The Portland daily press., 1886-10-01
CLEARED UP.
A Sixteen-Year-oId Boy Confesses to
Setting Fires in Harmony.
Other Persons Thought to be Inpli-
Gated in the Crime.

LEWISTON, Sept. 30.-Alfred Hurd,
siXteen-year-old boy, has been arrested,
charged kwith setting fire to buildings
in Harmony. He was one of the first upon
whom suspicion fell. Hurd is an unfortunate
lad, who has not had half chance in the
world He came from poor stock and his
early years were spent at the aims house.
His greatest misfortune was a bad elder
brother. This brother was sent to the re-
form school when he was IA years old for
setting fire to the barn on the Harmony poor
farm. Since Alfred has been old enough to
do much work, he has been apprenticed to
Mr.. Charles A. Laughton, one of the select
men of Harmony and one of the sufferers by
the fires.
1t was ascertained that this boy was in the
vicinity of two of the fires when they started.
On Tuesday of last week, the buildings OF
Abel Frost were burned. On searching his
premises, fresh tracks of cowhide boots,
with peculiar side-irons on the heels, were
found in the mud. Alfred Hurd wore pair
of boots corresponding with these tracks.
One of the boots was obtained, placed in
one of these tracks and fitted it exactly. The
boy said he had gone there day or two be-
fore, as he frequently did, but stoutly denied
knowing anything about the fire.
On Saturday Mr.. Laughton's buildings
were set on fire second time and burned.
The circumstances were peculiar and pointed
directly to the Hurd boy, but Mr.. Laughton
could not bring himself to believe that his
protege had ruined him. Mr. Laughton was
in his field, three minutes walk from his
home. Seeing the smoke OF another fire In
the distance, Mr.. Laughton told the Hurd
boy, who was at work with him. to run and
that it was all right. The boy disappeared
and soon returned with the report that there
were no signs of fire. He had hardly spoken
the words, when Mr. Laughton, looking
towards his barn. saw puff Of smoke COM
ing from it. His buildings were totally
destroyed
Wednesday forenoon Detective True had
young Hurd brought to the inquest, conduct
ed by j. F. Holman, Esq, of Athens, and as
soon as he was fairly inside of the door, fatty
accused him of burning these two sets of
buildings The boy denied it and underwent
a searching examination with much firmnesS.
He gave circumstantial account of his
goings and comings, and could not be caught
in any admissions, After this examination,
young Hnrd was placed under charge of De-
tective Thomas A. Simpson, who came here
with True. Simpson walked and talked with
his charge, who soon proved unable to bear
the strain and to evince signs of guilt at
dinner time he was unable to eat anything.
Early in the afternoon he broke down and
confessed that he burned both the buildings
of Frost and those of his employer, Mr..
Laughton. 1t is sad and inexplicable case.
The boy said he had no ill-will towards Mr..
Laughton, who had always been good Ito
him. or towards Mr.. Frost. He burned their
buildings for mischief, pure and simple. The
boy is bright and shows ne symptoms of
insanity.
He told fully how he set each fire. When
his employer told him to go and look at his
barn, he went to the back side of it and
touched match to the hay-mow, and then
deliberately walked to his employer and told
him the barn was all right. He ignited Mr..
Frost's hay-mow with another match. He
seemed to realize the enOrmity of his crimes
and wept bitterly.
AS soon as it became known in the village,
Wednesday afternoon, that Hurd had con-
fessed, the excitement was great There
having been no fires in the past three days.
the townpeople were not keeping their
wonted strict watch over their premises and
many of them were gathered in the village.
The news was surprise to them. They
could hardly believe that Alfred had done SO
b heartless thing as to burn the only home
but the lads youth and their respect for the
law, saved him from violence.
Hurd was arraigned before Justice Hol-
man and pleaded guilty to warrant charg-
Ing lllll VIII EIOSb UulluluRS. I1e
was bound over, and being unable to furnish
sureties, was placed in charge Of Deputy
Sheriff VIM. Brown, who kept him at his
house till Thursday when he took him to
Norridgewock jail. Before leaving town,
Hurd made further admissions.
The detectives have started on trains Of
evidence which will probably clear up the
uncertainty in regard to most of the other
fires. They have several persons 'ol the
iist''-among them woman.s some more boys
md q mo ThQcl ao crxril1 70 ciffad fn a
BOSTON and some surprising developments
may follow. Detective True has hold on one
string, which, if it lead him correctly, will
pull out a greater sensation than the original
commo1ion caused by the fire.
As to the fire at Ira Hurd's whose house
was first burned, there is clue which prom
iSes well. Two weeks before this house was
destroyed, an attempt to burn it was made.
A bed was set on fire in spare" chamber
1t was discovered and fixed. The perpetra-
tor of this act is well known and there is
reason to believe that one hand kindled both
fires. Nobody thinks, now, that Alfred
Hurd is responsible for more than two OF
the fires.
Instead of being kindled by an organized
system, as was at first thought, it is now
clear that the mysterious fires were set by
different persons in various ways and for
divers reasons. 1t is believed that one or
two of them were accidental.
Detective True has managed the affair for
the town with great tact The citizens are
delighted with the insight and dispatch with
which he and Detective Simpson have done
their business. They have been diligently
backed by the selectmen, Messrs. G. E.
Leighton, c. A. Laughton and A. F. Marble
and Deputy Sheriff Brown.
John Young, the suspect taken into custo-
tody on Tuesday, was given his ticket-of
leave the next day.
The woman whom the detectives have
now fatty accused of setting one of the fires
is one of the best known women in town.
She tells a curious story of seeing man en-
ter and come out Of neighbor's barn, chas-
ing him with a revolver, running through
seeing no fire there When the folks went
out, however, the barn was in flames. They
saw nobody else about the premises. They
say this woman had grudge against them,
and they had not been on speaking terms for
the accusation, and her friends claim she is
an innocent and Wronged woman. This is