The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-08-11
NEARLY M0DBED HER.
Excited Women Threatened Aged
Mrs Mary Leddy.
Accused Her OF Firing Her Store
and Endangering Their Lives.
Policeman Heency Interfered In
Time to Save Her from Harm.

As the result of the fire which broke
OUT shortly before ~ o'clock last night
| IN the four-story brick tenement 55o
West Forty-second street, there was a
! good siz ID riot. The greater number of
the twenty people In the house were on
| one side, and on the other was sixty
year-old Mrs. Mary Leddy, who keeps
the little candy store on the ground
| floor. where the flames originated.
The woman YVES accused of setting
fire to the house, and the timely arrival
of Policeman Robert Heeney alone pre-
vented violent assault upon her.
At 1l3O o'clock the policeman passed
| the house and there was no sign of fire.
Ten minutes later man walking
| through the street heard a woman
scream and saw a bright flash light up
the hallway of the tenement. He ran
into the hall, saw through an open door
that the room In the rear of the little
shop was on fire, then hurried away and
sent in an alarm, crying loudly as he
| ran.
| His cries and those of the woman who
had shouted first aroused the tenants.
The woman was Mrs. Leddy, who stood
in the back yard wringing her hands,
while the people In the house, without a
moments hesitation, ran down the stairs
| In their night clothes and out into the
street and yard.
| When Policeman Heeney arrived Mrs.
Leddy stood OF the front sidewalk sur
rounded by number OF screaming
women, who shook their clinched fists
| In her face
she moved her things out!" cried the
women. She wants the thousand dol,
house and almost roasted us alivev'
Behind the crowd of women there was
line OF sullen-faced men. They were
Leddy chung to the policeman for pro
ciinched fists were thrust before the
eSnrsed WITH fafe ma ana s Of things 5So
The hremen came and put out the
hre which did not get beyond the store,
before Heeney understood what Mrs.
| Lcddy was accused Of.
Then he heard disconnected story OF
| how the woman had moved all her fur
| niture out OF the house. also part OF her
| candy stock. and then fired the house.
II looked like serious matter and he
| wanted to place the woman under arrest
so he took hold OF her and told three
or four OF the complaints women to go
But that was different matter. and
| they began, to quiet down, Not one. of
them would so to make the complaint,
| ton them separately he found that they
hadn't the slightest ground for suspi-
cion Of incendiarism.
Fire Chief Giauel made careful en-
animation Of the place. The fire had
started il. the rear room. and Quilted
that as well as the candy store in front.
lie found not the slightest sign OF any
| thing suspicious. and said the fire could
easily have been caused. as Mrs. Leddy
said. by the overturning OF lamp.
| Mrs.. Leddy acknowledged that she had
moved some of her furniture out, for she
had hired basement al 645 West Forty.
| second street, and was going to live
ne to make the complaint, she was not
| arrested. The fire marshal was not even
| asked to investigate, as the fire chief
| did not think ii necessary.
Mrs. Leddy has lived in that same
house for thirty years. When her hus-
band died, eight years ago, there was
no one to support her, SO she opened the
| candy store and soda water stand. In
the neighborhood she is highly spoke
of, but recently she has quarrelcd with
the people In the house. The police do
not consider that there is any truth
In the story told by the tenants.