Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-12-15
FIRES At GREESYILLE.
Two Bodies Burned Up-Suspicion Of Robbery
and Murder.

and Murder.
From the Greenvine Argus, Dec. 10Th.
One of the most shocking, and at the same
time most mysterious affairs that has ever
occurred in this place about three O'Clock on
Monday morning, by which an aged couple
were burned almost to ashes, If they did not
first meet, If not a more severe, at least a
The victims Of this sad occurrence were
Nh. Van Deusena and his wife, an aged couple
who came 10 this place some few years since
from the oil regions, purchasing a dwelling
u above named, lived among Us quietly
and unostentatiously. To q few only il was
known that the OLD gentleman had brought
with him a considerable amount Of money,
but how or where he kept il does not seem To
ave been known to any outsider, further
than the fact that, on the previous week, he
had offered TO sell gold in the place, which
would naturally have led to the conclusion
thatit was available. The other antecedeAts
in the case would have rendered the event in
question as q matter OF course, while on the
other hand. the fact Of his having had mon
ey, taken in connection with the circum-
stances of the fire, as developed in the in
quest, leaves a horrid~ suspicion Of foul play
The story Of the fire is best told by the wit
nesses at the inquest, which was called and
conducted in due form on the day ofthe oc-
currence. Ms. Kramer, an immediate neigh
Dor, who seems 70 have been the first person
on the scene of the disaster, ~testifies that
about three o'clock in the morning she dis
covered fire breaking through the roof Of Mr..
Van Deusen's house. h ran to the house.
some l40 feet distant, and found the west
kitchen door open; heard q door slam in the
house; she was the first to give the alarm =
Mr.. Van DeuSen and Vile slept In the east
room up stairs; some time ago he told her
they did not sleep together; had been on good
terms, however, for past two weeks; they
had a stove in the room below, and the pipe
went up through the ceiling into the room
above, and then into a 1ue: the FIRE broke
out on that side ofthe house-no person be-
ing with them or about the house; saw no
person when she went over.
Isaac Kramer, husband Of the above wit
ness, t~estiies that his wife went over TO the
burning house in her night clothes, then re-
turned and aroused him; he went into the
kitchen. and saw several persons there; the
northwest corner Of the house was not on
fire at the time; entered the house at the
west window.
From the main points in the testimony
thus far taken (the verdict in the case will
not be given until Saturday, We cannot but
realize the presence ofa painful mystery in
be decrepit; that they should both be burned
to death as found, n still in bed and the
other in the stairway, is passing strange
The fire originated in their bedroom; IL one
could AVE got out ofthe room why not both;
OF, in case they were not together on this
night, why shonld not the old LADY st least
lay been out of beds The position OF the
old man, the knife, the open door, n win
dow, the cries for help, M apparent previ-
Gus iifeIessness OF the old lady, and various
other circumstances, easily suggest robbery
--murder-the worst. And yet 1t may ali
be an accident. Let us hope SO at least, until
we knolg to the contrary, though, abating
nothing OF effort in the meantime 70 reach a
satisfactory conclusion.
ANOTHER IRE
On Monday evening. at about ten O'Clock,
while our citizens were still in q state Of in
tense excitement over the horrors Of the
morning, fire broke out in the second story
of the building occupied by B. Grim q Son,
Main Street The engine was brought intoa
good position near the canal, and the fire
was soon checked, and in about one hour and
a half entirely e~xtinguished.
Mr.. Grim's building Was entirely destroy
ed. and the one adjoining on the west, occu-
pied by Mr.. n. c. Roberts, druggist. wascon-
siderably damaged. Precisely how the IRE
originated is not known but il is supposed
that it caught from a defective hue.