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

According to a 1931 article by Sam E. Connor in the Lewiston Sun Journal Magazine, this unusual disobedience spurred further investigation into the origin of the shots. On his way to telephone another Haines Landing resident, Martin encountered two unknown men on the road near the Toothaker garage, which sat about 50 yards off the road. While speaking with the men, Martin noticed a light in the grass. Moving toward it, he stumbled upon Bean’s corpse.

When Martin returned to the road, the two men had vanished. He called local constable John Gendron, who quickly formed a posse to track down the suspects. The men were apprehended shortly after the search began on the road to Oquossoc. They were identified as Norman Mawson, 22, of Methuen, Massachusetts, and Jeremiah William Wheaton, 20, of Elmira, New York. They had been working odd jobs, including lumber clearing for a job agency near Oquossoc.