Photo by Croton Studio

Detective Constable (now Detective Corporal) Saunders leaves the courtroom
with Pickard in custody.

irebug that at 11 the same evening
ne added to the ever-increasing ten-
ion by sounding a false alarm in
front of the milkers’ quarters.

At this point any suspicion against
patients was ruled out.
A check-up showed that all were
n their quarters before the time the
ire could have been started.

A snowfall while proving useless
1s a track to anyone on the farm on
which people were moving all the
‘ime and where all joined in fighting
the fires did. however, reveal that
10 one from outside had come stealth-
ly to the scene.

Men sworn in as special constables
were placed in various locations
throughout the building to watch
for fires and try to apprehend the
nerson responsible for the fires but
he pyromaniac proved too cunning
(0 operate while they were on_ the
job. Special constables at the farm
were concealed on the floor of a sta-
tion wagon to make their way under

NINETEENTH EDITION

cover of darkness to various points
in the farm building and observe
actions of everybody in or around
them.

A substance was placed on the fire
alarm box which would stain the
hands of anybody who used it as
though they had been using green
dye.

Although earlier suspicion had
turned on the patients because the
fires were of a nature to indicate the
persons responsible were of unsound
mind, Deputy Fire Marshal Holiday
and Detective Constable Saunders
were by this time concentrating on
members of the farm staff.

The importance in police work of
checking and double checking on a
man’s past was never more clearly
demonstrated than in this instance.

These checks, and other informa-
tion gained during the investigation
led to close questioning of two. One
by his churlish manner and contradic-
tory answers appeared to be a defin-

Owners and Managers:

MRS. MARY SUTHERLAND
and MRS. EILEEN ALLWOOD

The Island Hall

“The Hotel with a Beach for a Doorstep”
FORMERLY THE CRAYHARVEN INN
Parksville Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C.

E. D. THWAITES & SON

REAL ESTATE
INSURANCE
Offices:

Qualicum Beach - Parksville

Lawn Furniture, Baby Furniture
Cabinet Making

Lou. Morin Woodcraft

Watch for Our Roadside
Windmills

PARKSVILLE

B.C.

Brown’s General Store

General Merchandise
Fresh Meats

COFFEE BAR - GAS
Phone Parksville 21-R
COOMBS V.I., B.C.

CROWE'’S
GENERAL STORE

Serving Coombs and District
With Good Merchandise

Phone 52W COOMBS, B.C.

SUNSET INN
AT

Qualicum Beach

PHONE 291

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MRS. R. SMART
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V.L, B.C.

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