The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-09-28
FIRE ON PREsLE STREET.
Acrazy ledger KIndIes a Bonfire in
the House.
suits the Greatest Sufferer From
His Insane Work,

Mr.. i. E. Curran lives at No. LOG preble
street, on the left hand side going north and
Wy near Inc Portland & Rochester railroad
s.ation. The house is two and half
S'oiied. and has SOFT of English basement
wnlcn is devoted to a restaurant. Mr.. Cur
ran also takes dodgers.
saturday night q man came into the
restaurant and asked Mr.. Curran for room.
ne was given one. with another ledger, and
went TO bed early as he said, he was not
very well. About 6 30 o'clock, yesterday
morning. Mr.. Curran was awakened by
tnick suffocatlng smoke that evidently came
from burning oil. He rushed to the kitchen,
whence the smoke proceeded. and found 1t
In flames. 1t appears the lodger who en-
gagged room Saturday night. had gone to
the kitchen without disturbing any one. He
had pulled from two clothes.lines, that were
hung across the room, quantity of clothes
and dresses, and piled them on the floor in
front OF the cook stove. Then he discover
ed can containing about gallon and a
half Of kerosene oil, which he poured all
over the clothes, aud sabout the stove. To
apply lighted match was but a seconds
work, and when Mr.. Curran arrived on the
scene, the ledger was jumping up and down
In the midst of the fire he had set, the flames
streaming from him as we'll as from his
strange bonfire.sUs1
Mr.. Curran seized the man and threw him
to one side. and ran ifor a bucket of water.
He was gone but a moment but when he got
back with the water, the ledger HAD returned
and was jumping up and down again In the
flames. Curran put him out second time,
and tried with the aid Of large horse blanket
to extinguish the fire. In the mean time the
neighbors had pulled In the alarm from the
box close by. and the department quickly
had on stream that quenched the blaze.
When put out of the house a second time,
the crazy mai. for such he was, ran to the
foot of the street. pulled eff his burning
trousers, and plunged into the Back bay and
made his way to the Marginal way. There
ne was seen running and shouting and some
men took boat and went over to the Way
and secured the lunatic. The patrol wagon
was telephoned for and the man taken to
the station, and then conveyed to the Greedy
hospital. lie was terribly burned about the
feet. legs, hands and back of his head. His
hair was nearly burned off.
An examination of his effects showed
several memoranda. One was an address,
"Mr. Thomas Rltch, Greenwich, Conn.,, p.
0. box 1885," Another said: "Mr. Thomas
Ritch, want my money from you before
Sept. Oath, 1884," Another bore this inscrip-
ton: "Due Rich Shorte S170 5000. Paid to
date. T. Ritch." In his vest pocket was
package OF money, including what appeared
to be several English gold coins. about the
size .of sovereIgns, but they were not
sovereigns, a five dollar note, and quantity
Of silver coins. The clothes were much
worn. At the hospital the man gave the
name OF Patrick Shorten. He is about
Thirty or thirty-fve years old. Another clue
to him is his railroad ticket over the New
York and New Haven road which was
punched at Greenwich, Conn.,. Sept. oath.
He had box of soothing powders and
bottle OF medicine evidently for nervous
trouble.
Mr.. Curran owns the house which was
considerably scorched about the kitchen and
up stairs where the flames found their way.
The house is insured for $1,000 with Prentis
Loring, and the furniture, clothing, &C., for
$500, with Mr.. Harmon.