For nearly seven years, the murder of a young Maine woman remained an open wound in a small farming community. In November 1912, the case finally went to trial, and the woman accused of the crime was waiting to hear if a jury would believe the prosecution’s extraordinary theory. The victim was Matty Hackett, a 17-year-old known throughout Redfield for her beauty, friendly nature, and strong work ethic. Born on January 29, 1888, in Crystal, Aroostook County, she grew up helping on her father’s farm before studying at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary.
She later left her studies to work in a shop and then as a waitress at a local hotel, where she was regarded as a kind-hearted young woman. She was engaged to a Mr. Lyons of Boston, and wedding plans were underway when tragedy struck. The evening of August 17, 1905, began as an ordinary one for the Hackett family.
After a hot day of farm work, Matty’s father, Levi Hackett, joined his wife and six children for dinner. When the meal ended, Mr. Hackett headed to the barn to finish his chores, while the rest of the family went to visit neighbors. Matty remained behind to wash the dishes.
As Mr. Hackett approached the barn, he was met by a stout, poorly dressed young man who introduced himself as Alfred Johnson. Johnson said he came from Caribou and had recently been released from jail after serving time for vagrancy. He asked for food and a place to sleep for the night.
Showing kindness, Mr. Hackett offered him a spot in the barn and called for Matty to prepare food for the guest. While the two men talked, they heard muffled noises from the road. Mr.
Hackett dismissed them as neighborhood children arguing. But then a woman’s scream shattered the quiet, followed by the words “Oh, you dirty nasty thing. ” Racing into the house, Mr. Hackett found his daughter gone.
He rushed toward the road and discovered her unconscious in a ditch beside a culvert, her forehead cut. Despite efforts to revive her, it became clear her breathing was worsening. As her father carried her inside, he noticed a tightly tied cord embedded in her flesh around her neck. Matty Hackett was dead.
The community was stunned. Matty was liked by everyone who knew her, and speculation about her killer ran rampant. Police believed she had been enticed outside by someone she knew, as there was no sign of a struggle in the kitchen. Alfred Johnson was taken into custody as a material witness, though authorities did not believe he was the killer.
Instead, investigators developed a startling theory: the murderer was a woman. Their prime suspect was Elsie Hobbs Raymond, the 21-year-old pregnant wife of a local hostler. Investigators believed that while Matty worked at the Elmwood Hotel, Bert Raymond had shown her undue attention. There were rumors the two had driven out together, causing immense jealousy in his wife, who was eight months pregnant at the time of the murder.
The theory was that Mrs. Raymond followed her husband to the Hackett home, saw him with Matty, and erupted in a violent rage, strangling the young woman with a cord. Several witnesses seemed to support this theory. A witness heard the Raymonds engaged in a heated argument on the day of Matty’s death.
A woman named Miss Milliken, who lived with the couple, said Mrs. Raymond left the house early in the evening and didn’t return until well past midnight, visibly upset and in tears. Others claimed to have seen a veiled woman hastily walking toward the Hackett farm shortly before the attack. However, their accounts were contradictory, and two men who passed the woman in a carriage said they did not recognize her as anyone from Redfield.
Investigators also learned that Matty had been living with an aunt in Bartlett while working in a store there, and had returned home due to her health and an upcoming appendix operation. During her time at the store, she confided in two coworkers that she feared a man in Redfield. She said she had previously been courted by this man, ended the relationship, and he later married someone else. She never disclosed his name, leading investigators to wonder if the man could be Bert Raymond.
Despite the mounting suspicion, there was not enough evidence to charge Mrs. Raymond. On September 6, 1905, three weeks after Matty’s death, she gave birth to a baby boy. Police confirmed they had eliminated all but one suspect from their inquiries: Mrs.
Elsie Hobbs Raymond. Yet no charges were filed, and the case went quiet. In January 1906, a reporter asked Mrs. Raymond about the county attorney’s decision not to present the evidence to a grand jury.
