Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940

Oquossoc Murder (1922)

On a crisp, overcast October evening in the small settlement of Haines Landing—a summer vacation village along the shores of Rangeley Lake—beloved local fishing guide and letter carrier Otis A. Bean was shot dead outside his garage. The murder of Otis Bean, which initially led to the arrest of two itinerant lumberjacks and later Bean’s wife, Ethel, became one of the most intriguing and well-documented murder cases in Maine's history.
Around 6 p.m., famed hunting and fishing guide Bob Martin had finished his dinner and was in a car with Herb Welch, a local merchant, and Ethel Bean, heading to Oquossoc Station. While driving, they heard three gunshots in the distance. Normally, gunshots wouldn’t provoke much reaction from Haines Landing residents and visitors, but that night it piqued their interest because the Governor had banned hunting during an unusually dry spell to prevent forest fires.