The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-01-25
THE MILWAUKEE, HORROR.

George scheller, Proprietor OF the
Newhall House Bar, Milwaukee
Charged with Kindling the Fire
Which Resulted in Such Appalling
Loss OF Human Life.
George Scbeller, lessee of the bar-room at
the Newhall house, was arrested Tuesday
afternoon on suspicion of having set fire to
the hotel. Scheller SAWS that be closed the
saloon at 100 q. M. bat it has been found
out since, thu: in company with Will San
derson and Tom Dunbar, he returned to the
saloon after q. M. Scheller did not
seem very much surprised and made
no statement. He looked pretty badly
broken up. Hehas beea dri hiking heavily
since the fire and his face shows the effects
OF the spree. The prisoner was locked up
on charge of arson, and was Immediately
transferred to the county Jail, where he was
locked up in an upper cell. He did not
speak to the jailer. The officers are very
reticent about the details of the arrest. 1t
IS reported that Scheller was arrested prin-
cipally on the statement of Linehan
another employee, who CLAIM they saw
Scheller in the wood room, where Linehan
says the fire originated. sehellen was fin.
ally taken to the Waukesha, Wis, jail as
protection against mob violence.
Shelter came to Milwaukee with Mr.. An
tisdel from Detroit about nine years ago
when the latter assumed char. e of the New
hall house. He had been chief clerk of the
Biddell house in that city when Antisdel
keptit. The two men, it is said, have al
ways been warm personal friends, Scheller
learned the printers trade in his youth, and
worked at it in Detroit for six years: Be-
sides Scheller's we'll known financial diff
culties and hi h insurance, another thing
gave rise to the first suspicion.
This was not less than an at.
tempt to blow up the Newhall house by a
this affair William Hughes, head porter
makes this statements
am In the habit OF going to the hotel
about 6 o'clock in the morning About two
weeks ago I went up the nainRntrance, and
when got near the elevator / smelt gas
right away. The, Smell of gas vas terribly
strong and Seemed to collie from the bar
room. opened The door and was nearly
knocked down, the odor was so overpower-
ing. Just as opened the door the bar
front way. l asked hlEl what the trouble
was, and he said he didn't know, but thought
it was the gas meter. We both rushed in
and looked ut TIE meter, but it was all right.
we cane out into the bar.room and threw
open the doors. 1 then noticed a small blue
flame on one of the burners way back in the
room. then looked up and found that
every one of TIE six chandeliers had the gas
turned on full force. l could
hardly believe what Isaw, and said to Nc
Cornick; my God' What's this fors'' He
said he didn't know, and that Srheller was
in the place when he left. We turned all
the gas Oh, and I went UP stairs l told Mr.
Antisdel about it, and he asked me if lit a
match. I told him did, and he said did
wrong. Scheller didn't come around the
next day at all. It was three days before
he showed up, and he said he was sick. He
was asked about the gas, and he said some
one must have had key to the door and
got in and turned them all on"
Hughes added that's boy known as Little
Pete, who worked in the bar-roonl, said that
he LEFT Scheller in the place about o'clock
in the morning. Another body was found
i'll the ruins, but was an rnrecognizable
mass, so that it was impossible to ascer-
tain whetherit was the body Of q, man or g.
woman. This makes mall fotty bodies taken
from the ftiins since the morning of the fire.
Twenty-three being identified, the loss of
life so far as known, foots up sixty-three
with twenty missing.