Written by Stephen Ondich
The small coastal town of Harrington, Maine has an official population of 1004 according to the latest census. It is the kind of place where people you meet in town share last names with the 200 year old tombstones of Forest Hill Cemetery. Names like Nash and Ray. On a warm Summer day in 1896, the population of Harrington dropped by two under the most bizarre circumstances.
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Harrington, Maine
The distance from Acadia National Park to Harrington, Maine is 46.9 miles.
Harrington is Acadia Adjacent!↵
Harrington’s History is Hidden in Plain Sight
Recently, our family bought land in Harrington, Maine. Whenever we buy property in a new area I research to find out if it has any unusual history. It’s more to satisfy my own curiosity than for any other reason. In 2019, most of my researching is done via a Google search.
For example, Curtis Creek runs along one edge of our property. I was curious who it was named after. Online searches revealed that our lot was once owned by the Curtis Family. Paul and Hannah Curtis (formerly Strout), owned our property around 1900. For some reason, I find this interesting. In my mind it almost creates a bond between us and the former owners. We are now the proud steward of Paul & Hannah’s Creek!
Small Town History
When a town is as small as Harrington, there’s often not a lot of juicy history to discover. Occasionally, when a place experiences a boom and bust cycle, you are surprised by past activity.
Harrington does not fit that bill. Its population has fluctuated between 300 and 1500 people since 1800.
The salad days for Harrington city life were the 1840’s. People moved into town to capitalize on surging lumber and shipbuilding industries. 10 years later the population dipped down to 963.
This is why I was shocked to discover that two respected Harrington citizens were at the epicenter of a horrific maritime crime. There was no mention of this on Harrington’s Wikipedia page until I recently added a respectful blurb.
The story takes place shortly after Independence Day in 1896. The victims were Captain Charles I. Nash and Laura Agnes Ray Nash. Both were from families with long standing ties to the Narraguaugus Bay region.
The After House
The narrative of this crime reads like an Agatha Christie murder mystery. In fact, there are parallels to Murder on the Orient Express. However, it was not Agatha Christie who turned this story into a best-selling novel. That was done by Mary Roberts Rinehart, sometimes referred to as the American Agatha Christie. On a side-note, I suspect Reinhart hated that moniker considering her first mystery was published years before Agatha Christie‘s.
Rinehart wrote The After House in 1914. it was a work of historical fiction, loosely based on the Nash murders. In fact, her novel struck such a chord with the public that President Woodrow Wilson pardoned the man convicted in 1919. How is that for a twist ending?
The Harrington victims:
Captain Charles I. Nash
Captain Charles I. Nash was the son of celebrated Harrington ship builder Alonso P. Nash and Emily W Dorman. Alonso Nash was credited as the master carpenter for several massive ship construction projects including the Charles T. Russell and the Evie J. Ray. Charles followed in his father’s maritime footsteps by becoming a captain. He had 20 years of sailing experience by the time he took his last trip.
Laura Agnes Ray Nash
Laura Nash was the daughter of Adrain Judson Ray and Lavonia Agnes Nash. Married to Charles since 1880, her headstone is marked with a simple “Laura.”
The Herbert Fuller
On July 3, 1896, Captain Charles Nash set out on his fatal voyage. The trip itself was nothing out of the ordinary. It was a typical lumber run. Nash’s ship, The Herbert Fuller, was to deliver a literal boat load of lumber from the port of Boston to Rosario, Argentina. In fact, the Herbert Fuller was built in Harrington, Maine by William Swan and son only six years earlier in 1890.
Charles had nine siblings. Unlike his father, Charles and Laura had no children of their own. Perhaps this was the reason why Laura occasionally accompanied her husband on trips. She was never uncomfortable being the lone female on her husband’s trips.
The Crew and Passengers
Ten people accompanied Laura and Captain Charles on their voyage to Argentina. It was an international cast of characters.
Crew members Folke Wasson, Oscar Anderson and Julius Leopold Westerberg were Swedes. Henry Slice was a German immigrant. Francis Loheac hailed from France. Hendrick Perdock was from Holland. August Blomberg was a Russian Finn.
Lester Monks
Perhaps the most unlikely passenger was a young man by the name of Lester Monks. Monks was a Harvard university law student who booked the South American trip for his health. It was an impulsive decision. Allegedly, he first inquired about a guest fare with Bram a week prior to departure. Bram discouraged Monks from joining the crew but he would not be dissuaded.
