The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-08-04
AN INFAMOUS PLOT.
CHICAGO DIABoLIsM.

AN INFAMOUS PLOT.
CHICAGO DIABOLISM.
A FIENDIsH ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP HARD
WARE SToRE-ENDANGERING THE LIVES
OF SIXTY PEOPLE-THE GUILT OF THE
HoARY-HEADED PROPRIETOR - KEROSENE
AND KEGS OF POWDER THE MEANS OF
DESTRUCTION.
The Chicago Times of the 2Sth inst. con-
tains the following account of the discovery
of a fiendsh attempt to destroy property
and lives in that city: The most diabolical
and cunningly plotted attempt to commit
arson ever brought to the light in Chicago
was discovered this morning. Brief men
ton was made in yesterdays Times of the
| fire that was discovered a few minutes past
l o'clock A. NJ, in the hardware store of
Nicholas Staaden, No. 219 North Clark street.
The item alluded to the discovery of rosin
and burning heaps of straw and rags, con-
elusive proofs of attempted incendiarism.
Soon after, Assistant Fire Marshal Swenie
and Sergeant Gerbing found train of COM
bustibles. and following it in all its wind
ings, they at length unearthed a skillfulIv
devised plot to destroy the building and It's
contents by IRE and explosion. The dia-
bolical design was elaborate in its details.
and must have required devilish ingenuity
TO conceive, and the heart of a fiend TO carry
1t into execution. No criminal scheme so
black and devilish, has ever before been
discovered in the annals of local crime.
The building is two story frame, owned and
occupied by Staaden. Over the door is the
sign inscribed: 'N. Staaden, hardware and
stoves, manufacturer of copper, tin and sheet
iron ware" This is the fifth time that fire
has been discovered on Staaden's premises
1t has always been known that he carried
heavy insurance, and he has several times
been suspected of incendiary intent On one
ha NkrQS I'm lfn fralxv Il
ceeded without much difficulty in collecting
his insurance. The other felonious attempts
of which he was suspected proved abortive.
but the willy old sinner managed to hide the
evidences of his guilt. But this time he in
tended TO succeed in his heinous purpose,
and he laid his
INcENDIARY TRAINS
in the firm expectation that the fire and the
explosion would obliterate the evidences of
his crime. Had not his attempt been pro-
videntially thwarted, terrific explosion of
90 pounds of powder would have resulted,
the surrounding buildings must have been
shattered, and great loss of life would
probably have ensued. The fire started in
the basement, in a pile of rags, kindling-
wood, rosin and other combustibles, the
whole thoroughly saturated with kerosene
A candle was standing so near the pile, that
when it burned down few inches it fired
the heap. From the pile, two different
trains, composed of cotton cloth, torn into
strips and sewed together and drenched with
kerosene, extended to the first floor through
an open trap door. The train ran over a lid
of a washbOiler, which was filled with rosin
and oil. The train connected near the trap
door with stove filed with kindling-wood
we'll soaked with kerosene, from which it
extended to the rear of the room on the
north side of the building. To guard against
| the possibility of the fire below not reaching
the upper stories before it was discovered,
the stove was surmounted by another candle
which was expected to fire the kindling wood
simultaneously with the commencement of
! the blaze below. At the rear OF the building
| the train communicated through window
with large quantity of kindling wood and
several bundles of straw, all saturated with
| kerosene. The strips of cloth then led back
along the south side of the building to anoth-
! err stove standing near the end of the coun-
| ter. This stove was filled with combustibles
and as to be fired, at the proper time, by
another candle fixed in a tin pan half full of
benzine. From this point the train
extended behind the counted about
eight feet until 1t reached
three kegs of powder, one containing 10
pounds. and the others 20 pounds each. The
| train led up to the holes that were bored in
the kegs, and powder was scattered pro-
fusely around, for distance of several feet.
| Pieces of iron weighing several pounds each
| were lying on tuo keys. lue plOt was q
| consummate one, and but for the merest
accident, would have perfectly &C.
| complished the terrible purpose of Its
| wicked concocter. The three candles, of
| course, were of the same length, and~he de-
sign was that they should fire the
combustibles around them at the same
moment. There would then have been fire
| in the basement, fire on both sides
of the store, and in less than threa
| minutes after the flame was started,
THE EXPLOSION
was expected TO occur. sending the hard
ware on the shelves in every direction, and
completely demolishing the building and de-
stroying the evidences of Staaden's guilt.
Only for one little circumstance the hoary-
headed old sinner would have probably ac-
complished his purpose. The candle in the
basement was subjected to O draft from a
Il window near it that was open a few inches.
IL therefore burned faster than the others,
and fired the pile around it full half an hour
before the other candles burned sufficiently
low. The basement was soon all ablaze,
the fire crept along the train and up the
wall, firing the north side of the store room,
and in few minutes to the second story and
THE roof. The train leading from the trap