Morning journal and courier., 1886-03-30
THE wALL1NGFoRD ARSON CASE.


Damaging Testimony of Charles Man
vlle-He Gives Minute Particulars
of the Burning OF MOrse's Glass
Works.
The trial of Frank 81. Morse of Walling-
ford, who is charged with arson in having
caused his glass works to be set on fire in
1883, was commenced in the Town hall in
Wallingford yesterday morning at 1880 be-
fore Justice F. G. Bartholomew. Grand
Juror George M. Wallace, Charles A. Harri-
son and ex Judge Blydenburgh appeared for
the prosecution and William G. Case, L. NJ.
Hubbard and O. H D. Fowler appeared for
the accused.
The information charging Morse with arson
for the purpose of defrauding several fire in
surance companies on December Dc, 1885,, was
read and the accused pleaded not guilty. He
| is a young man of good appearance and
watched the case with close interest. He
| seemed to be quite cool and unconcerned.
Chief engineer of the fire depar. ment of
Wallingford, Amos S. Dickinson, was the
| first witness called. He was examined by
Mr. Harrison and testified to the location of
| the glass works and the fires there. He also
| produced diagram of the burned buildings.
Peter Whalen testified that he was fire
| man at the burned glass works at the time
of the first fire. He was discharged two
weeks before the December 20 fire. Shortly
after Charles ManvilIe was hired as
Waterman the witness discharged
| The witness also for time, while acting as
fireman of the glass furnace, was night watch
| man at the factory. He testified that Frank
Morse some time before the last fire told him
to shoot anyone who was found prowling
about the factory who did not reply when ac-
costed.
When Charles Manville was called every
eye was directed upon him. He appeared to
be about twenty-five years of age, light hair
and complexion and small moustache. He
was neatly dressed and told his story in a
straightforward way. He testified that his
home was in Roxbury, Conn, and in 1883
was boarding with Mrs. Shepard in Brook
| field. cone morning Charley Hall, brother
| of the Wallingford lawyers, came to see me
| and asked me if I wanted job in glass
shop in Wallingford. He said would earn
| SIT week and my board, and agreed to
accept the place. Hall told me to come to
WalIingford and go to Mrs. Cowles boarding
house. Then was to go to the glass shop and
inquire for Frank Morse and say nothing to
| anyone till I saw Morse 1 was to tell
him that he (HalD sent me there ard it would
be all right. did as I was told, coming
to Mrs. Cowles', staying there over night and
going to the glass shop the next day. I
waited till saw Mr.. Morse. 1 asked him
| what show there was for a job. He asked
| me if I was a glass blower and I said I was
not. I told him Charley Hall sent me there
to get 81 week. Morse took me over to
| Mrs. Welchs boarding house, told her I was
going to work at his shop and said he would
see she was paid On the way over he said
he wanted me to stay around the shop days
and learn to fire the furnace. When he got
back to the shop he told me to go below to
the cellar floor.
''He soon joined me and said he supposed
I knew about this thing. He spoke of burn
ing the shop. Said he had tried it once, but
failed. Said he wanted to learn me how to
work the furnace and the regular fireman pat
rickWhalen) would show me. 1 said did not
want to stay. He said we mustn't be seen
talking together.
"a week or two after we had the talk, he
sent me below to learn how to cut off the
clinkers. He joined me and said he wanted
to have the thing go as quickly as possible,
as the glass blowers were bounding him for
pay. He owed some of them two months
wages They were on strike and it would
be good time to have the place go, for
it would be laid to them. 1
said again I did not want to stay there. He
told me if I stayed he would give me one
| hundred dollars. I told him 1 would stay
| but would not have anything to do with it,
Next time had anything to say to Morse
| was down in the store or sorting room. He
| called me in to help him match some bottles
SO that he could get them out of the way be-
fore the fire.
"a few days before the fire Morse came to
Mrs. Welch's where 1 boarded and inquired
for me. He asked me if I was ready to go
over to the shop. I told him 1 was. We
went out and got into his sleigh and started
| over. There was in the sleigh box with
can in it which he wanted me to take to the
shop and hide. He carried the box and can
| into the factory and I followed. He did not
say then what the can was to be used for.
-Four nights before the fire Augustus
BOSNIAN came into the shop. Morse was
there. BOSNIAN said he had been below and
got the layout Morse said: All right; now
you had better go out so Mr.. Bloomer ian
employee will not see YOU
''The next night Morse said to me that he
thought it (the fre) would be that night and
well started. 1 told him I would have to
give alarm there was another fellow "a
fellow-watchman) there. Morse said he
could fix him all right. The next
night he came in and said
he did not see why BOSNIAN did not fire it
fire the place. the night before. He said he
had hired Gus BOSNIAN and Charles Hall to
fire the building and was to give them 800
each. Morse then asked them to go down
and fire the place, offering me 800; it had
got to be done and he had everything fixed.
That was all he said then.
''The night of the fire he came into the
shop and gave me two half pint bottles and
told me they contained whisky and
to drink if wanted from one
and to treat the other fellow
his fellow employed out of the other and
he guessed he would not wake up SO quick.
This was early in the evening. gave the
other fellow two drinks and sat down and
went to sleep. I sat down by the furnace.
Next saw smoke coming out from below. I
shook the other fellow and got him up. We
went down under the glass blowing shop into
the cellar. The smoke was 30 thick we
could not see the door. We next came out
and gave the alarm.
''Morse had told me not to give alarm
till the fire had good start. Next I came
down with hose. I saw BOSNIAN at the
time of the fire. He stood beside me and
said She's got pretty good start AZ
ter that ceased working for Morse, and
few days later returned home to Brookfeld.
'sI saw Morse the next day after the fire at
Stevenson's clothing store. Morse had left
an order for ten dollars worth of clothes for
me and I went there and got
the clothes from the clerk. Mr..
Stevenson found out had the clothes and
sent Officer Austin after them. met Morse
and asked him why the order was not good.
He took me down, saying he would make it
all right. HIS paid for the clothes and gave
me ten dollars besides paid Mrs. Welch
myself some of my board money, but not all.
Morse paid some. Morse, beside the SO he
gave me- sent me $S5 worth of pork to
Southbury through Bartholomew & Coe, of
Meriden. The next April after the fire he
sent me $40. At another time $40 came to
me from him. In all $85, counting clothes
and pork. He promised me more. About
two weeks after the fire I came here in re-
Spouse to a letter from Morse. He paid my
expenses"
Mr.. Harrison here asked Manville to re-
peat conversation he had with BOSNIAN
about the fire. The question was objected
to and withdrawn temporarily by the prose
cution. The theory of course is that after
Manville had given the other Waterman the
-drugged whisky BOSNIAN sneaked in and
fred the shop.
The noon hour having arrived, an adjourn
ment was taken until 1 o'clock.
In the afternoon the cross-examination of
Manville took place, and on its conclusion
the hearing was adjourned until next Satur
day.
A Well Known New Haven Lady Dies
at Waterbury.
Mrs Grace B., widow of William G. Peck,
formerly of the Twenty seventh regiment.
died at Waterbury yesterday of Brights
disease. Mrs. Peck had numerous friends in
this city where she passed her girlhood and
unuob IF har a1 life Tbroa m rriad op1