In the small town of Kittery, Maine, a grim discovery was made on November 14, 1883. Thomas Barrows, a male of English descent, was found dead in his bed, his body riddled with six bullet wounds that pierced his arms, legs, and head. His wife, Mary, initially claimed that he had taken his own life. However, the physical evidence quickly cast doubt on her story. Investigators were puzzled as to how a man could shoot himself six times with a five-barrel revolver, and why he would have inflicted five non-fatal wounds upon himself before the final, deadly shot to the head.
A closer examination of the scene revealed a more sinister narrative. It was determined that three of the bullets had been fired from a distance, while one to his hip and the fatal shot to his head were inflicted at close range. This evidence strongly suggested that Thomas Barrows had not died by his own hand, but was the victim of a calculated murder. The coroner's jury officially ruled his death a homicide, but without a clear motive, the identity of the perpetrator remained a mystery.
The investigation soon turned towards Thomas's tumultuous home life. It came to light that his relationship with his wife, Mary, was fraught with conflict. The couple's history was marred by violence, with one notable incident where Thomas had fired a pistol at Mary, causing her to break her leg in two places while evading the shot. Despite this, she had refused to testify against him. The inquiry into Thomas's death eventually led to the arrests of two individuals: his wife, Mary Barrows, and a young man named Oscar Blaney, who was romantically involved with Mary's daughter.
As the legal proceedings unfolded, the truth of the murder came to light. Mary had convinced Oscar Blaney to kill her husband. In a confession, Blaney detailed the gruesome events of that fateful night. He had initially ambushed Thomas near a barn, shooting him four times. However, the wounds were not fatal, and Thomas managed to crawl back to the house. Seeing that her husband was still alive, Mary urged Blaney to finish the job. Blaney then re-entered the house and fired two more shots, the last one striking Thomas in the head and ending his life. Both Mary Barrows and Oscar Blaney were tried for the murder. During Mary's trial, Blaney testified against her, leading to her conviction for first-degree murder. Blaney subsequently pleaded guilty. Both were sentenced to be hanged. For his cooperation with the state, Oscar Blaney's sentence was later commuted to life in prison, while Mary Barrows's execution was suspended.
