The Portland daily press., 1897-10-02

essSS M Alaska-Yukon-K ondlke Gold Syndicate,
} cssco Bank Block, Portland, Me-
had not gained Roadway and Hodgdon |
tried to put it out with glass of wat |
s'The state put Waite on the car at |
Las O'Clock and they claim that this fire |
had been burning % minutes when it
had not even burnt up all the paper on
the floor and he tried to put in out with
a glass of water. Two minutes later when |
he came back from down stairs, he was
gone only two minutes, and the fire was |
blazing so fiercely that 1t took the whole |
department to put it out. That fire had
not been burning more than seven min
utes. Do you remember the mysterious
man in the hallway that day whom the
teamster, Mr.. Carmichael saw there at 2
o'clock?
This teamster made two trips up to the
third floor and on his second trip he saw
this man who was watching this teamster
at his work. does the state know who
this man was? They know who it was
not.
You remember that Waite came into
Portland from Falmouth Foreside at 8
O'Clock. When he got into Portland on
that morning he noticed that it was rain
ing. After eleven O'Clock Waite took his
large camera. it having cleared off, and
went to South Portland to take a photo
graph of Bayard hall. You will see in
that picture that half dozen teams had
passed this hall after the shower that
morning, and the tracks can be plainly
seen in this picture.
Morrison, laborer, saw Waite that day
of June 18th at IL. 80 p. m. He planted
garden for man that day and so remem-
bers that date. Helen Reed, little girl
who remembers June 18th because her
OH0n oil hot dow al
Waite there in a vacant lot near Bayard
hall at 12. 80.
| At a quarter before one O'Clock, Morri-
son saw Waite going towards the post
Office. Here Waite talked with Virginia
Dyer. who remembers the day because she
WAS that day sworn in to act as clerk in
the post office. A railway motorman re-
members Waite taking his car with his
| big camera at ITO o'clock one day in
June. This car is due in Portland at
| ais at the Rochester station. Waite him
self tells you the events of this morning
! just as these other witnesses have told
| them to you. He came into Portland at
| / 20 and photographer, Mr.. Fessenden,
saw Waite at 100 that day in his gallery.
| The photographer says Waite staid in that
room fifteen minutes while Waite says he
stayed there about five minutes and then
went out and catches the MunJoy hill car
with his big camera In his arms all the
him on that car at /. As, and we are glad
he didn't miss that car. This same wit
ness tells you that Waite got off this car
at North street and takes a picture of
Smaller school. That picture was taken
at the very time that fire was set in the
| Harrington block If you look at this
4 picture carefully you will see the figure
of the little boy going into the school,
4 who Is perhaps half a minute late.
| The state failed to prove that Waite set
I this fire and failed to prove that he had
an opportunity of doing it.
On June 10th there was a fire in the
| Friends church The state started in
with startling piece of evidence about
this fire. Deputy Sheriff Hawkes. saw a
man at this fire who appeared very "offic-
| ious.' He was quite sure this man was
Waite. He said that Waite wore n bicycle
suit and the great deputy sheriff suspected
this mar was the fire bug. He reported
the next morning that he saw this man.
He is a deputy sheriff and it is his duty
to trace out criminals, but Deputy Sheriff
Hawkes. didn't go on this principle. He
said that this man was Waite and he
| claimed that he wore light clothes that
night. 1t was terrible mistake and the
state feels its weakness and shows 1t
here. What q terrible crime that was to
set fire to house of God where hundred
lives were put in danger. But we have
shown to you that on this night Waite
was in the room of Longfellow lodge from
eight O'Clock until 9.15, and he was there
at ten O'Clock, and he didn't leave the
building once. He did leave the lodge
room once and went out into tho grand
/ lodge room and got some badges, but he
was not gone more than three minutes,
That fire was discovered at $50 O'Clock,
I Now comes this aged lady, Mrs. Bond
who saw two suspicious persons, man
and a woman, who cime from the yery
| bar !, 10 irp of he
same man whom Mr.. Porter. Mr.. Plum
4 mer and Teamster Carmichael saw under
such suspicious circumstances whom this
aged lady saw?
Then you have the testimony of Mrs
/ Burns, who saw man go into that
church and stealthily move about that
vestry as il looking for place to set a
fire and was this the man who set this
fire?
We have shown you that Waite did not
and could not have set these fires in the
Harrington block, and at Oak street, and
if he did not set them what becomes of
the confession?
Now we come to the fire in the McCar-
thy building. 1t occurred in different
manner than the others, and cannot ex-
actly be called hallway fire. The state
has not called the proprietor of this store,
which was burned out and they haven t
tried very hard to tell you much about
this fire.
Waite was at home and in bed this
night as he and his wife tell you. Had
he come down street from Munjoy hill at
a. IN. that morning some of the police
men along Congress street would have
been sure to have seen him, and would
have been here to tell you so. But none
of them did see him. But there is some
thing more. On the Friday before this fire
on early Sunday morning Waite takes all
Of these valuable Photographic instru-
j, ments into that gallery over the store of
the Mccarthy building which was
! burned. He leaves his camera and val
|, uable negative in this building because