The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-21
The DEED OF A COWARD
Blanche Dssjardinss' Enemies Attempt
10 Burn Her Residence.
Prompt Discovery OF the Fire Pre-
vents Much Damage-MIss Des-
jardlnes' Theory As to the
Cause OF the Dastardiy Act.
special Correspondence Of the standard.

special Correspondence OF the Standard.
BUTTE, May ga d~astardly attempt
was made at an early hour this morning
70 set fire to the house of Miss Blanche
Desjardins, who was one Of the principal
witnesses for the prosecution in the Bar
riere murder trial.
Miss Desjardins Is proprietress of the
Central lodging house at No. 90 East
Galena street. She owns the house at
h q number, rents the lower part and
occupies the other story as a lodging
house.
In the rear Of the house is the shed.
Miss D~esiardins and a girl. who was sleep
ing with her, were awakened about 3
o'clock this morning by a noise in this
shed in time 10 see two men disappearing.
They had broken open the door Of the
shed, but had done nothing further.
Fifteen minutes later Miss Minnie An
derson, a Swede girl who occupies n room
at No. ~ East Galena street, saw n man
running at full speed eastward past her
door with a coal oil can in his hand
She Immediately thought some
thing was wrong and went ont
into the street. Near her door
Is the stairway leading up To Miss Des-
jardins' lodging house.
The door To the stairway was open, and
CHANGING up, Miss Anderson saw n roar
~ hst liFthitty nv keNt
the alarm 10 men In the Canadian res
taurant near by, and the flames were
speedily extinguished.
A STANDARD reporter examined the
place this afternoon. Al the top of the
stairway is a mail hallway. at the left Of
which Is Miss Desjardins door. The hall
way Is covered with oil cloth Directly in
front OF the doorway. the oil cloth is
burned black. The adjacent walls are
scorched as is the ceiling, while a lace
curtain in a window opposite the door
way is singed.
Miss Desiardins said this afternoon
"When the alarm was given n i went
out there, I found the flames had been
about extinguished by the men. There
was a big pile OF wadding and kindlings
half burned. There was a strong smell
OF coal oil. / have no doubt that this is all
OH account OF my position In b Barrierc
case. i have been told repeatedly since
the trial that l would be burned out. My
life has been threatened, and ! lave pecr
told that ! must leave town at once. The
man who l believe tried to burn me ont
has told mn that he will kcepat il until he
succeeds. l know who he is, u only
want 10 wait until ] get sufficient proof,
Ii ~ not one man only, ! believe there are
a score in h q game"
Miss Desjardins gave the reporter IN,
name Of the man who she believes per
petrated the deed, but for obvious reason,
the name is not given at present.
Miss Desjardins a y hat last Saturda.
her two pups were poisoned. They wcr,
fed outside somewhere and came into tn,
house TO die at her feet within five minute.
Of each other. To-day Miss Desjardins |,
endeavoring To rent her house. She cx
pended sD last week in papering ant
painting the hallway, work which will
now have to be done over again.
Miss Anderson, the girl who discovered
the fire, said To the reporter:
"Thc man was dressed in black clothe,
and had a tall gray hat. He was "a tai
man. l think l could recognize him agar
il ] saw him." II will be rcmembere,
that at the trial the attorneys for Barrier,
accused Miss Desjardins Of being thu
prime mover in "a conspiracy tn commi
Barriere. While il is not known for Ger
tain that the attempt at incendiarism wa
made with the consent of Barriere, IL 1
known that his friends have beer making
open threats in the matter, n IL is Ger
tain that such attempts will have a yer.
bad effect on the opinion the genera
public has of the case. Miss Desjard,n
has asked for police protection.