Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-08-27
|, GENTLEMAN THIEF
ruE STRANGE CASE OF CLAIR
ENoE a. ADAMS.
THIEF FOB 10 YEARS, VET MOVED
* pEsr or soCfBTy--oNcE a
TOWN OFFICIAL.

aoa Mr. Hfle NA1 AtS SoNhs@tbsfA III
Clarence A. Adams. the prosperous, and
sr,u recently. highly respected farmer,
!, chester, VI. whose dual personality
80 90 unexpectedly disclosed by spring
gun.
the shock Of tbs more than an ounce Of
Va shot which his Adams In tao upper
An leg was no greater TO Adams than the
discovery was to the people tast bnrglar
had been living among them.
o,ca they had sent him to Montpelier
..,heir representative In the legislature,
,w,ee hey had made him sciectman, and
avon now he Is one OF the trustees of tho
library.
In addition TO these honors he has q
record of having served the town faith
,ully as ssiistsr'', which In Massachusetts,
xould be assessor, and ha u was whom
the people relied on TO select books for
the library.
CHESTER TggRoRfxEp.
For more than fifteen years Chester has
been literally terrorized by the frequency
Of mysterious hurgiaFies.
The postofsies has been robbed, the
railway station looted. stores and private
houses entered, and not clue had been
Ieft even to suggest suspicion that
Adams was the thief.
Several poor fellows, entirely innocent
q, wrongdoing. have been looked at
a.kancs by people who had lost, and one
man, Years ago. who was held 10 jail be-
cause somebody thought he was impli-
Gated in a bresk, died OF broken heart
before the time set for his trial.
Women were sfraid TO make neighboriy
calls at night, and people travelling sitter
dark usually took the middle of tho road,
fearing they might be set upon by tho
towns burglars
Some OF the stores 10 town had been
broken into 80 many times that tho pro-
prlciors ieit sonnet hing akin To lonesome
noss n the burglar failed To appear tor any
considerable time.
The Waterman mill, where Adams raised
the window to which was attached the
string that pulled the trigger of tbs
sprlng gun, was robbed more than q
dozen times.
The fact IL Adams, who for several
years has wintered more than twenty
head of cattle. seems net TO have paid oui
much for such commodities as whole corn
and meal.
When his bins ran low he hitchod ons
OF his horses into an old blackboard, and
drove TO the Waterman place for anot her
supply. There, too, be provided himself
With shingles enough TO keep the rain
from driving through the root of one oi
bis farm buildings.
He also seemed TO be very handy al
sste-opsnIng, AZ Mr.. Waterman diseov.
cred one morning when he entered hif
offiee, and found the money he had locked
up the night before missing.
When the discovery was made that
systematic grain stealing was going on
one OF the eonstsblea was engaged tC
watch the mill. Adams always knew
when the Waterman vas present, for b,
frequently sympsthixsd with Mfr. Water
man, and used to marvel with tho mill
owner and his son that such things coulc
be 90 successfully carried on.
DoDaEp THE wArcHaAS.
40 attempt wss made 10 the mil
while the Waterman was eusypyed, but
tho vigilance had not been relaxed tire,
days before another break was reported.
This vsxed the eonstAblss, tho mill
owner aud ths entire town, #Od tb'
scheme OF the spring gan was suggested
some say II was loaded nshsiy; other
say that the charge was three drsms o.
black powder and an ounce and an eighth
OF woodeock shot. The range beinG
close, the shot had no chance TO spread &
wider circle thsn the top OF a coffee pot
The wound was a bldeous one, aud 81
shocking 10 the - stem OF Adams that hi
bad 10 lie down TIA the grass by tbs road
side TO recover from the semi'swoon
While In the grass sick and faint Will
paln, he was passed and seen, but mo-
recognized by Mr.. wsterman's son. wb'
vas attracted by the discharge ofthe gun
Physicians marvel at the nerve ant
stamina OF the man In being able to get u
his horse, drive home and put up the ami
NAL
some think be bad companion, bn
this Adams stoutiy denies. lie told th'
physician hrst called In that be hsd oeei
held up by highwaymen. but when this
spring gun affair Was noised about th'
town authorities put two and two TO-
eether, searched the Adams farm build
ings and placed the owner under arrest.
Thus far Adams has confessed Il
nothing more than be Was sure eoule
be proven sgainst him.
In two big bargiaries which have taker
place here Within fifteen years, four mef
are known TO have taken part. In eaet
Instance one of the men was described 81
tall and rather slender.
When the George c. Allen house wal
entered, and q 500 in gold and old eoir
taken, two men held Mr. and Mrs. Alier
under their guns while the other tw'
searched the house.
One OF the two with the guns was tai
Ike Adams, and that the robbers knew
something about their victims seems evil