The Mystery of Six Campus Fires in a Month

在2月9日至2月23日期间，崔妮蒂受到了——或者说遭受了——一个至今仍令州警察困惑不解的谜团，这个谜团很久以前就导致哈特福德警方放弃了这个案子.

During that period no less than six mysterious, 发生了纵火事件, 2月18日，校友堂被洗劫一空，这是剧集的高潮.

教员办公室

The first blaze was discovered in an upper shelf of a bookcase in Dr. McCook’s office, just off the German room. Little attention was paid to this as practically no damage was done. Those who thought about it much were mystified as to a possible origin, but the college body as a whole soon forgot the accident.

公共演讲室

2月9日的大火之后，2月12日的周日晚上，公共演讲厅也发生了大火. 这是偶然发现的，因为星期天晚上没有人有机会经过这个房间. 联邦里的一些人, 直接下, 听到噼啪声, 和调查, 当他们猛撞房间北端的门时，迎面冒着滚滚浓烟. 穆里根, ’25 turned in an alarm to which two companies responded. 房间里烟雾弥漫，不得不打碎两扇装饰性的窗户. 最后，在把灭火器和水都浇到大火上之后，大火被征服了. 房间西墙上三分之一的地板和护墙板都被烧毁了. The center of the fire seemed to be a steam pipe, 和 Fire Chief Moran gave that as the probable cause of the flames. 然而，人们很快发现，问题的散热器和管道没有蒸汽进入它们. 调查显示，火灾是从地板开始的，并在管道周围蔓延. 整整一个星期，一切都很平静.

校友堂

2月18日，星期六，刚过十二点，就传来了熟悉的“开火”的喊声! 铃声响彻校园，火焰从校友堂东端的窗户里窜了出来. 丰富的, 24打开了箱子的警报器, 和蒂尔顿, ’20, from his desk in the college office saw the smoke 和 sent in a still alarm. Four companies 和 a squad of police responded. By the time the firefighters arrived the entire room was a seething mass. 学生, 快速而安静地工作, 把楼下所有的器材和运动器材都搬到了拱门上. 然而, it was impossible to enter the Hall itself, 还有班级横幅, 1878年以来的资料都丢失了.

学生 then helped the firemen drag the heavy hose into the building, 并跟踪了船员, 用大罐热咖啡, made at the President’s house 和 at Commons. 发动机有限公司. No. 1.5 ran a hose through the main door, Squad A took a line through to the athletic field, 和 used it from the running track of the gymnasium, thus probably saving the remainder of the structure. 第三个连绕着大楼的东侧排成一行，沿着靠南墙的梯子往上走. Soon the hose was cut by falling slate, 管道工人离开岗位几分钟后，一扇天窗直接砸在梯子上, 把它掰成两半. 第四连从大楼北侧向火场发起进攻，但被一阵火花驱散, 乌云密布, 刺鼻的烟. The fire was set in the painted canvas scenery stored back of the stage, 和, clinging to the well waxed floor, quickly ran the length of the building. 警报响起二十分钟后，东头的屋顶开始塌下来. 很快，高大的圆顶慢慢地坍塌了，直接掉进了熊熊的火焰中，火焰直冲云霄. 不到一个小时, the room which had been the scene of many a Promenade, 毕业典礼, 检查, 以及形式函数, 是抽烟, 一团热气腾腾的灰烬. 屋顶的大梁倒下了，把南端的砖墙也卷了下来. The firemen remained on h和 until six o’clock. 同时，消防队长莫兰, 助理首席, 负责消防工作, 拉姆斯登, 和 负责人赫尔利 of the State Police, 开始调查.

所有关于火灾起因的怀疑现在都被一种关于纵火的坚定信念所取代. The last time Alumni Hall was used was two weeks before, when the class of 1923 held its Junior Promenade. No one had occasion to enter the upper floor after that function. 特别是，没有人有机会回到起火的舞台.

拉丁房间

This $15,000 blaze was followed, on February 20, by a fire in the Latin room. Here the cause was even more evident. Professor Barrett had dismissed a class at 2:45, 和, after gathering up some papers, 离开了房间, 不锁门, 这是他的习惯. 3点20分发出了警报. The door was locked with a night latch, 和 all windows were closed. 学生 with fire extinguishers, 砸在门上, 和 firemen smashed in the windows on the west side of the building. The fire was soon put out, with chemicals. 调查显示，它是在巴雷特教授桌子下的废纸篓里开始的. The desk was completely burned, 火焰沿着平台顶部蔓延，并沿着地板下的一根电导管蔓延. The tops of the joists under the floor were charred 和 the bottoms clean. 很明显，已经用过油了，而且有一定量的油倒在管子周围. The speed with which the fire spread also pointed to oil. 这火, linked up with that in the Public Speaking room, 准确统计, 指向同一只手.

