Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-05-04

about an hour apart and from different
directions.
Smithficld, where the crime was said
| to have been committed. was some 10
miles away. This meant Il drive OF
about 40 miles in five hours. 50 there
was little time to waste If first cdi-
, flows had the story. The town WAS
reached after the usual hour for rctir-
Ing i'm the country. and people had tn
be routed out Of their sleep to listen
| to the crazy questions. or ut least What
| seemed crazy questions to them, oil
eager newspaper men. Certainly inc!
had heard about the murder. 1t was
Mr.. - who lived on such and such
road. Go on about mile. turn to your
right. then about half Il mile ana
turn to your left and lock out you don't
get twisted at the -four corners.
The trail was getting warm and the
men were already dreaming OF big
double column scare headlines In the
| morning. More people were routed out
| and the turns made all right and the
| four corners passed successfully. once
more there was Il hammcring on the
! door of "A dark. silent farm house, ana
the barking of an angry watch dog out
! in the out buildings.
TO add to the complications it had
| been reported that the slippery safe
crackers had sought refuge in this sec
| ton of the country and some Of the
people naturally were reluctant To open
| their doors to strangers in the middle
of the night But they did. ncvcrthc-
less.
| But the man who was sought had
| al, hD
first setback on the chase. The good
people of Smithfield explained ii by de-
claring that the man had been given a
hearing on his crime and had been re-
leased o securing $1,000 bail, The trail
was rapidly cooling. But the ways of
the country justices of peace are past
belief and they had been experienced
before. The alleged murderer had gone
to Pishon's Ferry. SO the chase was
! resumed.
The trail thus far had been worked
alone by the first party with the sec
ond hot on its heels. The former WAS
/ rctracinG its steps with all possible
speed when the two met. About every
| paper in the State was represented
there on the country road. The teams
hauled up side by side in a bunch.
| Hello, tnsfc, nalleu tVc iiISt Pdi ~
lis this the road to Pishon's Ferry"
sure thing. hut where are you fell
lows Coing?" Then there was a mu-
tual recognition.
where is it," quericd the second
party.
Dunno. but guess were on the
right track. Say, you fellows know the
road? You take the lead and We'll fol-
low. Drive fast or We'll run you down.
So the chase was resumed.
The roads were good and the steady
pace up hill and down was continued
mile after mile. If any of the farmers
| were awake they were dead sure that
the safe crackers We're passing. All the
burglar lingo in the possession OF the
party was hurled back and forth and
mighty were the deeds rehearSed ana
great the swag that had been captured.
At Pishons Ferry ii was we'll into
the night when the pounding on the
door resounded in the stiffness. An up
per window was finally opened and
long parlcy followed. The man sought
for was still few miles ahead but
was pronounced innocent of the crime.
lie himself was away working on the
drive like good industrious citizen,
and his family was all at home. No
member was missing and none had
been brutality assaulted. as rumor al
legged The trail had the GOODNESS OF
death itself.
The tired horses were allowed to take
their own gait for home and only the
whrr Of the wheels and the squeak of
the harnesses broke the silence. Then
came the bitter part Of il all. the wiz
| - t.tA to
the offices where space had been held
up to the last minute for the story But
newspaper men are only human after
all, and after night filled with dreams
Of crime and gore they We're glad that
II didn't happen after all.