Monks suffered from an asthma-type breathing condition and thought the sea air would serve him well.
Julius Leopold Westerberg
Another curious crew member was Julius Leopold Westerberg. Westerberg was known on board as Charlie Brown. Westerberg had a checkered past as a sailor. He got into a physical altercation with a fellow crew member on a previous voyage. Additionally, co-workers suggested that he was not mentally stable and subject to wild mood swings, erratic, sometimes violent behavior. However, his demeanor on the Herbert Fuller was generally reported as positive.
Thomas M. Bram
Nash’s first mate was Thomas M Bram. Bram was an on-and-off sailor. He previously served on a ship before leaving for a job as a restaurant manager. The crew was assembled mostly from scratch. Only one of the crew members had worked for Nash before. Jonathan Spencer, the 24 year old Steward sailed with Captain Nash once previously. For all practical purposes everyone on board the Herbert Fuller that were strangers to Charles and Laura.
Departure
The Nash’s ship left Boston harbor without incident. Ten mundane days at sea passed as the ship slowly ventured South. Nothing unusual transpired until the evening of July 13.
After Midnight
At around 2 AM on the night of July 13, Westerberg was working his late night shift at watch. Something caught his attention in the window to the ship’s chart room (sometimes referred to as an after room). He saw Bram brandish an ax while standing over a motionless body on the floor.
Westerberg went to investigate but heard a bloodcurdling scream from Laura. Startled, Westerberg hustled back to his post. Shortly thereafter, Bram casually walked past Westerburg. No words were exchanged
Westerberg completed his shift at watch and then turned it over to crew member Francis Loheac.
Almost immediately Loheac heard suspicious noises in the chart room. He then saw Bram erratically climb and then descended ship’s deck.
At this point Monks, whose cabin was next to the chart room, attempting to get the attention of Bram. Bram was having none of it.
The Horrific Murders are Exposed
Startled awake by the odd noises coming from the neighboring chart room, Monks (likely at least partially inebriated) pulled out his revolver and attempted to locate the captain. He found a mortally wounded Captain Charles Nash on the ground billowing a low death rattle. In a panic he looked for Laura but only found remnants of her sliced off hair. It was approximately 2 o’clock in the morning and still very dark.
Bram is Found
Now fully awake and terrified, Monks stepped up his efforts to locate Bram. Relieved to finally track down a living passenger, he told Bram of the captain’s grizzly injuries. However, the sight of an adrenaline-fueled Monks waving a gun prompted Bram to beg for his life.
Understandably, no one was really sure what was going on. Monks convinced Bram that he was not the killer. However, Bram likely thought he had been caught and about to pay with his life.
Monks accompanied Bram up to the deck with Loheac. They all waited there together until the sun came up.
Interestingly, Bram asked no questions about the captain or the circumstances of his assault.
One More Victim
Spencer returned to the group understandably freaked out. Continuing his pattern of odd behavior, Bram abruptly announced that he found the murder weapon. He zeroed in on a partially hidden bloody ax and quickly made the unilateral decision to toss it overboard.
All Hands on Deck
At this point all of the surviving crew members were brought on deck and brought up to speed on the triple murder that had occurred a few hours ago.
Bram eagerly offered up his theory as to what happened: Blomberg had attempted to assault Laura. When Charles interrupted, Blomberg killed both Laura and Charles with the ax before somehow suffering mortal wounds of his own, which left him with just enough strength to get back to his room before perishing. Bram continue to chat up his fellow sailors. It’s doubtful his theories and observations put anyone at ease.
Another Suspect
However, Westerberg was also an odd personality who seemed capable of unprovoked violence .
Based on the limited information available to them, the Herbert Fuller crew felt the person responsible was either Westerberg or Bram.
Accordingly, both were detained for questioning by their fellow passengers.
Despite being a prime suspect in the murders, Bram, as the first mate, was now the defacto Captain. Thus, the next few days played out like a cat and mouse game. The crew attempted to give the impression that they supported Bram while not turning their back on him. At one point, Bram suggested they dump the bodies overboard, clean the cabins and set sail for French Guiana, 1500 miles away rather than Canada.. However the crew wisely refused.
On deck Brams behavior was erratic. He warned of a mutiny, prayed, claimed to have been drugged by Blomberg, alternatively cried and smiled, mourned for the captain, etc. It was as if he was trying anything to see what would evoke a positive reaction from the remaining crew.
The nearest port was a 6 day journey to Halifax. It was an understandably stressful voyage to Nova Scotia.
