100 years ago, 1914
The Rowell shooting mystery has reached the letter writing stage. The first missive offering a solution of the problem of who shot Aretas Rowell to be received reached Auburn officials on Wednesday morning. It is signed by a woman, who says that she is a writer of detective stories, and who lives in a Massachusetts city. In the letter the writer set forth a possible solution of the mystery. The letter follows: Dear Sir: — I have read with great interest the Bibber and Rowell murders. I will tell you what I think about the murder of these two men. They were murdered by a man that is crazy by spells. Have someone in Lewiston and someone in Auburn and also between the two cities on the lookout for a man that follows men and women, hides behind trees and stops and looks people in the face at night and hangs around houses and tracks. When you find a man like this you have got the right man. You will also find that he is not right in mind.

50 years ago, 1964
President Arnold Aron of Pioneer Plastics Corp. of Sanford told the company’s stockholders formally Tuesday about the firm’s plans to build a $3.6 million plant in Auburn. Aron, who stated that the plant will cover eight acres and cost an estimated $3.6 million, said the new facility will have a modern research and development laboratory staffed with technicians from both the chemical and plastics fields. He noted that a pilot chemical plant is already in operation in Sanford and produces a portion of the firm’s chemical needs. The executive also told the stockholders that in addition to being near the Sanford plant, Auburn offered abundant resources, excellent transportation facilities and good labor.

25 years ago, 1989
The Lewiston Planning Board will discuss what to do with the former Frye School on Ash Street. The former elementary school, a three-story brick building that was built in 1866, closed in 1987 after officials concluded that improvements needed to bring the structure up to code would be too costly. The building, which is under the Public Works Department’s supervision, has been the target of vandals and has experienced a number of maintenance problems as well.