Thomaston High School - Sea Breeze Yearbook (Thomaston, ME)

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T H'E S E A B R E E Z E after ten o'clock the secret panel moved aside and a man entered carrying a flashlight. The boys and the policeman fell upon him and quickly subdued him. ,It was found that he had been one of the electricians who had wired the building and remembered the secret panel. Not being a very good electrician he was fired by the company he worked for and had later turned to being a robber. He was brought to justice and sentenced to learn a trade in prison. The goods were returned to the storekeepers undam- aged. The boys received rewards, and were considered heroes by the townsfolk, and even the prominent men of the town looked upon them with great respect. ' B. H. '46 SPRING Robins coming from the south Fill the air with joyous singing, and everyone begins to feel That Spring is Springing. Long days and grass that's turning green, Show spring has started with a bang. And nodding pussywillow heads, Give us hope that Spring has Sprang. when days are really warmer, And the swaying boughs are hung with buds that show their color, Then we know that Spring has Sprung. --Lorraine Butler SPRIHGTIME--LAZYTIME winter has wakened from its sleep And Spring has come with mud knee-deep. Birds are busy at their toil ' Digging worms from the muddy soil, Buds are struggling into flowersg But not in work I spend my hours! Lessons forgot, I dream in the sung winter's for work, 3pring's for fun! R. M. '47

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T H E S E A B R E E Z E might they could find no trace of the slippery thief. But the boys were not to be discouraged so easily. They all thought that the thief had hidden in the vacant building, and it was decided to get the keys and search it for a clue. A Early next morning, Saturday, the boys were on hand to en- ter the nhouse of knowledgen. The janitor being Fatso's uncle had readily consented to give the boys the keys. Every room was searched carefully for any signs of inhabitants other than mice. But nothing was found, and the boys finally decided that they had been mistaken in thinking the thief had ever entered the building at all. One more search of the cellar was agreed upon before they left. As they were passing througe the boiler room, Al Greene get an idea that might lead to a clue. In the boiler room there was a ventilator leading from that room to the roof and fully wide enough for anyone to climb up inside. - Stepping upon an old bench which was directly beneath the shaft, Don, the tallest of the boys, preceded to investigate. To evcryone's great surprise it was found that there were strips of wood fastened to the inside of the ventilator. It was soon found that these strips were the framework of the ventilator and anybody could easily climb them as easily as climbing a lD.d.dCI'o It was decided that Ron and Don should climb the shaft in search of any secret panels. They climbed steadily up until Den's head touched a section of the shaft and it moved outward. To the boys great astonishment they found that they were be- tween the roof and the top floor of the building. This was a kind of attic crisscrosmed by wires and beams. This small attic adjoined the belfry which was a large room with a window in the back. Through this window poured sunlight brightening the whole attic somewhat. The other boys were summoned and they started a methodical search of the attic. It was soon discovered that a small light had been installed here at some time or other and with thc aid' of this they could see fairly well. And there, far back in one corner of the attic, lay the stolen goods. The boys were de- lighted with their find and quickly sought a plan to capture NSlippery Samn. It was agreed that they should hide in the attic at night and unit for the crook to shew himself. When they told the janitor their discovery he was greatly surprised and said that he knew of the secret panel but had forgotten it. It had been cut when a crew of men were install- ing electric wires ard it was used to heist their materials up through. That night.the boys together with an officer of the law lay quietly hidden on the beams over the belfry. A little 6

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T H E S E A B R E E Z E MISPRINT One of the strangest murder cases of recent years was solved by Lieut. Stanton of the Missouri state police force. Four years ago Raymond Loudon, middleaged editor, publisher and owner of a small newspaper, was found dead at his desk. The gun was recovered but no fingerprints were found. On the press a suicide note had been set up in evident haste and was noticed by the police when first entering the building. Pic- tures were taken of everything. Loudon's two assistants and Mrs. Loudon were questioned. Mr. Loudon carried a large in- surance with his wife, who had been his secretary, as bene- ficiary. It was found that Mrs. Loudon rarely visited the building. Both assistants proved that they were elsewhere dur- ing the time in which the crime was committed. The wife had been at a card party which let out before the crime was com- mitted but she had arrived at her house during the time of the murder. The maid knew the exact time she came in because of a large hall clock. The police were baffled. All three suspects had perfect alibis, yet no one else was ever admitted to Loudon's private office for he always met visitors in his outer room. Lieut. Stanton, who had been on another case at the time of the crime was called in. He, too, was stymied. He searched every part of the building minutely, but it seemed that no clues had been left. Two copies of the paper had been printed since the own- er's death. Stanton studied the police photographs but learned nothing. He left the case for a while. Weeks later when he was being shown through a large St. Louis printing establishment the solution came to him. A fore- man, training an apprentice printer, was saying: nLook here, you've done what every grecnhorn does when he's learning to set type--your N's and S's are wrong. Watch thatl An old hand would rather be found dead than makeuthat 'prentice mistake. He can't make it, so help him! Hurrying back to the scene of the crime he arrested Mrs. Loudon, having shown her the evidence. The type in the press was set up, hastily, but correctly except that the N's and S's were wrong. The only inexperienced person who could have mur- dered Mr. Loudon and set up the type was Mrs. Loudon. Faced by this evidence she confessed everything. She had set the clock back at the house. She is serving a life term. , D. R. P46 Progres Je lis bien des belles histoires, Mais ce que le plus me plaise, C'est de cemprendre tout de suite Une plaisanterie francaise. ' ' Q French I 8