There's a certain kind of hush that falls over the grounds of historic cemeteries.

Voices of visitors lower in reflection.

The leaves and trees rustle in the wind as if they're shushing even the birds in their songs.

When I find myself walking past the gates of a New England cemetery, I'm always beckoned inside,

called by the stories that linger there, curious about the lives that were lived more than 100 years before my own.

At Reedfield Corner Cemetery in Quiet Reedfield, Maine, a gleaming granite headstone marks the final resting place of Maddie Hackett,

born January 29, 1888, died August 17th, 19th, 1905.

Maddie was just 17 years old when she died, when she was murdered.

And though nearly 116 years have passed since that August evening when her life was stolen,

the answer to Maddie's mysterious killing was never uncovered.

So the question remains, who really killed Maddie Hackett?

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Growing up in Kennebec County, I knew Reedfield, Maine fairly well.

I had family at Marana Cook Community Schools and friends at

Kents Hill, and I'd spent a summer day or two at Marana Cook Lake. Though I lived in such close proximity to the small rural town growing up, I never knew much about its history until

Maddie Hackett's story introduced me to Reed Field of the past.

Long before it was known as Refield,

and before white settlers moved into the area

...