The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-24


Noo~g,e rjne, ctlre all liver Ills. % cents.
himself or send some one there to obtain
his mail All day Thursday, without IN
| PERMISSION or rest Mr.. Norton watcned
the Portland Office, but the day passed
without any trace of his man being found.
About six o'clock Thursday night when
| the post office was crowded with people
hurrying in and out with Christmas
bundles small boy came into the office
and approached the general delivery
window. Mr.. Norton was near enough
20 hear the boy say that he had an order
for the mail of G. D. Brooks. This was
the name which Booker was having his
mail forwarded under and Mr.. Norton
waiting until the boy had secured the
letter or letters on the order he had, fol-
lowed the little fellow out on the street.
The boy had bundle of papers under his
arm and was evidently newsboy. Mr..
Norton followed the boy up Middle street
to the United States hotel and there the
youngster waited on the sidewalk for q.
ID. Brooks to appear. But the man did
not come. After waiting about twelty
minutes the boy hurried down Middle
street to the corner Of Free street and near
Hays drug store he met another newsboy.
This boy told the youngster who had
Brooks letters that "the man he wanted
to see was down on Plum street Mr..
Norton overheard this remark of the
second newsboy and continued to-follow
the bearer of the letter, but no man APP
peared to claim the mail on Plum street.
After waiting here little while the boy
hurried back to the United States hotel
and there waited until after seven O'Clock.
Brooks did not make his appearance and
finally Mr.. Norton asked the boy If he
had found the man he was looking for
and the boy said he had. MIR. Norton
useless to follow the boy SO Mr.. Norton
went to the city marshal S Office to obtain
the assistance of the police. City Marshal
Sylvester readily promised to do all that
he could to assist in the search and de-
tailed Officer Ed. Smith to go with Mr..
Norton and aid him in his hunt. The
entire police force was notified that
Booker or Brooks was wanted and every
officer was given minute description of
the man. Every train and boat from the
city was searched and watched. The
electric cars running out of town were all
guarded and in fact there was not an
egress from the city which was not under
surveillance. One of the points watched
was the Deering and Westbrook cars at
the head of Preble street, but at half past
seven O'Clock. for all the watching,
Booker, so it was learned afterwards,
boarded Westbrook car the foot of Green
street and went out of town on st. The
conductor of this car did not know where
the man the officers were looking for had
got off the car, SO they searched through
Woodfords hoping to find their man.
When the eleven o'clock train out of Port
land for the east pulled into Woodfords
Mr.. Norton and Ed Smith boarded it and
road out as far as Westbrook junction on
it, They thought that Booker might have
got on the train at Portland and escaped
the notice OF the Portland officers at the
Union station. The officers made a
thorough search of the train between
Woodfords and Westbrook Junction, but
did not find their man.
By this time the cars had stopped run
ming, but Mr.. Norton and his assistant
were not through hunting for their man
vet. They walked back to Portland and
Officer Ed Smith went home and changed
was secured at Jewell's stable and they
were about to start out Efor Westbrook
when they obtained an important clue.
The United States marshal had heard
from people in Lewiston that Norton had
written to friends in that city from West
brook that very day. In the meantime
Mr.. Norton and the police had searched
every hotel in Portland and many of the
boarding houses and had at last found
ont that a man answering Booker's de-
scription had left boarding house at 40
Brown street on Thursday, but the people |
there didn't know where he had gone.
Mr.. Norton and Officer Smith were GER
tain by this time that their man was in |
Wsstbrook. They drove out there and OBJ. |
tanned the assistance of the city marshal |
and searched all OF the hotels but could |
find no one who answered Booker's de-
scription. Then Mr.. Norton said he was
going through the boarding houses. The
first one they went to Mr.. Norton gave
the landady complete description of /
Booker Before he had finished she
grasped Mr.. Norton by the arm and said
with much excitement "He is here.
Right up stairs asleep no.
So they went up to Booker's room and |