哈特福德警方指派侦探警长哈利西和麦迪根调查此案, 和 two independent investigations were conducted. 火灾发生后，立即采取措施，在建筑物上安置了一名学生警卫, 弗雷德·斯通, coach of baseball 和 assistant in the physical training department, 负责. Four men were placed in Jarvis Laboratories 和 four in Boardman Hall. Squads, working in regular relief, patrolled the outside of the buildings.

#5 Student Room in Jarvis Hall

Notwithst和ing this vigilance, 那个纵火狂(现在人们认为他就是这样一个人)那天晚上放了第五次火. The guard changed at eleven o’clock. At 11:38 fire was discovered in room No. 贾维斯大厅41号. This time it was in a bureau in one of the bedrooms.

亨金斯和蒙哥马利, who lived in the room were both out during the evening, 汉金斯回来的时候正好看见他的写字台被抬出了区门. 学生们在系里接到警报之前就把火扑灭了. 显然, 办公室里没有什么东西, 说明这个神秘的恶魔并不想破坏私人财产.

华盛顿的生日那天一切都很安静，“虫子”显然在家里享受假期. The guard was now put on a workable basis.

Through most of the night five state police, beaded by Sergeant Arthur Pinnell, 和 assisted by a student guard under Cuningbam ’22 和 Brill ’23, 巡视了整个校园. 傍晚和清晨，学生们独自处理这件事. The guard did not go on until eight o’clock. This was soon observed by the unknown “Bug,23日, 六点过几分钟, when most of the men are going to dinner, the sixth 和 last fire was discovered.

#6在贾维斯大厅学习

这次是在No .房间. 39 Jarvis Hall, directly under the scene of the fifth fire. 火焰只在书房的壁橱里燃烧，而那个壁橱已经被彻底掏空了. Only five minutes before the fire was discovered the occupant of the room, 穆里根, ’25, 我把它留给晚餐了. In those five minutes the flames ate clear through the heavy closet door.

哈特福德警察局的侦探警长哈利西和麦迪根逮捕了乔治·穆里根, ’25, 的Bergensfield, N. J., on circumstantial evidence following this fire in his own room. They based their case on the fact that he was one of the first at every fire, 他也无法解释他在每一场火灾之前的每一分钟. Not having sufficient evidence to secure a warrant for arson, 穆里根 was held over night on a technical charge of breach of peace. 他在父亲提供的保释金下被释放，听证会定于3月3日星期五举行.

负责人赫尔利 和 Detective Edward Hickey, investigating for the State police, made no comment when they learned of 穆里根’s arrest, 继续他们的搜索. 在他被捕和听证之间的一周内，穆利根两次接受了医生的精神检查. Paul Vaterman, an alienist of Hartford. These conclusively proved his sanity, 和, when the case was called in police court, it was immediately dropped for lack of evidence.

United States Commissioner Frederick Corbett, 穆里根的律师借机批评哈特福德警方在此案中的草率行动, 并表示他们本可以用更绅士的方式对待嫌疑人. 据说，检察官内森·沙茨去找州检察官休·M. 奥尔康在案件被提起之前，要求允许哈特福德警方使用州警察收集的证据. The request was refused 和 it is said that Mr. Alcorn added his condemnation to the burden which the city police are bearing. 在这次惨败之后不久, 哈特福德警方表示，他们已经尽其所能进行了调查，并将放弃此案.

负责人赫尔利, assisted by Detective Hickey 和 Assistant Fire Chief 拉姆斯登, is continuing the investigation in his capacity as State Fire Marshall. Hickey is on the campus daily, on the lookout for stray bits of evidence. 有传言说州警察对纵火狂的身份很满意, but are unwilling to act until convicting evidence is secured. 到目前为止, 从表面上看, the criminal is as far from capture as he was on February tenth.

At least half a dozen men have come under suspicion at various times, but no case against them appeared. 当这个谜团最终被解开时，这不仅将是调查此案的警方的一次明显胜利, 但是会给一些小说家提供“畅销”侦探小说的素材.