Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-20
THE GREEN ISLAND MYSTERY.
Considerable Doubt Exists as to the
Identity Of the Party VIII Fired the
CheatAam Hotel.-The Other Side OF the
Affair. 9sl4 +

CAoatA4l0 kt0teA.-lne Otnor Sloo Oh tn0
Affair. 1sla
We have given one side Of the Green IS
land incendisry fire, by which the building
known as the Chea.ham hotel was slightly
scorched and considerable other property
endangered, and deem It nothing more than
justice to present the version Of the parties
accused of firing the hotel. With this OBJ
ject in view the circumstances connected
with the affair have been carefully enquired
into and such information az bears upon the
subject noted down. 1t will be remembered
that Mrs. Cheatham was arrested, charged
with firing the hotel, at the instance Of Mr..
Calvert, its owner, who had purchased the
property from the Cheathamr, but wal not
in complete possession. s% 1*'Fi ~
In a previous article upon this subject
our information led US to state that Mr..
Calvert discovered the fire. This is denied
by the Cheathams. They state that Mra.
Cheatham and her little son Harry were
the only members of the family about the
premises at the time, and that Harry first
discovered smoke in the office and commu-
nicated the intelligence to his mother. She
instructed him to go up stairs and examine
all the pipes and chimneys, which he did
without discovering any cau,e for the pres
ence Of the smoke below. Mrs. Chea,ham
then made a personal examination Of the
pynnop r0on,o NTH a lsIo ~ca,lk no.norl-
ing to the Office she saw the smoke forcing
its way through a door communicating
with the baggage room. Opening this
door, smoke and flame burst forth and drove
her back. She gave the alarm and the as
s%istance which came in reponse speedily
subdued the fire. An examination ensued
which resulted in the conclusion that fire
had been started in the rear end of the bag
gage room, among some buffalo robes be.
longing to Mr.. Chatham. The flames had
burned nearly through the stairway over
head and IN a few moments more commune
cation with the upper portion of the house
would have been cut of.
The Cheathams allege that they would
have lost a considerable quantity of per-
sonal propertylhad the hotel burned, while
Calvert was fully protected BY an insurance
policy ofsl,0o0. In the upper roomso of the
building was all of Mrs. Cheatham's bed.
ding and other household appliances, some
money, notes and $3.50 worth of silver ware,
besides all of her daughters wearing ap.
paral and furniture-all uninsured. In
the baggage room where the fire originated
was stored = quantity of blaating powder,
which none but the Cheathams knew was
there. These facts are cited in Mn. Cheat
hams defence. She thinks it is not at all
probable that she would have fred the
building when 20 much of her own uuin-
sured property was exposed to destruction
and that she would not haye remained in
the building knowing that q fire was burn
ing in such dangerous proximity to a guam.
tity Of blasting powder. Neither would
she have sent her little son into the upper
rooms of the building had she been aware
of the danger of an explosion.
These circumstances are given in connec-
ton with the other side of the Green Island
mystery and from the two the public will
be enabled to reach . conclusion.