Welcome Home
Everyone on board was brought back to Boston. Monks, the aspiring law student, came across as very self-assured to the grand jury. In fact, the young man seemed to take charge of the ship during the 6 day post-murder journey to Nova Scotia. Despite his odd reason for being on the ship, he was never really considered a serious suspect.
On the stand, Brown claimed he was so terrified from witnessing Brams actions that basically froze up and said nothing.
When Bram heard of Brown’s claim he told an investigator that Bram could not have possibly seen him from where Brown was standing. Not exactly the statement of innocent man.
Monks went to sleep around 8 o’clock but was bothered by the noise made by his loose door. Accordingly, he locked it for the evening. Had he not done that he might have been the fourth victim that night.
Shocking Courtroom Testimony
In court Monks described the ghastly scene in Laura Nash’s quarters. Her skull had been smashed recognizably & her jaw broken in several places. Deep gashes on her hands and arms were tell-tale defensive wounds.
Monks, a law student, apparently made a written account of everything that transpired and had all of the crew sign it. The account included Bram’s ridiculous murder theory. It seems likely that Monks did this to you reassure the killer that everyone would back up his theory in hopes of preventing any additional violence before they reached port.
Motive and Opportunity
The two main issues for prosecutors were the apparent lack of motive and the logistical difficulties of leaving the ship’s wheel unattended long enough to murder three people with an ax.
Conversations between Bram and Spencer paint a Bram as jealous of Nash. Bram remarked to more than one crew member that Laura Nash should “be taken care of by a real man.” It seems likely that the lust Bram projected onto Blomberg was very real. However, it was Bram that lusted after Laura, rather than Blomberg.
Aftermath
Reinhardt however, did not believe that Brown was the murderer. She believed Westerberg committed the murders. Accordingly, her novel After Hours portrays Bram as wrongly accused. The popularity of her book helped lead to Bram’s Presidential Pardon in 1919. The last information available on Bram’s post-Herbert Fuller activities was a 1936 lawsuit he filed against the US government for damage to his ship sustained from a collision with an anchored government craft off the coast of Portland.
The Herbert Fuller continued to operate as a cargo ship for twenty years but according to an 1896 New York Times article, sailors were initially less than eager to work on the ship after the murders.
In 1916, the Herbert Fuller was officially no more. The wooden ship sustained fire damage while moored in Tampa, Florida. It was sold, redesigned and rechristened as the Margaret B. Rouse. Only one year later on April 27, 1917, it became the third US ship lost to gunfire after the US entered World War 1.
According to the Harvard Graduates Magazine, Volume 7, Lester Monks Graduated from Harvard in 1898 and became a lawyer with The Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company at 125 Mill St., Boston. He is also listed as a contributor to Atlantic Monthly. After a successful career in banking he passed away of natural causes on September 9, 1927.
As of 2019, the murder investigations of Captain Charles Nash, Laura Nash and August Blomberg are officially open and unsolved.
Back to Harrington
Charles and Laura Nash came home to rest in Forest Hill Cemetery in Harrington, Maine. The peaceful backdrop of their final resting place belies the horror they faced in their final moments at sea. The town of Harrington must have been stunned, along with their neighbors in Milbridge, Cherryfield and Addison.
Although I’ve written about haunted locations in Maine, I don’t feel like this one is a fit. The circumstances were horrific but they died together doing something they loved.
Walking the wooded quiet shoreline of Curtis Creek, I wonder if the Curtis family knew Charles and Laura Nash.
I bet they did.
Sources:
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, Volume 3; William Richard Cutter Lewis historical Publishing Company, 1908 – Boston (Mass.)
Murder Aboard: The Herbert Fuller Tragedy and the Ordeal of Thomas Bram. By C. Michael Hiam.
Fifty Five Years at Sea: Captain William Sewall Nickels of Maine. By Monica Ruth Pattangall
Murder, America: Homicide in the United States from the Revolution to the Present by Jay Robert Nash
The Harvard Graduates’ Magazine, Volume 7; By William Roscoe Thayer, William Richards Castle, Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe, Arthur Stanwood Pier, Bernard Augustine De Voto, Theodore Morrison
The After House by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
Nova Scotia Archives: Herbert Fuller crime scene evidence photos
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Juliet
29 Mar 2019Really fascinating story! With some of what I’ve read in your blog, I’m beginning to think I understand Stephen King’s inspiration for many of his books.
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