The Portland daily press., 1897-07-26
THE WAITE CASE.
1t Did Not Come Before the Court Sat-
urday.

| IA
Messrs. Hartford and Heckbert Waite's
Counsel-Nothing Given Out In Regard
to the Case-some Facts Brought Out
BY the Arrest.
Saturday morning Waite, who had
passed very uncomfortable and restless
night at the.police station, sent for the city
marshal, and asked that Mr.. E. E. Heck
bert and Mr.. T. III. Hartford be sent for
to act as his counsel His request was
complied with and the two attorneys
We're soon on hand. These gentlemen
nave known Waite for some time and
both OF them feel deep interest in him
Mr.. Heckbert told PRESS reporter
aIter he had passed the after
noon With the accused, that he firmly be-
iieved In the mans innocence and hoped
mat the public would suspend judgemen
IN his case until it learned both sides of
the story. In this Mr.. Heckbert will I'M
ooubtedly be satisfied as the public does not
seem to stand very good show of know
ing much of either side of the story until
the preliminary hearing takes place.
Ana there seems to be some doubt about
Ghls hearing ever taking place, for the
defense leads people to believe, at any rate,
That it knows great deal about the gov
ernment's side of the story and that there
is not an absolute certainty that the
| hearing will be held. 1t is assumed from
what the lawyers told PRESS reporter
that the examination of the prisoner may
| be waived after all. If the government
only shows disposition to admit enough
evidence at the time of this hearing to
show probable cause the defense will not
have gained much more than it is pre-
| -TIV n III 1
case to come to a hearing. Mr.. Heck
bert told the PRESS reporter that he did
not care to say much about the case, but
he did say that Waite believed himself
to be the victim of plot.
County Attorney Libby spent the great
er part of the day in the preparation Of
the warrant against Waite The docu-
vester late in the afternoon. The marshal
declined to allow it's inspection. When
asked as to the specified charges which
| 1T makes against the prisoner, he said !:
| You may say that he is accused of set
ting three or four fires in buildings in this
| city" The marshal did not care to say
where the buildings are located, but said
that the fires were among those reported
as being caused by the fire bug.
There was large crowd in the court
room Saturday morning, called there BY
the interest awakened IN the case. The
visitors were doomed to disappointment.
as the prisoner was not called into court
at ALL County Attorney Libby said that
the case would doubtless come up Mon
day morning.
Rev. W. F. Berry, pastor of the Con-
gress street Methodist church. spent
some time with the prisoner Saturday
morning. Mr.. Berry said that he had
known Waite as a neighbor since his
own removal to this city, and he had seen
moi aIzO r. IL .
was vicious or cracked on the subject
CT fires. At the time of the holding of
the Methodist conference here Mr.. Waite
became considerably interested in relig-
ion and he had talked quite freely with
| the pastor about himself and his past.
He had told him about the arrest in
Lynn, and he knew that he was under
police surveillance here, but he declared
| that he was entirely innocent and be-
l1eved that he was being prosecuted for
some cause connected with business
| matters.
The two detectives are said to have been
connected with the matter from the start.
these detectives, 1t is stated, gained
their way into the confidence of Waite
and first approached him in the guise of
agents for the house of Whithead Il
Hoegg of Jersey City. This firm deals
with badges and buttons, and Waite was
| doing some work for them here The
detectives are said to have followed Waite
constantly for six or seven weeks and one
of them at least gained his confidence and
talked with him about these incendiary
fires which had been disturbing the city.
| Saturday, Mrs Waite who is complete
| ly broken down by the terrible charge
that is made against her husband, took
her children and went to her mother S
home in Falmouth. The neighbors have
the greatest sympathy for the woman and
I hpr har ND md |, fcrbh how
ing but good to say of them.
| circumstance which is now being
talked of great deal and which may
have something to do with the case now
under consideration, occurred on June
| 18th, at the time of the hallway fire
in the Forester hall on Congress street.
This fire took place in the forenoon and
Engineer Porter was on duty in Machi-
gonne engine house. A young man, of
whom Mr. Porter is able to give some de-
scription, ran into the house and said
that the block owned by f. N. Dow,
just above the engine house, seemed to
be on fire. When Me-. Porter ran into the
street to investigate this fire there was
little smoke and no indication of blaze
to be seen from the street. On closer
examination he found that the whole
hallway on the fourth floor Of the build
ing was ablaZe and was obliged to ring
in an alarm. What became of the young
| man in the meantime Mr.. Porter does
not know, but he gives the following
description of him. He was tall and wore
light suit Of clothes and golf cap.
| Just after the first round from the box
had rung in, Mr.. Charles Plummer was
coming up Green street on his way to the
fire. Every one ON Green street was run
ming towards Congress excepting one
man who was running down Green street
in the opposite direction. This man was
tall and wore light suit of clothes and
a golf cap.
At the time of the fire in the Friend s
chapel on Oak street, lady who was
sitting in the window just across the
street, saw a man enter the chapel about
five minutes before the fire was discov-
cred and she saw him come out again
within minute or two. This 1ady's
name is Mrs. Green. so PRESS reporter
was told at the time. She did not see
the mans face, but she said that he was
tall and wore light suit Of clothes and
some kind of cap. He appeared to act
in very peculiar manner when he came
out of the building as if he were afraid
of being SEEM and he had not been out of
the place over four minutes before the
fire was discovered.