The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1895-08-08
B. ROSENOW'S STORY
THE FIREBUG RELATES HOW He
SET THE BIG FIRE.
THE FULL STORY HE TOLD
He Says Robinson Was His Accomplish
The Preparations For the Fire.-A
Surprise Sprung by the Defense
on Rosenow.
(From MONDAYS Daily J

/. Bloch, Louis jacobson, Isaac Robin
son, Frank Schaefer, Abe Levine and
Bernhard RosenoW, on a charge of
burning down the plant Of the Chicago
Bedding company came up before JUS
tice Slater this morning at 10 o'clock.
The trial was at once. adjourned to the
circuit court room. Here assembled
all the defendants and attorneys. F. F..
Reed, of Chicago, represented Louis
jacobson; W. G. Forrest represented
Isaac Robinson; Cavanagh & Fisher
were for Messrs. Perren and Bloch; T.
F. Dankowski, of Chicago, stood for
Frank Schaefer, and D. G. Lloyd for
Abe Levine. The state was represent
ed by District Attorney Buckmaster
and j. Y. Quarles, of Milwaukee.
By agreement the attorneys plunged
into the center of the case. After c. A.
Tarbell had been called to the stand to
prove some deeds and transfers Bern
hard Rosenow, the confessing defend
ant, was placed on the stand.
His testimony runs as follows:
live at 1T Newberry avenue, Chicago.
| met these defendants in Chicago in
June. l knew Perren, Robinson and
jacobson before June l. l had never
been here in Kenosha nor at the fac
tory of the Chicago Bedding company.
Isaac Robinson was the first man to ap-
proach me. He came to my house.
There was no one there but us two.
Robinson said there was a chance for
me to make a few hundred dollars.
Then he went on to say that the Chi
cago Bedding company wanted to burn
up its plant. He said it would have to
be done soon. This was the Wednes-
day previous to the fire, June 20. He
said he was to get ST. 900 for doing the
job and would get $500 of it and he
would stand all the expenses. | said |
didn't want to 60 into the scheme. He
met me again Thursday. This time he
said Mr.. Bloch had kicked and did not
want me in the deal Robinson insist
ed I must go and | told him Thursday
night would go. We met at the cor
ner of Polk and Halsted streets the
next morning. 1t was about o'clock.
Robinson said he had everything pre-
pared. We went to Jacobson's at $50
West Polk street. There were five
barrels of benzine on the sidewalk. We
had horse and small light wagon.
Then we went to a saw mill and got a
| bag of sawdust, then from there to
| Western avenue near Polk street. We
went to Harding Bros, timers and
hardware dealers. In the shop here
we got some big square cans made of
tin. They would hold about sixteen
gallons apiece. There were some box
es there made to fit these cans. There
were four OF the boxes, each made to
take in two of the cans. We put three
of the barrels of the benzine in the cans
and then loaded them on to the wagon
The two other barrels were next loaded
on. At the same place Robinson had
about $50 or so tin troughs made about
two feet long apiece. We loaded them
in. Then he bought a lot of hook
screws, small tin sprinkler and tin
bucket. These in the wagon we COW
cred all over with canvas. We got
started at 1l:30 a. N. When we had
gone little way tire began coming
off one of our wheels and we had to
stop to get that put on. We fed our
horse here in an empty lot. Then we
took the old Milwaukee road to Keno
sha. When we got to within about ten
miles of Waukegan we had to stop over
night at Carl Frecto's.
Next morning when we got to North
Chicago Robinson went to the tele-
phone station and asked jacobson if
everything was alright in Kenosha and
what time we had best get there in.
He came back saying everything was
alright and that we must be there by
3 o'clock. We stopped on the Wiscon-
sin side of the line with man by
the name of Hanks for dinner. Along
the road we bought two dozen eggs Of
a grocer and had farmer boil them for
US. In keeping the road we always
inquired for Racine. We never said a
word about Kenosha. When we got
here we Grove up to the factory around
by way of the Sanitarium. We got
there at 3:45 p N. Bloch and Perren
we're both there. They came out of
the office to meet US. We went into the
office with them. Perren said the
engineer was still there and he would
get him out of the way. AS we started
to take all the stuff off the engineer
stepped up. Block stopped operations
and told us We would have to wait I'M
til o'clock so that all the men would
be gone. In the mean time Perren be-
gan to gather up all the books and