Question

Write a letter to the sheriff to convince him that you have solved the crime of the stolen gardening tools. Explain who you believe took the gardening tools.
paragraph 1 requirement
Identify the MOST reliable piece of information you used to solve the mystery and justify your answer. You should include the following:
what the source told you about the crime
why you think this evidence is the MOST reliable
the type of source (Hint: Was it a newspaper, diary, photograph, etc.?)
the purpose of the source (Hint: Why was it created?)
whether this source is primary or secondary (Hint: Was it created at the time of the event or after the fact?)

paragraph 2 requirement
Identify the LEAST reliable piece of information you used to solve the mystery and justify your answer. You should include the following:
what the source told you about the crime
why you think this evidence is the LEAST reliable
the type of source (Hint: Was it a newspaper, diary, photograph, etc.?)
the purpose of the source (Hint: Why was it created?)
whether this source is primary or secondary (Hint: Was it created at the time of the event or after the fact?)

Case Summary
On February 28, 1755, someone stole gardening tools from Will Anthony’s blacksmith shop.
Word around town is that the prime suspects for this crime were James Ansley and Matthew Farmer. Mr. Ansley was another blacksmith in town who threatened to burn down Will Anthony’s shop to force him out of business. Matthew Farmer was Will Anthony’s apprentice at the blacksmith shop. You arrive on the scene.

You have found a history textbook from the 21st century! Colonial Life: Many colonists depended on agriculture for their livelihood and survival. During the drought of 1755, many colonists had little money for extra expenses. Farming tools were valuable and often stolen because many people in the community could not afford the extra expense of purchasing these tools from a blacksmith. Having these tools allowed colonists to cultivate their crops and feed their families.

You have found the blacksmith’s sales journal. (Author:
The blacksmith’s apprentice, Matthew, records all of the store’s sales transactions in this journal)
Entries are dated March 1st, 1755 and were made by Matthew Farmer
February 14—Benjamin Miller—pistol—£3
February 20—Michael Farmer—grubbing h(0)e—2 shillings
February 26—Adam Reed—saddle—£2

I have found the blacksmith’s diary. There are three entries less than a month apart.
I need to figure out if this is a primary or secondary source!
Did he expect anyone else to read this? Is this reliable evidence? February 10, 1755
I am concerned about my apprentice, Matthew Farmer, and his family. Matthew confided in me that his father, Michael, was injured. His family is having a hard time tending to their crops and earning money.
March 1, 1755
I discovered that the gardening tools that I made in my shop have been stolen! They were missing at sunrise, when I went to my shop, so the thief must have stolen them last night.
March 6, 1755
I think I may need more sleep, as my memory seems to be failing me. I do not remember making a grubbing h(0)e two weeks ago, but in looking back at my sales journal, it appears that I sold one.

You have found the court’s transcript of an interview with Matthew Farmer. Interviewer:
Did you steal the gardening equipment from your employer? You were the blacksmith’s apprentice and had access to the shop.
Matthew Farmer:
I would never (umm) steal from him. Mr. Anthony has been so kind to help me learn his trade. I am very grateful to him. In addition, I left the shop early on the day of the crime. (looks away) Besides, (hesitant laugh) why would I need to steal farming equipment when my father, Michael Farmer, purchased a grubbing h(0)e week before the crime? Besides, Mr. Ansley, the other blacksmith in town, would love nothing more than to steal from Mr. Anthony. He wants to put our shop out of business. I (umm) saw him right outside of the shop the night the tools were stolen!
Interviewer:
I thought you said you left the shop early that night.

I have found an alleged photograph of the crime.
Did they even have cameras back then?
The back of the photo says: “Title: Mr. James Ansley Stealing Tools From Will Anthony’s Shop, Artist: Elizabeth Burr, Date: 2010.”.​

Answer 1

Are you Arron burr sir

Answer 2

Answer:

Farmer stole the tools

Explanation:

The reason why I believe this is because during the interview Farmer declares that he "left the shop early on the day of the crime." But earlier in the diary entry Mr.Anthony declared that someone must have stolen them in the middle of the night. Mr.Farmer said that he saw Mr. Ansley outside the shop despite the fact that he had left the shop earlier. and the robbery was presumed to be in the middle of the night. This would show that Farmer was there in the middle of the night when the robbery took place. Not only this but during the interview Farmer showed common evidence of lying. when he looked away and laughed hesitantly as if hiding something. not only this but in the diary entry Farmer has declared that his family is having a tough time tending to the crops and earning money. There were to very reliable sources used here but the most reliable one id say is the diary, this was most likely created so that Mr.Anthony could keep track of what happened in his store. this source is secondary despite the fact that entries are written before the event and after but none written in the time of the event.

I believe that the newspaper was one of the least reliable resources that there were....this is because the shop most likely didn't have security cameras yet and if anyone was up during the crime to take pictures there would probably not have been a crime in the first place, however this piece of information is the primary resource since it was created during the time of the event.

Hope this helps!