Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-06
voN GRUTTKE HELD FOR ARSON.

vON GRUTTKE HELD FOR ARSON. The Cigar BOX Maker, Ills Wife and
 Foster Son Charged With setting
 Fire to the Burned Business BlOck
 on State Street ~ Losses Caused by
 the Fire.
 Carl Von Gruttke and his wife were ar rested upon warrants yesterday charging that they did, on the fifth of September, wiHully and maliciously as- sist, abet, counsel, cause and command one Victor Muhlich, of said city, to set fire to and burn certain private building then situate the proper estate of another; and by said firing as aforesaid did then and there feloniously, wilfully and aalici- ously burn and consume said building" Their result is the outcome of the de- structive fire early yesterday morning which nearly destroyed the large business block on State street near Wall in the top floor of which the Won Gruttkes carried on 8 small cigar box manufacturing busi- ness. Victor Muhlich, 8 foster son of Von Gruttke, was arrested by Officers Ahearn and P. Doherty as he was running from the burning building soon after the fire was discovered. The bond in each case was placed at $1, 900. Each tells different story about the affair. Only few min utes before the fire broke out, Muhlich and the Von Gruttkes were seen in front of the doomed building. Muhlich and Mrs. Won Gruttke claim to have been passing the building little time before the fire started. Muhlich says his employer wished him to go up stairs and get his books. He went up the two flights of stairs, secured the books, and as he was descending the lower stairs he slipped and fell in heap. He remained some time unconscious and when he recovered, he looked out of doors and saw the place in flames He rushed up one flight of stairs again and then came out the same way. This is denied by those who saw Muhlich come out on Wall instead ot State street. Detective Reilly believes that Muhlich jumped out of the ond-story window and rushed up Wall street.
 Won Gruttke denies he sent Mulch into the shop to get the books, as there was nc reason to get them. Mrs. Von Gruttke says that as they were passing by the shop Muh1ick remarked that he would go up in to the place and get a couple of dogs that were his. He did so and while he was gone she remained in the doorway on Statt street. Won Gruttke had returned home and was in bed ten minutes whe1 the fire bells rang His wife retired soo1 afterward.
 The police believe there was g adeliberate plan to burn the cigar box manufactory ot the Won Gruttkes for the insurance o1 $1 ,000. The couple had been negotiating for weeks for the sale of the business, ai they wished to return to Germany. The asking price was $500, but the customer considered the price too large and recently informed the Von Gruttkes that they could consider the negotiations off Muhlich is twenty-six years old and Vo1 Gruttke is sixty. Mulch was ar rested some time ago for forging his foster fathers name on note for $1 1000.
 The exact loss by the fire cannot be es timated until the underwater of the in surance companies complete their work A rough estimate is: New Haven Wire company $6,500, New Haven Rattan com pany STOOD, the Kelgum company $20O Von Gruttke $9OO, Whitmore Manufactur- ing company $2, 800, loss on the building owned by Damn Brothers s5, 900, total $22, 100. Of this probably one-fourth wal the water. The loss is nearly all covered by insurance Mrs. Gruttke was crying bitterly on State street while ths fire was raging and excliaming "We ar. ruined! We are ruinedl" and utterine similar ejaculations of woe. She seemed utterly broken and her tears and apparent ly sincere grief excited the sympathy anc pity of her neighbors on State street op pcsite the Hooker Carriage factory. Sht said that only the day before her husband had just got in new lot of dried wood fol his cigar business A rumor was curren yesterday that Muhlich had had bittel disagreement with Won Grottke the day before the fire. Won Grottke and wife art spoken of by their neighbors as quiet and well behaved. Muhlich was usually ac counted man not given to drink and af one who habitually got drunk.
 The Wire Goods company have not ye | decided upon the date for removing tt Aurora, Ill. Their business is growing and it is an industry which promises t. grow to large proportions.
 l The COURIER has advocated the estab l 1ishment of fire insurance patrol, or sal wage corps, in this city for the past fou ! or five years, but nothing has been don' about it. The recent fire amply demon strated that had such service been il operation here it could have done excellen
 service, as only about one-fifth of the los
 was by fire, the remaining loss bein caused by water which came through tn
 floors and down the stairways like del uge. An immense amount of water wa poured into the building from the fir
 steamers in drowning out the fire in tn
 top story. The fire at no time reache
 the lower floors.
 Every city like New Haven has alway
 had hard fight to get such service 6
 the one in question established, but whe
 once organized it would be soon consid
 cred indispensable By these means walt
 able machinery, stock and fixtures when
 fire breaks out, are covered up and pro
 tected from water, and large amount
 saved annually, not only to the insurane
 companies, but to the merchant and mar
 ufacturer as well. Besides this, great il
 convenience is ayerted, as the matter (
 delay in business is in great many il
 stances more loss than the damage by fiji
 or water, and no insurance covers this
 Many of our merchants and manufactl
 rers can testify to this.
 It seems as though some understandir
 might be arrived at between the city an
 the fire insurance companies carryin
 risks here which would bring about tri
 of this service. An agreement of the kin
 has been an impossibility heretofore owir
 to non-agreement in regard to Il
 amount to be assessed each of the co
 poration in regard to the expense {,