The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-04-24
SHERIFF A REAL
SHERLOCK HOLMES
Makes Science Of Deduc-
ton" a la Conan Doyle.
THUMB PRINTS AND BOTTLE
Makes Sure of Quarry Then Arrests
Three Men on Charge of In
cendiarism.
THUMB PRINTS AND BOTTLE

FREDERICK. Md, April A.-For once |
the science of deduction as PROFOUND /
ed and practiced by Conan Doyle's Sher- /
lcck Holmes, has worked out to perfec- F!
ton
Throughout the country there are thou |
sands CT amateur specialists in crime
who have tried to apply the wisdom of
the marvellous Baker street detective,
only to get into trouble or to become
the butts of ridicule. But Sheriff Young,
OF this county. firmly believes in the
Sherlock Holmes idea, and has proved
his faith by his works. The result is
that the Mystery Of the Broken Win
dow in the plant of the Ok Fiber Brush
Company is solved, and three u,en are
in Jail charged with having set fire 80
the place.
This factory is on the outskirts of the
city which Barbara Freitchie made IA
nous. Near it are the tracks of the Bal
timore and Ohio railroad, and several
repair shops. The factory property is
1ncIosed by a high fence with a gate
at the front
Small Damage Done
Fire was discovered in the brush back
department, which occupies one corner
~ eilS idbipliIiS lWo-SlOFy frame OulId-
Ing known as the works By the aid of
an automatic sprinkling device and the
local fire companies the blaze was ex-
tinguished without doing much damage
The sheriff was called upon to inves-
tgate He looked over the ground and
after swearing in deputy to enact the
role of DR.. Watson, the faithful chroni-
cler, he finally announced that he would
arrest three men,
n first v,Ia
that the fire was of incendiary origin.
Tor the persons who had started il had
gained admission through broken win
COW. They. had been employees of the
factory and entirely familiar with the
premises, otherwise they would not have
known that the most fnfiammabie ma
teriaI in the place consisted of the bone
cry brush backs.
Lived Near Factory.
They lived not far from the factory.
because they had found it convenient to
steal cotton waste from the Baltimore
d Ohio shops, which waste was of a
peculiar kind, and could not be found
anywhere else in the neighborhood The
OIL with which this waste was soaked
was OF grade used only by the rail-
road, and not to be purchased anywhere
IN the town. In beer bottle found in
an adjoining field remained some of
that oil
There were three men in the band. for
the prints of three different sizes of
1eet were found in the soft and marshy
ground, one set going to- the factory,
the other turning from it, Whoever
she three men were. the sheriff knew
mat they were patrons of certain sa.
loon, for the beer bottle in which the
OH was carried bore the label of
western brewer, whose product was for
safe IN only one place in Frederick
Clinched by Thumb Points.
He made inquiries at the saloon and
learned that three discharged employees
OF the company had been there before
the fire. One of them carried a bundle.
They were seen later coming away from
the part Of the town in which was the
factory, but without the bundle, which
was supposed to contain the waste and
the beer bottle.
of the men had worn shoes very much
run down at the heels, while the sharper
marks indicated that the third had new
shoes. The sheriff then learned from
a local dealer that one of the suspected
men had recently bought a pair of
shoes. He obtained an exact duplicate
OF the pair purchased, and they fitted
the sharply defined tracks.
He thought 1t was about time TO act.
and so placed two of the men under ar
rest, and they implicated the third.
Made an Admission.
After that, just to clinch the case, he
took them out TO the factory gate and
asked them il they would compare their
thumbs with the marks which appeared
On the gate The imprint corresponded
exactly with the configuration OF the
lines of a thumb of one Of the men.
They admitted that they had allIgone
through that gate
And by the way" said the sheriff
81 might as well tell you that you ran
away from that factory like Sam Hill
after you set the fire"
How do you know that?'' they asked
Because" he answered, the tracks
leading away from the works did not
show much of the heels, and a mar
when he runs fast goes on the balls OF
his feet
Citizens here do not think that there
are many detectives in New York who
can discount the sheriff of Frederick.