Middletown transcript., 1886-08-19
MIDNIGHT ARSON.

MRS, MARY CAMS HOUSE AT ST
GEORGES ROBBED AND SET ON
FIRE IN THREE PLACES AT MID.
NIGHT.-NARRow ESCAPE OF MRS.
aAM.-A. N. sUTToN's STABLE
ALSO BURNED.
The good people Of st. Georges were
irighttully alarmed between IL and !
o'clock on Saturday morning to find Mrs.
Mary Cams house, barn and other out
buildings all ablaze, with the chances
that the whole town would be laid In
ashes, as the burning tenementS were in
the heart OF the community. Everybody
turned out with buckets and 1egan to
fight the flames. The stable and OUT
buildings could not be saved, but at the
house by almost superhuman efforts tne
flames were extinguished after the inter-
ior. including the furniture, had been
fairly gutted. A. N. Sutton's stable ana
five tons of hay and twenty bushels OF
potatoes were also consumed; and II there
had been the least wind the Odd Fellows
Hall and several dwellings would have
gone down too.
It was the work Of an incendiary. The
house was fired in three different places
at the same moment, and the smell OF
coal oil was perceptible in two rooms
where the blaze was first seen. Mrs'
Gam claims to have been robbed of 81, 500
during the fire or that that amount was
burned. She was keeping the money IN
an ordinary closet and that closet was one
of the three spots fired. She says that she
drew the money from the bank only
few days before for the purpose of max.
ing an investment. She thinks the house
was robbed and then fired. The affair
has very mysterious appearance, and
presents questions for solution by the
insurance company.
Mrs. Cams buildings were fully in
sured, but her personal property is loss.
Sutton's building was insured but not its
contents.
A later version of the affair goes to |
show that the fire was the work of most |
incendiary. When Mrs.
Gam awakened she found the closet in
her bedroom on fire. She then rushed
tor the door but found it locked. As the
rest of the house had been fred in two
places, help was cut of by the stairway
aHa the poor woman had to be taken out |
,f the window by means of ladder.
She was more dead than alive, and had
iterally but a single garment left to her.
She says she had s1,5OO in the closet of
Ter room of which $3.50 was silver. As
zone of this silver has been seen since the
ire it is positively certain that 1t has been
tolen. She thinks the burglar, who must
ave been acquainted with her house and
Ter habits, entered the room, took the
money, poured coal oil In the closet and
ct It on fire, and then went out locking
Ter in the room. The key to her bed
DOM door is also missing. Both turpen-
me and coal oil had been used to set fire to
be rest of the house and to the barn. 1t
ooks like diabolical attempt not only
, rob her but to burn her to death. The
money she had drawn out Of bank few
ays before, intending to loan 81, 900
( It to her son James, OF Wilmington, who
as recently bought the stock and fixtures
f a saloon in that place from Joseph Sto-
exile. Mrs. Gam had been in the liquor
usiness at st. Georges, off and on, for
lany years until last spring when she
as refused a. license upon the remon-
frances on the part of number of her
sighbors. She has accumulated snug
and the property destroyed
: the fire, which was only a portion Of ,
,r wealth, was worth at least $4,000.
be total loss by fire and theft will exceed
,OO0.-Morning News. II