Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-08-01
Insurance Dept.

"I am highly gratified with the Co
| operative spirit and assistance rendered
me by the insurance Department in
gathering evidence and attracting MY
attention to many cases Of incendiarism
or cases that have a kin to such
crimes" The speaker was Carroll L.
Beedy. county attorney for Cumber.
land. and continued Mr.. Beedy: I'm
the cases I might mention. Commission.
er Smith has at all times rendered me
the entire use and aid Of the machinery
of his ONCE to assist In the work Of
placing behind the bars persons charged
with this serious crime. 1t must not be
regarded that because convictions IN
cases have failed no good has been
yielded. The fact is, Chief Butler and
other men connected with fire matters,
as well as fire insurance men, assure
me that the moral effect Of such in
vestigations and the bringing to the bar
of justice all the offenders suspected
has Statutory effect upon the COM
munity, and the moral influence 10
something that must be reckoned with.
1.-THE recent arrest Of Carl Goodwin in
Alfred, charged with arson, who later
proved himself q most dangerous crimi.
nal was arrested through the direct in
structions given by Insurance Commits
sioner Smith to the selectmen Of that
town upon being informed Of the fre.
and his orders were that a deputy
sheriff be delegated to find the man
and that IL needed he would follow.
The same may be said of the two Chap
lin brothers whose arrest and several
k-sAN Ill
the State. 1t is with this In mind that
most determined effor is being waged
by the Insurance Department to investi-
gate where fires have the slightest indi-
cation of being occasioned through in
cendiarism. In the past year Commits
sioner Smith has investigated a large
number Of cases that while they have
rot all yielded immediate results it must
be understood no court or jury will
convict cases of arson unless the evil
dence Is of such a character that the
man must be actually seen touching a
match to the fire. But a new element
has been developed by the Insurance
Department and hat is prosecuting per-
sons for fraudulent proofs of loss and
thus where it is impossible to secure
| sufficient evidence to arrest for the &C
! tual setting of the FIRE. evidence may
be readily secured in very many cases
Of fraudulent representation of loss
Last week while in Bangor Investigating
several fires at the request of Chief
Mason. Commissioner Smith by num-
Der of fire insurance representatives..
and also by the heads of the fire de-
partment that the investigation and the
arrests that followed his visit had done
more to create a moral influence against
promiscous setting of fires and dis
tinctly served notice to those so inclined
that the State would not permit these
offenses to continue without due investi-
cation and with the most rigid prosecu-
| ton.
AT the present time the Insurance
Department has nine cases under bail
or in prison of various PERSONS who will
be brought before grand juries or courts
in September. There are still a number
| of cases where investigations are being
actively continued and doubtless other
arrests will follow but from the state
ment made by chiefs of fire depart
ments, sheriffs and municipal officers
| the influence of these Investigations
have proven of the highest value that
the vigorous work along these lines in
the past by the commissioner, Deputy
Helson and the other investigators upon
this staff are accomplishing good re-
Suits r.