Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-21
THE FAILURE OF A CRIME,
Sensational Attempt at lncen-
diarism at Pomona.
The Night Watchman Does His
Duty.
A Store Found on Fire -All the contents
Saturated With Petroleum "A
Narrow Escape From
Destruction.

POMONA, May 20.-A bold attempt at
incendiarism transpired here last night.
At about II 80 p. m. as the night watch
man was passing in front of S. Frankeps
store, blaze of light illuminated the
interior, He at once fred pistol shots
as signal, and burst in the door,
when he was almost stified by
the smell of coal oil. ]. Leo Park came
about this time. The two hose COM
panies were on the ground in twin
king, but in the meantime Park and
the nightwatchman, Scrimminger, had
covered the blaze with blankets and
held it in check. When the foreman
arrived and turned on the water they
soon found that the whole store and the
goods on tables and shelving, as well as
boxes and the floor, were thoroughly
saturated with coal oil.
On surveying the situation, forty feet
of fuse was found leading from
small pasteboard box in the storage
room to the clothing counter in the front
room. The floor and clothing here had
been thoroughly saturated with oil, and
fve-gallon can, which had been opened
with an axe, was standing close by. A
long piece of cloth had been fastened to
the dress-goods shelves, stretched across
to where the fuse ended at the clothing,
thence to the other side of the build
ing, thence back to the dress-goods
shelves, and back to the fuse.
This was also saturated with oil.
A cloth had been run along the dress
goods and calicos, and connected with
this muslin, and saturated with oil.
Another line of fuse led from the little
paper box in the back room to within a
foot of the rear door. The outer cover
ing of giant powder cartridge was
found partly charred in the little paper
box, while the whole forty feet of fuse
was covered with oil-saturated cloth.
The powder had all burned out
of the fuse. and had the fire
been discovered five minutes later, the
whole building and the whole block,
and probably many more buildings
would have gone. Three cans Of coal
oil had been cut open, and with part of
the contents were in different parts of
the building. There were also some
basins with coal oil in them, and the
little water sprinkler used to sprinkle
the oil on the floor and goods, was
found partly filed. Watchmen were
placed on by the insurance agents and
remained until the arrival Of the Los
Angeles agents this morning.
The damage is considerable, although
but little was burned. learn that the
stock was insured for $4,000. Mr.. Frankel
was not at home, having left, as is his
usual custom, early in the morning on
his peddling wagon. The clerk had gone
up the valley in the afternoon, having
been sent on an errand, and as the store
closes at z o'clock he did not return. In
his absence q gentleman who sie q
stranger here attended store until 4
O'Clock, when Mrs. Frankel came
down and locked up the front
door, supposing the rear door locked.
There is mystery about the matter,
which will probably be unraveled.
NOTES.
The revival meeting under the minis
trations Of Evangelist Wight, at the
large tent on Main street, continues to
grow in interest. Twenty-one additions
have been made 90 far to the church.
The subject of next Sundays dis
course at the Universalist church is The
Gift OF Jesus Christ. In the evening
No. A of the series of answers to the
question, Does the New Testament
Teach Universalism will be given.
This is q review of the words OF Peter
and Paul in the Acts, usually supposed
to conflict with the Universalist theory.
8. Thompson was in Pomona yester-
day. and employed ]. @. Howard with
two four-horse teams to haul sand and
cement for the large reservoir above
Etiwanda, which is to store water for
use in Mr.. Thompson's placer mines.
Mr.. Fosmir, president of the Fosmir
iron works of Los Angeles, was in town
yesterday.
An apron sale and social and enter
tainment will be given tonight at the
Congregational church, under the aus
pices of the Ladies' society.