Boothbay Harbor summer resident Jill Harrison and her mother Ann were reunited with family heirlooms at the Boothbay Harbor Police Station Dec. 10. The battle and ceremonial swords of Civil War officer Joseph S. Cony, a Harrison family cousin, were stolen in early 2019 from Ann’s home.

“Cony probably wielded the sword in battle in the raid on Fort Fisher,” said Jill. “He was given a lot of credit for sticking behind enemy lines and changing the course of the Civil War … so they named the U.S.S. Cony, destroyer #508, after him. My grandmother christened the ship in Bath.”

While the history of the swords is impressive alone, their journey from the top of Ann’s dining room hutch to the evidence room at the police station is equally as compelling. In July 2019, Jill was visiting Ann on break from her Rhode Island College classroom when she suggested taking a look at the swords before they go to Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, where they were set to be shown with other U.S.S. Cony displays.

When Jill discovered they were missing, she filed a report with Boothbay Harbor PD and began working with Chief Bob Hasch and former officer Tom Chryplewicz. Jill said with all evidence pointing to a former caregiver, it wasn’t until January 2020 when the case had its first break: An electronic device which also went missing from the Harrison home was tracked to a home in Auburn. With the help of Auburn Police Department, Chryplewicz conducted a search warrant, retrieved the device and found some leads on allegations of financial crime and thieving, said Hasch.

No charges resulted and the swords were still missing, said Jill. So, she continued looking by calling and emailing antique dealers and auction houses. “I got COVID last November and was quarantined and I had nothing better to do than start calling around … I was probably sort of delirious and I was just trying to be an amateur sleuth and got lucky.”

Jill, Hasch and Chryplewicz said the trail was a little fuzzy, but the swords ended up traveling to Thomaston and then Fairfield before they went through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland and finally North Carolina; dealers up and down the coast reported seeing the swords at auctions.

Jill deserves much more credit than amateur sleuthing, Hasch said. She called antique dealers from Germany to Hawaii, got the lead she needed from a dealer in Ohio who said he had seen them in Baltimore and got confirmation from another dealer from Florida. “When I called Chief Hasch and said 'Found the swords,' he said he nearly fell off his chair.”

Without that lead, Hasch said he and Chryplewicz would not have been able to connect the final dots to North Carolina. Ironically, the swords ended up “pretty much across the street from Fort Fisher,” said Hasch.

The swords first sold in Maine for $650 and were eventually sold, legally, for the final time for $17,000. After further interviews and a photo lineup, Chryplewicz had evidence to charge Scott Demmons of Auburn with theft by receiving stolen property, a Class B crime, and Elaina Demmons with three counts of theft by receiving stolen property, Classes B, C and D. Elaina Demmons, formerly one of Ann’s home healthcare workers, ended up having charges dismissed for a plea to another charge. Scott Demmons received two years at Maine Department of Corrections, all suspended, with two years probation.

“What helped me was Officer Chryplewicz's absolute tenacity. If it wasn't for that sort of dogged pursuit – it inspired me. Thank god this happened, otherwise those people would be walking away with no charges. Nothing … This raises at least some awareness about elder abuse.”

When the Harrisons met with Hasch and Chryplewicz for a photo and to pick the items up from evidence, the scene was one of appreciation, thanks all around and also a clash of modesty. According to Jill, Hasch and Chryplewicz were the ones who figured out how the swords were sold. Hasch and Chryplewicz insisted Jill have the credit for the only break in the case that could have led to the swords’ discovery.

“I want to say they found the swords because they did. I want them to have the credit … If it hadn't been for their work ... we never would have had a conviction.”

Chryplewicz said he hit a dead end on how a criminal might get rid of the items, who would buy them and how many times they would need to change hands before the final buyer was satisfied they were a legitimate purchase. “It's a group effort because after hearing what you had done to really crack this case, I'm like all those hours I never thought, 'Well, why don't you just call some antique dealers in the area?'”

“She provided the break,” said Hasch. “I mean, Tom did a ton of work, but she was on the phone nonstop.”

Ann thanked Hasch and Chryplewicz for their help. “Thank you for getting yourself involved in this because otherwise it would still be ongoing and we still wouldn't know where the swords are. Thank you for supporting and helping my daughter.”

“Well, this was our pleasure,” said Hasch.

The swords will be on display this summer at Maine Maritime Museum along with ship schematics and old photos BIW donated of the U.S.S. Cony.