Smyrna times., 1889-02-20
The Case Of Mystery Solved.

The mystery that hung over the
burned garment in the dress maker's
room recently opened by Mrs. L. A.
Cotton in the Johnson Building was
solved at the end of week. We knew
when the TINES went to press lasr
week that a skilled detective from
Philadelphia was in town and had been
that and the day before working M
the case. Constable B. V. Weldon had
been quietly gathering what points he
could and had the authority from in
terested parties to procure the Pinker-
ton Detective.
All the facts, surmises, &c, bearing
on 1t were gathered from the outside
without a clue to its penetration
Then he came to the dressmaker her.
self. Before coming to Smyrna, how
ever, he went to her home in an ad-
joining State, where he found the char
acter OF the woman herself and her
family without reproach. Among
others whom be saw and talked with
was her mother, though of course she
had no intimatiOn of his purpose.
In speaking of her visit to Philadel-
phia the day after the strange incident
she said she went over to the town
Where her mother lived, STAYED there
that night, and came back here the
next day because her mother and
brother had advised her to. "Whv y
said he, Il came from your mothers
right to Smyrna, and she told me YOU
hadn't been home; which am I to be
leve, you or your mother? This was
startling statement to make to her
and she Immediately asked, "are YOU a
Detective 2" He replied, "that is nv
business, and that is what / am here
tor." The trap had been set, and she
saw she was in it. In the interview
that followed she confessed that She
herself had put the dress in the stove
that 1t was done under an irresistible
impulse which was without motive as
she had no cause in the world to do IL
The pouring of coal oil on the MATING
and sticking a lighted match under the
washOoard she denied, and the detec-
i've having her acknowledgment of the
other, did not press this point.
she also wrote a confession to Mrs.
Cotton to relieve her mind ofthe great
sense of wrong she had been weighed
down with-that it had made her sick
and incapacitated her sor work-that
she could not tell why she had done il
that she had been treated with the
greatest kindness and that her rela-
ton with her family had been Of the
most pleasant character. Mrs. Cotton
mad seen nothing by which many sense
she could attach guilt to her-in fact,
she bad grown op the family in their
esteem each DAY by her gentleness Of
manner and ladylike demeanor.
Nothing but her confession would have
convinced them of her guilt
The medical books give accounts Of
such cases, but fortunately they are
rare, and it is we'll it is so, because they
are exceedingly dangerous.
The FIRST train Thursday morning
carried the Madame with her baggage
IN the direction Of Philadelphia, doubt
less never to return. bringing great re-
lief to the citizens that a case so mystic
rious and so surrounded with sus-
piciOns had been cleared up.
N. B.-Since the above was put in
type we have information from q trust
worthy source from the town ia New
Jersey where Mrs. Chase had resided
that the incident here threw light on
several mysterious fires there, indica
ting q mania that, to say the least, is
awfully dangerous.