The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-27
NINE LIVES In PERIL.
THOSE WHO WERE IN DANGER
Continued from Page I.

THOSE WHO WE'RE IN DANGER
Above the stores are two tenements. The
second floor Is occupied by MIR. and Mrs.
friend named Eastman and an unknown
lodger who came there for the first time
last night.
On the third floor was Edward Warner,
an old man totally blind; Clinton De-
Mum, Lena Carlton and Mrs. Martha
Elliot. All of these people were abed and
asleep and knew nothing OF their danger
until this forenoon when they were in
formed by the reporter.
THE INVESTIGATION.
Officer Place investigated the premises
and discovered, in addition TO the can
and candle,a quart bottle which had con-
tanned the kerosene. These were taken
to the fifth Police Station and the case
was reported by Lieutenant Lawrence to
Fire Marshall Winsor aud the Board OF
Fire Commissioners. They asked for po-
lice assistance and Chief Baker coDsid-
cred the case to be of sufficient import
ance for his personal supervision and ac-
cordingly he Visited the premises.
THoREN WAS NOT INSURED.
s. q. Thoren, the proprietor OF the
laundry, fully realized this forenoon that
in saving his property from fire he had
not escaped all annoyance resulting
from some other mans frustrated at
tempt to commit arson. He was
|. the only man known to have access to
his own property and he seemed to dread
the accusation of being the fjre bug him
SELF With that in view he told the news
paper reporter at least half dozen times
that he was not insured for sinlge cent
and asked them If they would please
publish that fact. An investigation sur
stantiates his claims and IL the fire had
wOnld n
thousand dollars worth OF property upon
which there was no insurance whatever.
Chief Baker was also told about the
lack of insurance, but, in the language OF
the police department. he "put the, screws
onn and told Thoren that he would he
obliged to suspect him of some connec-
tion in the affair unless he divulged all
that he knew and stated and explained
every Suspicion.
Thoren evidently had suspicious put he
was unwilling to talk freely.
MRS THoREN TALKS
His wife, however, was interviewed in
the meantime by a News reporter and
she made same very interesting state
ments. Mrs. Thoren Is the real mandger
of the laundry, end takes care of the
business during the day, while her hus-
band works at his trade as a cabinet
maker with Morelock * Boyer at lat Dor
rance street.
The first question always asked in a
case Of this Kind is shave you discharged
any employees lately who might have a
gruoge against your To that question
Mrs. Thoren gave decided negative.
Then she talked about her neigh Dor who
keeps the grocery store.
Ihe grocery store is a small place separ-
/ ated from the laundry by thin wooden
partition, and there is only the width of
the moulding between their front doors.
| fhe rruprferors of the store are Theodore
Granlund, Neils Bercander and George
Bercander.
Their property was insured the first of
this month for $1,000 In the German
American Company through the agency
of Arvid Jansson at 362 Westminster
street.
This Statement relative to .the insur-
ance was made this forenoon by Agent
Jansson and oorroborated by.grocer Gran
lund, who a'so said that his property is
worth $500.
Mrs. Thoren made these statements
atout the insurance, and then told of the
hard feeling between her husband and
the next door neighbors.
There was quarrel, she said, about
lease growing out OF the fact that both
parties wanted TO rent the whole lower
floor from the wilmarth estate. and one
would have TO get out. She also said that
during the,five. months that the laundry
other half had made it as dissgreea Die as
possible by banging on the PARTITION and
Masking ii so uncomfortable that several
employees had left and that the Granlunds'
latest trick had been to stick up laun-
dry agents sign in front of his gro-
cery store 10 steal the trade. Thoren
has formally complained of these things
and the two proprietors were not on
speaking terms.
THE BAKING POWDER CAN.
Theodore GrsnIund vas equally com.
municative this forenoon and talked
about his Insurance. and his neighbors.
but evidenced great surprise when he was
told that an attempt had been made dai-
ing the night to set fire next door, not
withstanding the fact that there had been
a steady stream OF officials to the place
and that a policeman had tried the key to
the laundry door to see IL it would fit the
lock OF the grocery store, and he asked
il it started from the fire in the drying
room stove.
When the News reporter asked Gran
lund fer his foil name, the latter handed
him his business card, which, bv
strange coincidence, was decorated with a
fac-simile of the small, green labeled
baking powoer can, such as was found
over the candle.
CoBwEBs IN THE WINDOW.
Ihoren lett his laundry last Digf at 10
o'clock-the string On the Sidewalk was
discovered at o'clock.
The can with the vent holes and the
candle and the kerosene and the string
must have been arranged between !
and O'Clock. For at ] officer Place re-
lieved officer O'Brien at the corner of
Chestnut and Clifford streets, and there
was no string there then. The plans were
so well arranged and the prepara,io ion OF
the paper and the 700 packages of laundry
was go elaborate, That IL must have taken
nearly an hour, ana the police ere conf
dent that the bastard was in that vicinity
at the time the relief squad came out,
waiting for an opportunity TO do his
work. Another fact is equally obvious
he must have entered by the front door
for the window castings are all covered
with undisturbed cobwebs, the back
door was bolted on the inside and there
is no break in the scale of rusted
iron which covers the unused lock.
and Furthermore there were hslf a dozen