Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-11-04
Mrs. Tourte|otte Tells Of
Visit to Northport
And Admits Being In Gray Co..
tage Day Of Fire
But Denies Knowing Its cause..'
Explains Her Visit There.

was locked up in the poor debtors
room Of the Waldo county Jail Monday
following the arrest on her arrival from
Old Town. She was not arraigned in the
Belfast municipal court Monday at
ternoon at her own request, although
she was taken into custody of Sheriff
Carleton in time to have had a hear
ing She will be brought before Judge
Rogers Wednesday. morning when she
will be formally charged with setting
fire to the cottage of Charles H. Gray
at Northport Campground, blaze
which DESTROYED $4,000 worth of prop
elty at the grounds.
Eating nothing from Sunday noon I'M
til Monday mornig ad havig sleep
Suday night while under a severe nerv-
Gus strain, she naturally did not care
to add anything to the story she had
already told Sunday evening.
Nearly 800 people had gathered at the
Eastern Steamship Cos. pier to await
the arrival of the woman and as she
left the boat she was crowded about
by camera tiends and news gatherers
with the hope of securing some picture
or bit of news in connection with the
case. She was accompanied by Consta-
bic Charles o. Dickey of NorthpOrt,
Henry Hills OF Northport, who identi-
fled her as the party at Northport on
Wednesday. Oct. %. who was carried
from his stable. to Belfast on the day
of the fire and by Orrin J. Dickey Of
Belfast, who has been most untiring
in his efforts to trace down the fire.
bug. Deputy Sheriff Rackliffe of Old
Town also came down on the boat in
case of need
AS soon as the party arrived here at
he: request, she was taken at once to
tie county Jail, where she was made as
comfortable as possible until the hear
ing on Wednesday,
County Attorney William F. Thomp-
son. who is now a resident of Bangor
will be present Wednesday to repre-
sent the State at the hearing to be held
before Judge Rogers.
Following her arrest in Old Town,
Mrs Tourtelotte gave the Commercial
correspondent the only interview which
she has granted to any newspaper rep
resentative since the fire. She admitted
that she had visited the Gray cottage at
Northport on the day in question, that
| she had a key to the cottage which
she claims came from "a legitimate
| source and under the conditions that
! she had right to visit the cottage, a
| moral right if not legal one, to Sc
| cure certain things which she admitted
| having taken away in the dress suit
! case
| She stated that she arrived in Sears
| port on Tuesday, Oct. q. from Boston,
and went to Stockton Springs, where
| she visited with friend. The next
| morning she left there and came to
| Belfast by stage and from Belfast
walked to NOrthport, where she enter
cd the cottage by means of the key
which she carried She looked around
for the things which she was after
and as the walk had been a long one
and the Gay warm, she found her hair
! was Strengthened out and she lit a
lamp to curl it up again.
She said that she threw the match
OH the floor. but did not notice where
it fell and if the fire caught from that,
as it might she claims that it was
purely accidental and that it was no
intention of hers to burn the cottage.
fllcl SCCut lIl5 tIlc HILL SiiC
went after she left the cottage with
the dress-suit case intending to walk
to Belfast. but when she reached the
Hills stable she found the case so
heavy and that she was losing so much
time that she decided to ride.
She rode to Belfast and took the
stage at O'Clock from Belfast to
Stockton. where she was the guest of
a friend over night. On Friday she
went to Old Town via the Northern
Maine Seaport Railroad to Bangor.
She took the electrics from Bangor to
Old Town and on her arrival there
went to her rent in the Gray block,
where she spent the night. She called
on friend in the evening and she said
her friend told her that the papers had
accounts of the fire at NorthpOrt ir
the Gray cottage and the Commercial
had very good description of the wo-
man who was seen in that section.
She said that her friend told her that
people in Old Town thought it was she
and that she had better leave the town
that night Deciding that perhaps her
friend might be right in the suspicion
which was directed toward her she
thought best to seEd the case and blue
dress away to a friend and have them
cared for until the affair should Glow
over, but not fearing for herself as she
vas innocent Saturday was spent by
Mrs. Tourtelotte in cleaning up the
house. which had been vacant since
she left 10 go to the Berkshire hills in
Massachusetts, early in September.
She did not go out until the evening
and then only down street to get some
things needed from the stores She Sc
cured Commercial and read the ac-
count of the fire with interest and real
lied how she might be suspected.
She stayed indoor all day Saturday
and again On sunday getting Sunday
paper from the boy and did not &c
out until $50 o'clock In the evening.
when she went out after supplies for
her table She said the papers had
frightened her into believing that the
parties, who We're after the one sup
posed to have caused the fire, would
take her anyway and while she was
innocent of the crime she did not know
what might be said. knowing that
there hal been some report about fam