Daily globe., 1880-04-05
A BAD FOOTE.
A. s. Foote, One of the PrOpiietors of the
La Crosse Democrat, Arrested for At
tempting to Burn the Democrat Building
Also Charged With FOrgeries on His
Father-in- law.

La Crosse DS1nOCIat, ATTesteu AOr Al
tempting to Burn the Democrat building
Also Charged With FOrgeries on His
Father-in-1aw.
La Crosse Chronicle.
La Crosse has been agog to-day, and an excite
ment such as not frequently occurs here or any,
where else has prevailed over the arrest of Alpheus
S. Fcote, junior member of the firm tf Pomeroy u
Foote, editors and proprietors of Pomeroy's Demo-
crat, on charge of attempting to burn the Den'0-
crat building by placing box of paEer containing
lighted candle in such place that when 1t burned
down to a certain point the paper would eaten nre
and communicate the flames to the building.
Last evening the police were called upon, not
particularly to their surprise, to effect tue ar
rest of A. S. Foote proprietor of Pomeroy's
Democrat, upon the charge OF attempting 10
destroy by fire the building occupied by them
as printing office. The facts OF tne case are s as
follows, as gathered from Mr.. Huntsman, who made
the complaint, and Chief of Police Hatch, who made
the arrest: About half-past O'Clock last evening
Mr.. Huntsnan, managing editor OF P0neer0y'S Dens-
Ocrdt being in the Office later than usual, had occa-
sion to go from his apartment TO the room formerly
occupied by Mr.. Pomeroy as private apartment.
The usual entrance door he found himself unable to
open, and consequently went tround by the patn
room and water closet. In passing through this
room he discovered in q corner concealed 1rom view
cigar box filed with paper and other compustlDles
in the middle Of which lighted candle STOOD up
right. Mr.. Huutsman Is a calm and clear-neaQeu
man. but his knees trembled and his head whlrled at
this discovery No person had access to this portion
of the building except himself and Mr.. Foote.
There were nc outer windows, and when the candle
which was timed to reach the paper IN
three or four hours, had burned low, and
the inevitable coniagration started, there
was no possibility of discovery from outside until the
center of the building in blaze which oil our re
facilities ould have failed to extnguish until II mad
consumed the adjacent Opera house with all It's Vau-
able immovable contens, and perhaps other properly
near at hand. Mr.. Huntsman comprehended all this
as he gazed at the unique but most effectual slow
match, which had been provided to do this desruc-
tive work. He then, without removing or disturbing
the position of anything, extinguished the candle
and sought Postmaster Charles Seymour to whom the
startling story was told Mr.. Seymour at once COM
n1unicated with Chief of Police Hatch, who upon
consultation with these two gentlemen, deemed that
evidence enough existed in Mr.. Huntsman's state
men to warrant the arrest OF Mr.. Foote on charge
of arson.
1t has been known for many months in this Office
that Mr.. Foote had been charged with forging the
name of his father-in-aw an endorse
ment upon certain notes. aggregating some
where from three to five thousand dollars
which had been used to pay bills incurred by the
| firm of Pomeroy & Foote. Some OF these notes Mr..
Vincent is said to have fathered and will have to pay
if he has not already paid them. But since the ar
rest of Mr.. Foote new forgerjes have been devel-
oped we are told, until the whole sum of forged pa
per approaches may even exceed SlO,0OO The
last forgery of S2,500 is note barely month old,
and bank in this city is the victim. 1t is under
stood that the latest developments are of nature
that have set Mr. Vincents face against the prisoner
and if this is true he will probably have hard chance
for freedom.
The constables have been serving attachments on
Foote wherever they could find anything that did not
belong to the postmaster since the arrest, most of
them being for employees to whom wages are due