Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-10
STATE HOUSE.
mariavi|le's -Four |ncendiary Fires ia
Be Investigated.
Commissioner Carr Had 4 Busy Week with
Eastern Maine Suspects.

Commissioner S. w. Carr returned, Sat
urday forenoon, from a busy investiga-
ton tour in eastern Maine, where he
held one inquest and arranged for 9TH
ers. His success can better ne deter
mined later when all the strands of the
web of evidence in the many cases are
| brought together.
1t Is very discouraging business SO far
as the real prosecution of incendia ries Is
concerned as it takes such positive ey:
| dence to convict Il man of a deed OF
| which one may be morally sure that the
| man is guilty and yet be unable to secure
| the needed evidence. There are so many
| suspected cases that there is enouen
| work for half dozen commissioners A,
| the same time, the commissioner has the
satisfaction of Knowing that the moral
effect of these Investigations is of much
good and that occasionally he catche,
a fire bug.
His real object in visiting the east was
in the case of the supposed incendiary
| fire in which the Hotel Ripley in Har-
rington, was burned. This hotel was
owned by an improvement company and
mad never been paying piece of prop
erty until the railroad was run through
there. II was thought that il wou,d
have great season, this year 1t was
situated on point where the lands of
the corporation owning the hotel are To-
Gated.
ms hotel was owned by several gen.
tlemen and each of five of them carried
a $500 insurance policy on his stock
The rumor had ii that one of the own
being liSS1 iSfiA u t.
and desiring revenge or to get his money
back in the way of the insurance hired
his son. to set the building on fire. An
other rumor had it that the man had of .
fered the son the money in the hotel with
which to build a new house, in case he
could get the money.
The evidence showed that the young
man and his mother-in-law went down
toward the point on the night of the fire,
but they claim they did not go to the
point. but Went fishing for smells though
they caught no fish and had never done
anything of the sort before. They Were
away from home from to 10 O'Clock
Though the inquest is said to have
left a suspicion on the name of the
young man, nothing could be proved as
all the rumors We're denied by the par
ties interested and the ones making the
reports could not be found to confirm
them, as in many such cases.
This part of the work reminded Com
missioner Carr of an investiga ton in
which he took part not long ago, i'm the
town of Livermore Falls. The great fire
there was doubtless set, so the commits
sIoner and others believe, by man who
was drunk and who crawled into a barn
and lighted his pipe.
One woman, who wished to appear
knowing, told several of her neighbors
that she could tell something of the af-
fair. She had seen two men in that barn
smoking
When Commissioner Carr heard of this
he saw the people with whom the WON
| an had talked and then summoned the
woman She was frightened half out of
| her wits and there must have been snort
| for a time
| Hold up your right hand" said the
commissioner land be sworn
| She held up her hand and when told to
sit down still continued to hold I'D the
| hand.
| You may get tired of holding up that
| hand and l guess you may put it down.
| itlHdI htu inc COMMISSIONER
| Before any questions could be asked she
spoke up quickly and said that she knew
nothing whatever about the fire-nothing.
| Questioning brought out the fact that
she really did not.
Then said the commissioner. You
told those people lie.
She stoutly denied anything of the
sort.
Mr. Officer" ordered the commission
err, go and bring in those people to
whom this woman talked
Now you hold on Mr.. Manu." she
said frightenedly. II will tell you all
about it, and she admitted that she had
told the people wrongly and without any
cause. She thought though that the
commissioner was very rude for telling
her that she had lied to them.
Some of the fires that have been re
ported from Midtown have been on New
| Brunswick SOIL said the commissioner.
Saturday. There is a Midtown, right
across the river. from the Maine town of
that name and the fire bug has been
| working there, as well in the Maine
town. l think though We have located
him. He Is a resident of the New Bruins
! wick town and l can hardly see his OBJ
ject in setting the fires. The officers have
the man in sight and he is sure to be
brought. to justice within short time
The laws of New Brunswick in regard to
arson are about the same as ours, only
they have no provision made for inves-
tigatiOn."
"How about the Mariaville fires?"
'There have been four incendiary fires
there since May 81 replied Commission
err Carr. in no case has there, been j
, cent of insurance on the burned build
ings. 1t is either the work of an insane
person or of boys who like to see tn.
sport. l, of course, have my opinion as
to VINO the guilty party is, and l shall
endeavor to bring it out at the Inquest
n to be held very soOn.'
3 Governor Powers went to to Old Or
chard, Friday, where he will remain a
tho Sea Shore house until he comes Il
. Augusta to be present at the meeting
the Council, Thursday morning.