Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-26
THE LEVINE CASE.
Ewtaemce Regarding the Unite'
See So wuntan Fire.

EY1Gemce HegarOAmB
states Hotel Fire.
The trial of Robert Levine, who Is
charged with having set Ore to his saloon
in the basement of the United States
Hotel on the morning of January zo'h,
commenced in Judge McKinley's court
Yesterday morning, and is likely to last
several days. After the jury had been
secured. one of the attorneys for the
prosecution in his opening statement,
said he expected to prove that there
ware at the time the fire was discovered
about $50 men, women and children
asleep in the hotel above; that the fire
was discovered by employees Of the
Vienna Buffet across the street; that
they ran to the door of Levine's saloon
and saw flames rising from behind the
counter near the END of the bar; that
they saw the flames rising up to the cell
ing and turned in an alarm /;
that the firemen had to break
in the doors and that they smelt an oil
scented smoke; that they put out the tire
and examined the bar and found coal oil
in everything; that they both smelled
and felt coal oil, and in locker found a
bundle of straw and bunting saturated
with oil; that in a bucket under the
counter they found rags mixed with oil
and matches; that they found candle
burning in locker under the counter
and, running from the bottom of the
candle was towel saturated with coal
oil. that in another locker candle was
also found but it was out; that an empty
fiye-gallon coal oil can was found, and
also q gallon measure which smelled OF
coal oil; that Levine was the last person
at the saloon and had locked it up; that
he had an insurance of So 800, and had
tried to sell it for 81 900 some time he
fore, and that he had bought the coal oil
and the candles.
The first witness for the prosecution was
Ben. o. Rhoades, the auctioneer. He
testified that he had been engaged to sell
the stock and fixtures of the saloon at
auction by Levine sometime about Decem-
Der 2Osh; he went to the saloon and
talked with Levine who told him not to
sell it for less than $1,000. A
bid of 81 900 was made, and as
no one would bid more, Levine
told him to sell at that figure
which he did. The party who made the
bid, however, never completed the pur-
chase.
Henry G. Valke, an employee of the
Vienna Buffet, testified that on the
morning of the 25th, about II AS, he was
closing up and saw light in Levine's
saloon. He ran across the street looked
through the window, and saw fire
behind the bar. He tried to get in the
the door, but it was locked and he then
turned in the alarm. Shortly afterward
the firemen arrived and broke open the
door and put out the fire. The smoke
that poured out smelled as If it had been
made by burning coal oil. After the fire
was out he had gone down into the saloon
and had plainly smelled the coal oil.
E. Kierchaner, another employee at
the Vienna Buffet testified similarly to
the former witness and said that he
noticed that the flame was dark red, as
if made by burning oil. The smoke was
that of burning oil.
John Lee, the foreman of the Hook
and Ladder Company, testified that he
had ordered the doors broken open. He
had seen the fire back Of the counter aud
had smelled coal oil. He would have
called it an oil fire. He had investigated
the matter after the fire was out and had
seen bundle of straw, towel and a
quantity of rags burning under the coun-
ter. These were saturated with oil. He
had found the empty coal oil can and
also the gallon measure, which smelled of
coal oil. He rubbed bis hand on the floor
and found that it was covered with oil.
He was present when Detective Nc
Carthy opened the locker and saw the
candle standing on butter plate. The
candle was burning. He saw another
candle in another locker. but it was not
burning. He identified bundles of rags
and straw and bunting which had been
found under the counter and had been
saturated with oil. The case will be con-
tinued this morning.