This widely distributed photograph is presumed to be of Louis Wagner, convicted of murdering two women on Smuttynose Island in 1873. He was found guilty and hanged on June 25, 1875. Wagner, one of the last five men executed before capital punishment was abolished in Maine, protested that he was innocent to the end. Hoping for a reprieve he met Maine Governor Nelson Dingley and asked him, "Do I look like a man who would commit such a crime?" The governor responded, "You look to me like a man that got himself into a corner and murdered his way out."
(Photo courtesy Portsmouth Athenaeum)

The murder weapon used in the 1873 attack on two women at Smuttynose Island, Maine is currently archived at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. It was presented to the private library in 1997. The handle was broken during the attack.

Terrible Tragedy at the Isles of Shoals

Louis Wagner on Trial

The man in the middle of the three in the carriage is reported to be Louis Wagner,
although no documentation has yet been discovered. (Courtesy Portsmouth Athenaeum)

Graves of Smuttynose Victims