She replied, “They know that I am innocent and that they cannot convict me, that’s why they don’t do anything. ” She added, “They have been hounding Bert and I ever since the murder. They have held us up to the suspicion of the people, yet they give me no opportunity to clear myself of the stain. ”
Nearly seven years later, in March 1912, County Attorney Joseph Williamson secured a new indictment against Mrs.
Raymond. He had strongly believed in her guilt since 1905 and was determined to prove it in court. She was arrested and held at the Kennebec County Jail to await trial. The trial took place in November 1912 in Augusta, presided over by Chief Justice Whitehouse.
It caused a sensation, and the murder of Matty Hackett once again became the most talked-about subject in Maine. The prosecution’s case was extraordinary, arguing that Mrs. Raymond’s advanced pregnancy had caused temporary insanity, driving her to commit the terrible act. Medical experts were called to testify that a pregnant woman could experience a derangement of the mind that often vanished after childbirth.
The prosecution offered a plea bargain, suggesting Mrs. Raymond could plead not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The defense firmly rejected any notion of insanity and maintained their client’s innocence, asking for an immediate acquittal on the grounds that no new evidence had been found since 1905. The judge rejected the request, and the trial continued.
The defense highlighted the lack of concrete evidence and questioned the reliability of witnesses, especially those who claimed to have seen a veiled woman heading toward the Hackett farm. They pointed out that no one had seen the defendant at the scene during or after the attack. The prosecution revealed that the Raymonds and Matty had worked together at the Elmwood Hotel, and that after Mrs. Raymond left her position, her husband began paying particular attention to young Matty.
This fueled speculation that he was the mystery man Matty feared. The defense countered that Bert Raymond had never paid Matty any particular attention, and that his contact with her was confined to a brief period when he once offered her and a colleague a ride home—nothing more than a neighborly gesture. The prosecution also called a witness named Mrs. Swan of Lewiston, who recalled the defendant making a chilling statement: “If Matty Hackett ever crosses my path, I will kill her.
” The defense argued the prosecution’s timeline was implausible, claiming it was impossible for a woman nearly three weeks from giving birth to walk two miles on a rough and steep road in just 20 minutes. They also pointed to footprints found at the scene, which corresponded to a size seven shoe—larger than Mrs. Raymond’s size four and a half, casting significant doubt on her involvement. Taking the stand, Elsie Hobbs Raymond claimed she spent several hours that evening sitting alone in the orchard behind her house after a heated argument with her husband over finances.
She denied having gone anywhere near the Hackett home. The defense went further, claiming they had identified the true culprits: the mother and sister of an army deserter named William Hurd. They testified that Hurd had confided in them that he and two fellow vagrants attacked Miss Hackett on August 17, 1905. Other witnesses said he had told them the same.
Hurd, however, had died by his own hand and never revealed the names of the others involved. The story had first been reported in the Lewiston Journal shortly after the murder, but no one had seen a group of vagrants in the area, and searches had failed to find anyone. Alfred Johnson, the stranger who had arrived at the farm that day, also provided conflicting testimony. He now claimed he had heard male and female voices near the barn, the man saying, “Can’t you come down tonight?
” and the woman replying, “No, I can’t come down tonight. ” He said he then heard two women talking, followed by a cry of “You dirty nasty thing” and a stifled scream. The jury seemed unconvinced by the prosecution’s case. After deliberating for only two and a half hours, they returned a not guilty verdict, greeted by loud cheers and clapping from the gallery.
Mrs. Raymond began to cry before being surrounded by friends and family. After the trial, she said, “I was confident of my innocence. I expected to be acquitted.
At no time did I have any doubt that the verdict would be complete vindication. We can now live our life in peace. ”
The verdict left the haunting question unanswered: who killed Matty Hackett?
The puzzle has remained a mystery that may endure throughout the ages.