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Chehalis, Washington, January 14th, 1918.

The Eternal Triangle with a secret love affair

may have resulted in the brutal murder of Fred Swain,

the Napavine grocer who was found dead in his store a week ago,

and the arrest of Oscar B. Maine, prominent Napavine real estate dealer.

News of Maine's arrest created a sensation locally, owing to his high standing in the community.

He is a graduate of the University of Washington and is a brother of Judge John F. Main of the State Supreme Court,

and for three years past has been the local representative at Napavine of the David P. Eastman Company of

Seattle in which he was a partner engaged in locating settlers on logged off lands.

The families of Maine and Swain have been on the most intimate terms and the men were rated

the best of friends. The Love Triangle was intimated today by county

authorities while Maine is held in jail in connection with the crime and all Napavine is trying

to solve the strange mystery. The explanation is being suggested that Maine was too attentive to Mrs. Swain.

Sheriff Barry, who arrested Maine, declared today that, quote,

there is no doubt at all, unquote, that he is the man who killed Swain after a terrific struggle in the grocery store.

On the advice of his attorney, Maine is refusing to talk. County attorney

Herman Allen said today that he had evidence that Maine had been seen in the neighborhood

of the grocery store at the time the murder must have been committed. Maine's arrest, which

occurred late Saturday night and was announced Sunday morning,

is the most sensational development in the Swain murder case since the grocer's body was found hacked with a hatchet.

Sheriff Barry refuses to disclose the alleged motive for the crime,

...