Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-06-05
A Detective
roblem
By T. c. ARNOLD

man al bututt stahoh " HNcsuEdte u
trouble they're having there. Some one
"a committing incendlary acts. and they
can't Ono out who is doing 1t. Go down
there and see II you can do anything
for them"
hadn't been long In the detective
business and was ambitious to show
some ability In the case with view to
promotion to more important cases and
better pay reached Burnet In the
afternoon and met the gentlemen who
had sent for detective. They told
me that the fires invariably occurred
st night, never In the daytime. asked
them why they hadn't established
watch, and they said the matter did
not occur often enough to warrant their
doing So there having been only three
or four cases during year. There
were only few policemen In the town.
not enough to Hight upon the incendl.
ary except by accident. asked them
II the burnings were confined to Bur
net, and they replied that blacksmith
shop during the time OF their occur
renee udu bCGn bGb univ III IhG bCAk
station below, Wharton. That was the
only case they knew Of. No one was
suspected, no stranger had been seen
lettering about. and they didn't believe
any one had come into the town to do
the damage.
The case for me seemed hopeless.
could see no way to solve 1t except by
keeping watch. and another outrage
might not occur within two or three
months II at all. Nevertheless l didn't
like to go back to report that hadn't
made an effort, 30 I concluded to settle
myself in the town for a week The
hotel was a very poor one. and one Of
the mon. Mr.. Aborn, who had sent for
me offered to take me into his home.
/ accepted and was In no hurry to get
away, for his daughter. Alice, a girl of
nineteen. took my fancy. and while pre-
tending to investigate tho incendiary
case was really dawdling about with
her.
Miss Aborn. It is true. took great
interest In the mattsr about which I
had come to Burnet, or. rather. the
detective features pertaining to It
was the first one Of the profession she
had ever met, and I was quite q Gu
riosity to her. She wished to know
my methods In the case was sup
posed to be working on. but told her
that detectives had no confidants.
At the end Of the week l returned
to headquarters and reported no prog
ress. Before leaving Burnet Alice
Aborn told me that she was going
over to Wharton to visit cousin for
a few weeks To please her | told
her she might try to find out some
thing about the fre that had occurred
there. She was delighted at the com.
mission and promised to do all she
could TO find clew.
hadn't been away from Burnet
more than three or four days when I
received telegram that another mys-
terious fire had occurred at Wharton
I took a train for that point at once
and. entering the town incog, began
to snoop around for what could find
out But my incog didn't last long.
for met Alice Aborn on the street
asked her II she had learned any
thing. and she admitted she had not
was not disappointed. for had ex-
pected nothing from her.
After a couple Of days spent at
Wharton without results went over
TO Burnet on a train with Alice. She
told me she had thought so much
about the incendiary cases that on
several occasions she had dreamed she
had herself set FIRE to buildings
When asked her II these dreams had
occurred about the time the Ares had
taken place she said she didn't re-
member, except In the last one that
had Just passed. She had one OF her
lncendiary dreams on the very night
this fire occurred.
A very remarkable suspicion enter
ed my head Could Alice be uncon-
sciously the incendiary? Nonsense!
How could she get out Of bed In the
middle Of the night and. unseen. so
and set fire to buildingf But l could
not get her dreams out Of my head
and the fact that a IRE had occurred
at Wharton Just when she was there.
I asked her where she had been when
the former fire had occurred there, and
after a little thought she said that on
that occasion she had also been at
Wharton
From that moment there was no
doubt in my mind that while in some
abnormal condition Alice Aborn in her
sleep had succeeded In escaping from
her home unknown to any one In 1t
and had set fire to the buildings burn
cd. As soon as we reached Burnet
had an interview with her father, told
him Of my suspicious and suggested
dis setting watch upon his daughter.
Then took my leave and reported the
case to my chief.
Three months from that date l re-
ceived letter from Mr.. Aborn in
forming mo that durinU the DreytOuS