the kitchen range more than 100 feet from the spot where the body lay.”

Under a small headline reading “Bones of Human Skull,” the story continues: “Dr. W. B. Raymond of South Paris, medical examiner of Oxford County and two other local physicians after a careful exam -” and there the clipping ends, although it looks as if there is a tagline saying the story is continued on another page.

The small clippings on the far right don’t seem to be connected to the murder, at least at first glance. They are references to deaths, births and a Card of Thanks with years and date added by hand.

This is indeed a mysterious murder. Do you have any additional clues that would help us solve it? If so, please let us know.

If you have any information on this case or if you have an older, local photograph or postcard you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you. We are a bit hard to reach by phone at times, so you might try an email or dropping off your photo or info at the Advertiser and we’ll pick it up.

Please email photos or information to knittingarena@gmail.com; snail mail to Susan Arena, Yesterdays, Advertiser Democrat, 220 Main St., Suite 1, Norway, ME 04268; call me at 743-0363; or drop off your information at the Advertiser office (220 Main Street, Suite 1, Norway) between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If it is more convenient, there is a drop box in which you can leave photos or information when the office is closed. Please include your name, phone number and any information you have about the photo.

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