The Dispatch. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1891-08-15
THE HOTEL SCARE
The Mystery Of the Spring
vile Fires is Solved.
NonsensicaI Theories Exploded and the
Truth Found Out.-The Astrologer a
Fake-Also the Chemical Theory-Al
Now is Serene.

\ most sensational affair occurred in
/ SpTlHgyIlle Wednesday and yesterday.
On the days mentioned the Boyer
House in SpringviIle has been the
scene OF some very mysterious fires,
which, to all appearances, originated
/ 10y some unseen power During tie
/ time OF the fires the town has been eN-
cited to the highest pitch, and some OF
/ the widest rumurs were set atiodt,
which did much to increase the excite
ment.
Hearing some wild reports of the
/ fire ii DIsPATCH reporter was sent over
10 SpriLgyIlle to get the straight OF the
story, and here 1t Is as given TO the re-
porter Uy the proprietor, Z. IL. Boyer,
aud his family, assisted 10y Marshal j.
/ E. Hall:
The fires first started on Sunday af-
! ternoon when the window curtains III
The parlor were nealIy consumed, AMI
/ considerable damage was done 10 tine
carpet. \ lady, one oil the Russell
| Dramatic Company, saw the blaze ana
by the prompt application OF water the
flames were soon tXtInguisted.
| No other fires were started until
tuesday evening. when The granary
/ took fire, and on Wednesday morning
1t again started to blaze, but tHls Time
on Tie opposite side. Both Of these
! we're noticed in time ana eN,ingulShed.
! Immediately after this Il cioghys-cloSeJ
under the stairway was Tired and Il
large amount OF clothing consumed,
! but this was also noticed and put out
| before any serious damage resulted.
| This was between and lOO'clock, and
| from that on the people OF the house
were kept busy eXtlngulShng fires,
| which seemed to start III every place at
once First the childreu's bed, IN Mrs.
/ Boyer'S bedroom, then upstairs in q
room the curtains OF the window were
| fired, The hat-rdck IN the kitchen was
then called upon, and from there rash
was made tor the piazza, Where d
mattress was Lurnlng. Then the Win
dow blind upstairs was the scene OF
conhagraton. The granary was next
on fire near where the first fire started
\ clothes basket in the kitchen, which
had only been in the house Il few
minutes, caught fire. The sample room,
which is situated about twenty feet
from the house, was the next point OF
interest for the fire hunters, as the
tableclOth on one OF the sample-ta tables
was on fire. This would no doubt have
proved disastrous, had 1t not been for
Il boy riding past, who noticed the
flames and gave the alarm. This was
soon eXtingulshed, and a stronger
watch was placed all rOun The house
by this time was like a fair ground,
hundreds of people being gathered
around, talking eXcltedly, one having
one theory, while another was
able to prove beyond a doubt
that he had the correct solution
of the mystery. To cap the climax OF
the days fires towel which had been
used by Mrs. Boyer, was seen to be on
fire in few minutes after she had laid
it down.
BY this time everything had been re-
moved from the house to the grounds
and strong guard placed around the
premises, by Marshal Hall. The family
were taken care of by friends and il
was noticeable fact that no fires start
ed in the goods while they were in the
lot.
On Thursday morning the premises
were turned over into the hands OF the
marshal and with the ey'VEliI lgqi u1 ,
l. II n-ilv everyone was eXLPl unLlISndXI
house, so that the crow
be content with looking xsl's =.
dows when they had Il chance. Tie
first thing on this morning to take
fire was bunch Of artificial flowers,
then the wall paper in the kitchen was
seen to belch forth flames while no one
was near it. and Immediately after this
a paper full of hops in the sink began
to burn,
Up until this time various theories
were advanced as to the cause of the
fires, but the prevailing idea was that d
chemical compound had been scat cred
around which caused spontaneous com
buStion. some gong as far as to say
they could smell the peculiar odor OF
chemicals and others declaring that the
flames had the appearance of tableauX
lights. An astrOlager who happened
10 be III town offered his soultlon OF
the mlstery which was to the effect
that the trouble had started on
July 18th. ana it would not end until
September 10Th The chemicals had
been scattered by certain man
which he proceeded to des-
scribe, the description being
hat of a man, whom some had unGer
suspicion. But how nicely these the
.
told. There were three men whose
suspicious rested on an inmate OF the
house. They figured that the Origi-
natOr of the fires must have thorough
knowledge of the house. These gen
tlemen were Marshal Hall, MS assist
ant, Mr.. Clark, and w. b. JohnStOne, q
nursery agent, who is regular boarder
at the hotel.
Ii, ,r T. csl,F,
sidering the situation, he resolved to
watch closely After the paper had
| been burned i'll the sink, he noticed "a
paper sack sitting in pan, the top 0l
it having been twisted and the losSe
part on TOP burned. lie picked it up
and remarked to the hired girl, who is
about 10 years of age, that it would be
an easy thing to set on fire She re-
piled that she thought So too. He then
started to throw it out, but changed
| his mind and took 1t into pantry and
placed it on a shelf He then entered
the dining room and lay down on a
sofa, pretending to 60 to sleep. The
hired girl followed HIM and asked if he
was sleeping. He replied that he was
| tined and did not wan TO be bothered.
! She retiaed into the pantry, which has
] Il uOOT IGtuluS IllIO jllc uIIlIuS IObAl
and one into the kitchen, she looked
cautiously around and closed the doors
As soon as the doors were closed John
stone heard a match struck in the pan
try. The girl came into the dining
room from the kitchen in a few sec
rnds, and he remarked to her, Il think
[ smell fire. - She answered $50 do l.,
and he immediately made a rush for
the pantry and found the paper in the
pan, on fire. He seized the pan and
threw it out doors, remarking to Mr..
Boyer, Take care of hat girl and you
will have no more fires.
The girl started to cry at that, seem
ingIy offended at being accused of start
ing the fires. Nothing was said to her
during the day until about O'Clock,
when Marshal Hall talked to her, tel
ling her to speak the truth and relieve
the family OF the buplen which they
were under, but she positively refused
to say anything. She talked to the
children several times during the day,
and u Sl ,p1 " hat vvOuld hn done tO her If .