Milford chronicle., 1885-02-06
FIRE.! 4!
NARROW ESCAPE.
LARGE LIVERY STABLES
ENTIRELY CONSUMED.
THE STOCK SAVED.
Tla IlCGldiaTY in Jail.
A CALM NIGHT SAVES THE
BUSINESS PART OF
MILFORD.

Sunday morning last, While the cltl
zcns of Milford were generally sleep
ing, there was an alarm of fire
shouted Justify by huHdreds of fright
ened people. When those residing in
North Milford looked out Of ftheir win
dows, the sight that was before them
was truly alarming. Large sheets OF
blaze were shooting high in the air and
angrily tapping the Milford Hotel, the
Odd Fellows Hall and DR.. WIN. Mar
shalps residence. When it was gen.
orally known that the large livery
stable and carriage sheds of the Mil
ford Hotel were burning, every one felt
that the business portion Of North Mil
ford was doomed. Large pieces of
blazing shingles soon covered the roofs
of the buildings along Walnut street,
and the sparks and heat from the burn
ing stables made it almost impossible
to remain on the buildings threatened.
BrOOms, buckets and force pumps were
worked by willing hands, and as fast
as the buildings along Walnut street
| took fire, there was some one at work
to eXtinguish il.
It was evident from the first, that the
harness works of J. Lowery must
burn, as iI joined on to the stable; so
the entire stock was removed without
much serious damage. Then the large
queensware and grocery store of Mr.
WIN. B. Lowery was next thought of,
and as its destruction was certain, the
4gtock was removed but in doing this,
the careless maIne eF.- 81 g. handling by the
wOuld-be helpers, destroyed cOnsideHS
bly, over two-thirds of the goods.
Everything down stairs were taken
out; but the entire stock of wood and
willow-ware, and the stock of raw
hides in the second-stOry were lost.
Every effort was then made TO save
the kitchen of the hotel; for, had it
burned, the whole town along the
creek must have gone. Water was
poured down its roof and sides in con-
slant stream, but so hot was the fire,
that the men who did the work were
badly blistered.
The work of fdemolishing stables and
out-buildings was soon found to be the
only means of checking the progress
of the fire. DIR. Marshall's stables, adj
Joining those where the fire started,
were soon wrapped in 1lanes,and they
threatened the destruction of David
sons and Gray's block; but a calm
night was the only saving cause of
their being in existence to-day. The
COW sheds were torn away and the
contents of the wells were poured upon
the property nearest the fire, and as
the fire exhausted itself, feeling OF
hope returned; but it was long after
daylight before the danger was past.
All the furniture was removed from
the Milford Hotel, and the stores and
private houses along Walnut street
moved their valuable property to places
of safety.
There was no systematic work done,
but every man appeared to work with
a will of his own, and to this individ-
ual hard work, the thanks of adjoining
property holders are due.
Many houses kept coffee and biscuits
ready to serve to the tired workers.
THE INCENDIARY.
Soon after the first excitement was
over, inquiry was made as to the origin
of the fire, and the startling fact was
brought out, that a well-known person
had been caught almost in the act of
firing the buildings. The facts of the
case are about as follows:
About midnighton Saturday, Messrs.
Warren Baker, Thos. Reynolds and
n. T. Raughley had a can of salmon
in the gentlemen's parlor of the Mil
ford Hotel. They desired to have
plates and forks; so they went out the
back door to the kitchen where they
found Louis Purnell, a waiter. He
gave them the dishes,and they started
back to the reading room, and while
on their way Mr.. Raughley said to Mr..
Reynolds "there is man down in the
yard" Mr.. Reynolds went down and
found Frederick Voell1er,a well-known
barber of Milford, who has been re-
garded for several months az man of
unsound mind. Mr.. Reynolds asked,
"What are you doing here?" He re-
piled, "Come, let's get away from
here" They all came out of the yard
Mr.. Reynolds and his party gong
into the hotel and Voelker passing out
the gate. They are positive that they
saw no fire then but in very few
minutes they heard the waiter, who
had given them the dishes, cry out
that the stables were burning. AS
Voelker had been brOoding over a mis-
understanding that he previously had
with Mr.. Lowery, and the fact of his
being where he was at such an un-
seemly hour, led to his being suspected
and finally placed under arrest. At
the hearing before Squire Beswick,
he admitted that he set the stables on
fire. A man who worked with him,
testified that they both went home to-
gether, and that he retired, leaving
Voelker sitting by the stove; that Vo-
elker went out the side way about ten
minutes after he had retired, and that
the alarm of fire soon after aroused
him. On the presentation of these
facts, Esquire Beswick committed him
to Dover Jail, where he was lodged on
Sunday morning.
The loss was mainly covered by in
surance.
Mr.. Lowery will rebuild his stables
~. L,nct Ll-n..t L.nnE o., tI,n 100 .l.,...