Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-01-02
SOLVING
THE FIRE
MYSTERY
BY JACOB DEMPSTER

~ ATESBY was Disguised with
life, for two reasons The first
~ was that, just as he had
planned to spend two days in
Rochester with Miss Lillian Burke,
his firm had telegraphed him to go
out to Scarsboro and investigate a
S250,000 fire insurance claim. The
second reason was that he could not
afford to marry the said Miss Burke
unless his salary were raised from
$3.50 to $1,000, and the fire insurance
company resoutely refused to do so.
you make good on a few big
claims and Wen see what we can do
for you" was all the comfort that
Catesby could get out of Johnny
Roche, the general manager.
The telegram, which was a long one,
limited at fraud. Catesby set off
through a binding snowstorm to inter-
view the local agent, who confirmed
the suspicion.
It's Peter A. Hanson's department
store, and that's enough" the agent
explained II wouldn't have written
him myself, from what know of him.
Jennings did 1t before took over the
agency. Hanson was In u bad way
and couldn't have lasted another
three months; but everything was re-
duced to a clnder, and there's no
showing what he had In stock and
what he hadn't"
.
Yes, at three in the afternoon. Not
n soul in the place, and fifteen below
zero The mains were frozen and tive
engines wouldn't work. You might as
well have tried to put out the SUM-"
mo idea how 1t started2"
Defective insulation Is Hanson's
theory. It's good theory, because 1t
doesn't let you out. But he's q sharp
customer and knows more than he
lets on. He was In Rochester when 1t
happened"
The word Rochester made Catesby
mad I'm fix Mr.. Peter A. Hanson"
he said grimly, and went off through
the storm to interview him.
Mr., Hanson bemoaned his loss. He
declared that the goods alone were
worth the entire amount of the In
surance. He wanted to be paid as
soon as possible, so that he could start
up business in a small way and EN-
ploy some Of his workpeOple. When
he had finished talking he took Gates
by over the ruins Of the store.
Catesby was experienced enough to
see at once that there must have been
combustible materials packed around
the point where the fire originated.
Ignoring Mr.. Hanson's patter, he ex-
amlneJ every foot of his ground. He
satisfied himself upon one point. The
fire had originated at the back annex,
where the heat had dislntegrated a
number of large stones Of the founda-
ton More than that, Ii had been sew
eral degrees hotter there than any
where else, for the bricks were not
merely scorched but cracked.
know nothing mOre2' he asked
unsympathetlcally Of Hansan. moth
ing about where 1t began7"
"Oh, sure" said Hanson. THE
electric wires must have started II In
the front washroom."
As the Mushroom was at the other
side of the store, Catesby concluded
that his theory was correct.
"Ill let you know tomorrow" he
said, and, shaking off the expostulat-
ing Hanson, he went to his hotel.
The Hanson store was the only one
in town, II stood ut the end of the
'aan street 1t was badly situated, and
IN that account had lost money, but
Hanson had expected the town to
grow in the wrong direction. There
was clear space Of "A hundred yards
m either side OF it. In front ran the
street. at the back little unfrequent-
ID lane, and on the other side Of this
we're few outbulldings, used by Han
son TO house his half-dozen delivery
vans II was this region that Catesby
determined to explore.
lie reached the spot at nightfall
and looked about him. The sky was
red all above the west. Catesby never
dfterward knew how the absurd idea
came to hlm--perhaps 1t was the
agents remarks about putting out the
sun-but then and there 1t dropped
INTO his mind.
OF course the theory of defective
insulation was fictitious. 1t generally
is. Besides, the timing Of the CON
'lagration had been too advantageous
o Hanson. And nobody was In the
store; Hanson had managed to prove
his alibi by going to Rochester.
The thought of Rochester made
tatesby grit his teeth.
The horses we're stamping In their
stalls. Nobody was about. Catesby
went round to the back of the build
ings and saw ladder leaning
against the wall. That was all right
only there was no reason why any
body should have wanted to go up the
wall
Looking closer, Catesby saw that
somebody had gone not only up the
wall but upon the sloping roof, for
there were footprints In the frozen
snow. And there were no nail-marks
IN them. II was evidently a refined,
gentlemanIy boot that had trodden
there.
Catesby assembled the ladder and
got upon the roof. Then he saw
something that made his heart beat
faster 1t was a lump Of clear ice
in the snow-frozen in, 80 that II was
not readily dlscernlble from below,
but Enthusiastically clear ice. Catesby