St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-19
A SUSPICIOUS TINGE.
Circumstances Surrounding the
Death of Peter Francis.


Peter Francis, the man who was so
terribly burned Tuesday night in
shanty on the Bohemian flats, died yes
terday afternoon at $50 at the city hos
pital, whittier he was removed Wednes-
day by order of DR.. Ancker. Mrs.
Thomas \. Cole, wife of the man own
ing the shanty. Ole Anderson and Eliza
beth Ecker, alias Katrina OleSOn, alias
Swedt Liz, are under arrest, pending
an investigation as to the events occur
ing on the night of the accident. Coro-
ner Quinn will hold all inquest this
morning. There are III connection
with the case certain features of
sufficiently suspicious nature to
justify the detention of the prisoners.
The shanty in which Francis received
the injuries which have resulted in his
death is one of those wretched habita-
lions to be seen at every turn in Be-
hernia. There four small rooms III it al
together. Anderson and the Eckland
woman live in one of them. Thomas
a. Cole and the woman he calls wife
occupied two others. and the fourth
was the sleeping apartment of the man
now dead. Peter Francis has been a
We!l-knoWn character in st. Paul.
SOme years ago he was employed by
DR.. Stamm as cOachman. and re-
manned in that gentleman s employ for
three years. Later he worked for
Lauer Bros. as stonecutter. He was
regarded as steady sort Of fellow until
his marriage with the woman
who now figures as Mrs. Thomas
Cole. After the marriage, Francis
Succumbed TO the influence of liquor,
and was several times arrested with his
wife for drunken brawls. Some time
ago he secured divorce from his wife,
who shortly afterwards married the
man Cole, her present consOrt, and has
since lived with him in the same house
with her former husband. When the
place was laided by the police last
night Cole was absent. The story of
the burning was given in the GLOBE of
"Wednesday. Returning at 1920 on
Tuesday night, tranciS stopped
Cooks saloon on the flats and asked for
beer. This was refused him by the
proprietor OF the place on the ground
that he had already drank too much.
The clothes were saturated with moist
uTe from his chin down, and the saloon
keeper remarked this, saying to Fran
els: You are all over beer now"
Francis replied that the stuff on his
clothes was kerosene and not beer, but
ne offered no explanation as to how the
oil got there He left the saloon and
started hOmeward. The Shanty in
which he lived is less than block from
the Azotine company's plant. Half an
hour after tie conversation given above
Joseph Heissler and a companion were
passing the shanty, when Francis ran
out. He was so horribly burned that
his flesh hung in shreds, and his cloth
ing was still on fire. Catching sight of
who ha
Francis said to him:
See what she has done to me-"
HeiSsler endeayOred to eXtinguish the
flames. but the mans sufferingS were 50
intense that he ran down an enbank-
ment into an open part of the river.
where he stood up to his waist sur
rounded by ice. Heissler met Special
Officer Behr on the beat and told him
of the affair. Behr proceeded to the
spot and, having conveyed the injured
man back to the Shanty, rung for ply
sician. Dr. Gelatt responded. and the
mans burns were dressed. His recov-
erp was considered doubtful at that
time. The statements of those who
know the relations under which this
strangely assorted family have eX-
listed, state that there has been
some uncertainty as to whether
Mrs. Cole was Mrs. Cole or
Mrs. Francis or Mrs. Jamison: in fact.
as to which of the numerous names her
successive cOnSortS have conferred on
her, was rightfully hers. When the
accident occurred the other night, the
Cole woman stated that Francis had re-
turned home drunk and had sat On the
edge of his bed smoking pipe. Falling
asleep. he dropped the pipe and set fire
to the bedclothes. The appearance of
the surroundings seemed to justify such
a theory, and it was accepted. The po-
lice have since been appraised of certain
facts which cast suspicion on some of
the parties under arrest, and an inves-
tigatiOn will be made. Mrs. Cole was
interviewed at the central station
last night. She denied knowledge of the
death of Francis. On the day of the
accident Francis and another man
named Martin had drunk between them
over quart of alcohol. Martin went
away in an Intoxicated condition. The
first she knew of the burning was when
she smelled fire from her rooms. She
went TO Francis room and found him
on fire. Taking an overcoat, she smoth-
reed the flames, and Francis ran out of
the house. The woman states that she
has been married to her present hus-
band seven years, having been divorced
from Francis nearly eight. Her first
husband, Jameson, died ten years ago.
She kept a boarding house, and all the
parties living in the house with her
were boarders. The Eckland woman
has given several different names since
she was taken to the station.