The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-24

Was Arrested at PrebIe House
Yesterday Afternoon.
POLICE STRANGELY RETICENT
REGARDING THE MATTER.


Evidence Supposed to Have Been Fur-
nished by Two Private Detectives
What 1t Is Police Refuse to Saw
Waite's Connection With the "Port-
tended Review of the Incendiary Fires
OF Last Winter and This Summer
Which Terrorized Portland.
Wilbur M. Waite, photographer, was
arrested about three O'Clock yesterday
afternoon in the reading room of the
Preble house charged with the crime of
arson. 8
. Waite, who is young man about
thirty years of age, was sitting in the
reading room of the Preble house yester-
day afternoon, when Officers Heating and
Wakefield walked in and placed him
under arrest. Waite was nearly overcome
by the arrest and seemed completely
dumbfounded at the charge which was
made against him. The officers placed
handouts on him and started to walk
with him to the police station. Waite
placed pocket handkerchief over his
mancled wrists and walked along be-
tween the two officers until he came to
the Harrington block. Here he nearly
tainted away and the officers took him in
to the building and obtained for him a
drink Of water. They then continued
down the street with their prisoner and
when he reached the police station he
was once more overcome by faintness and
it was some moments before he recovered.
Waite was closeted in the private office of
| the city marshal for several hours and
was then locked up in the lodging room
and providing with supper. In the
evening he was once more taken into the
private office of the city marshal where
he remained until nearly nine o'clock
when he was again placed in the lodging
room for the night.
City Marshal Sylvester was beseiged by
newspaper men during the afternoon and
evening and to all of them he had the
same thing to say.
"The man is under arrest charged with
arson. ! am not at liberty to tell you
| anything more about the case than this.
We think we have good case against
him, but do not intend to imperil it at
| this time by telling what we do know
about it. J. shall make an effort to get
| the case in such shape that the arraign-
1nent Of the prisoner can take place Sat
urday morning. At that time the govern
ment will be in a position to tell all that
| it knows about the matter"
| In reply to questions Marshal Sylvester
acknowledged that Waite had been under
the surveillance of detectives for some
time, and that he was suspected with be-
| ing the incendiary who has been the cause
of so many of the small fires in Portland
during the past eight or nine months
| The marshal refused to state just what
evidence had been obtained against Waite,
and also refused to give any information
charged against him. He pleaded igno-
rance of the mans previous record beyond
what is generally known to the readers of
| the PRESS and was very reticentssabout
the whole matter. He said that Waite had
been confronted with the charges made
against him and had pleaded his innocence
| in regard to all of them. He further
stated that the prisoner was very reticent
and seemed to be guarded in making all
Of his answers to questions put to him.
| The interview of the reporters with
Marshal Sylvester was very unsatisfactory
and although the whole city was scurrIed
over by the newspaper men with the hope
of tumbling on to some clue that might
| lead to further knowledge of the govern
ment's case against Waite, the efforts
were practically in vain. 1t was learned
from very authentic source, however
that two detectives have been at work on
the incendary fires and their causes for
some weeks Who these detectives are
whether they were imported by. the city
for this purpose OF whether they We're
men belonging to the police department
| it could not be learned. But it is quite
certain that the arrest of Waite was due
to the evidence furnished by these men.
Late last evening Mrs. Waite called at
the police station with her brother, Mr..
Startling, engineer of the steamer Merry
coneag and asked for permission to see
her husband. The woman was kept wait
ing for some time and was finally ad-
mitted into the lodging room. She had
not been informed Of her husbands ar
rest I'm til a late hour in the evening. She
had prepared supper for him, and when
six O'Clock came and he was not on hand
she became very anxious and walked out
to the corner of Walnut and North streets
to wait for him. Waite lives on Walnut
| sUreeG III a. Very preIVy uItle mouse, and he
is generally well liked by his neighbors
who speak of him very highly. Mrs
Waite stood at the corner of the street
waiting for her husband until nearly
seven O'clock, when one of her neighbors
who had heard of her husbands arrest
told Mrs. Waite about it. She was near
ly overcome by the news and at first could
not credit it, but as soon as it was con-
| firmed by her brother she started for the
police station.
On her return to her home on Walnut
street at 10. 80 O'Clock last night, Mrs.
Waite was seen by a PRESS reporter and
told him what little she knew about the
government case against her husband.