The Portland daily press., 1895-09-25
A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.
Ehe Story of Man Who was Apparently In
Hiding.-He Claimed to Have an Allow
ance of 5000 Every Three Months, and to
Have Been GU a big Racket"

For some days past there has been
quiet attempt made to ascertain the feai
facts regarding young man VINO was
here few weeks ago, and whose sUofies
and actions were rather out of the COM
mon order.
About six weeks ago early one frlday
morning a fairly well dressed young fel-
low of perhaps % knocked at the door OF
laboripg man in the city of Deering, and
when the man of the house went to the
door said "Won't you kindly give me
cup of coffee?' He was asked in, and
was given good breakfast He said he
passed the night in a side tracked Maine
Central freight car, but his appearance
was not that of man who had been in
car over night, and he evidently had at
tended to the making of his toilet in a
careful way. ,.s
While eating breakfast he told a story.
He said his name was Frank W. Jones,
and at present a resident Of Augusta,
and that his allowance every three months
was $500, the next payment coming due
in September He acknowledged that he
had been rather wild, and said that his
last allowance had been spent on "a big
racket" at the islands and other places.
The Deering man who is a constant doer
of kind acts. suggested that he might be
able to do little canyassing in order to
earn the money to pay his way home, and
he seemingly gladly accepted the sugges-
ton, and furnished with samples went
out and around Deering but as far as can
be learned did not go to Portland.
He remained with the family until
Monday, of last week and during
that time talked freely.
On parting he gave them tin
type of himself, at the suggestion of one
of the family. He had large pocket
book crowded with newspaper clippings,
apparently from all over the country, and
from many different papers. He also had
a.Dote book well filed with the names
and addresses of ministers of the Episco-
pal denomination The crossed bits OF
palm on his coat, as shown in his picture
would make it probable that he was either
Z Catholic, or else an attendant on some
extremely high" Episcopal service where
the Catholic observ ance of Palm Sunday
was yery<closely followed in the blessing
and distributing of the palms.
While with the Deering family he said
that he had been all over the country, and
had even visited Eng He was we'll
informed, but apparently not we'll edu-
Gated. His writing was that of a school
boy.
His description was as follows, and was
sont to Boston after the discovery of the
body of Mabel Doyle, because of the fact
that when the Deering man read in a
Boston paper the best obtainable de-
scription of the man who was known to
have been a friend of Miss Dolye, he said
'sThat's JONES' He is described as a
young fellow of perhaps %, but looking
even younger, feet 10 inches tall, and of
we'll proportional figure, Weighing about
155 pounds, HAIR black, and worn
Changed. eyes brown and bright, clean
shaven, and with a crescent shaped scar
on one side of his face He dressed in a
well fitting and, well made black suit,
shirt. There was very pretty ring on
one hand and he did not look like one
who had been in the habit of working,
and yet he plainly was not tramp.
When seen later he was dressed the same
way except that his pantaloons were on
that occasion brown. with white hair
line stripe He left Deering Monday
morning as he said to go to Augusta
While in Deering he was possibly in hid
ing, for he was restless, and evidently
anxious about something. A letter was
seen sent to him at Waterville, from a
young woman in Skowhegan. signed
"Annie'' and devoted to personal matters
as far as the contents are known.
He was seen three times after that, once
at Peaks Island, that is a man answering
his description was there, once on Middle
street. Portland, where he was spoken to
by the Deering man who had entertained
him, and three days after the finding of
the body of Mabel Dolye near Boston, he
came down on the boat from Boston.
He was met soon after his arrival by a
man who said "You down here again -
Eyes. I'll come up and stay with you
tonight and tell you all about it, re-
piled Jones.
"All right was the reply.
This would seem to indicate that Jones,
while not exactly stranger in Portland,
is not Portland resident. The case is a
good deal of mystery. The day after
his arrival he was supposed to have come
up from Peaks on one of the boats, at
least man answering his description
was noticed on the way up. He said moth
ing, but seemed to be in some mental
trouble The point seems to be well set
tied that he was anxious to keep away
from Portland during the time when he
was at Deering. When met on Middle
street by his Deering entertainer he said
"I'm coming over to see you tomorrow
but he failed to keep his appointment.
The Sebago Academy.
In the connection with the dedication of
the academy at Sebago mention should be
made of the contractor, Mr.. L. N. San
IL ~. i