The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-12-09
EVENTS OF A NIGHT.
C. A. DEWEY'S BARN SUFFERS FROM
WORK OF FIRE BUGS.
SAFE BLOWERS MAKE A HAUL
John Donnell's Safe is Touched by the
Light Fingered Gentry--only Small
Booty seeured-No Clue to
the Perpetrators.

Tuesday night was very exciting
night for the fire department., police
and people in general Early in the
evening fireougs started a fire in G. A.
Dewey's barn on Market street, and
later expert safe blowers entered the
Office of John O'Donnell's coal yard and
managed to obtain small booty.
The fire called together a large
crowd of people, and while the origin
of it is not definitely known, it is sup
posed to have been the work of fire.
bugs. At the time of the fire Mr.. and
Mrs. Dewey were away from home and
some neighbor seeing the fire attempt
ed to send in an alarm from box 80,
but the box refused to work and an
alarm was telephoned in from the
Maple house. The chemical engine
was on the spot in a few minutes, and
they say that it could have controlled
the fire, but only one of the tanks of
the chemical engine was loaded, and
Dy the time this was expended gen
eral alarm had been turned in and the
department had all arrived. When
the hose was attached the firemen soon
got the fire under control. About 8
o'clock they left and the fire was
thought to be over However, about
midnight W. P. Robinson was passing
and noticed that the barn was blazing
again and notifying Mr.. Dewey, he
gathered some of the neghbOrs to-
gether and they managed to put the
fire out by means OF buckets. Retiring
to bed, the men we're again awakened
at o'clock, when the fire had again
gained good Roadway, The chemical
engine was again summoned and at
this time the blaze was completely eX-
tinguished. The barn contained two
horses, several wagons and other vehi-
cles, and quite little of hay and feed.
The fremen succeeded in rescuing the
horses and saved large amount of the
wagons and vehicles The building,
together with hay and feed, was al
most total loss. The building and
contents were fully covered by insur-~
ance.
Safe Blowers On North Side.
Some time about midniy ht this,
morning safe blowers blew open a safe
in the Office of John O'Donnell's coal
yard, and the manner in which the job
was done showed that the perpetrators
of the deed had some experience in the
art of safe blowing.
The men had carefully planned the
deed and must have been in the build
ing some time before the explosion oc-
Cured. The Office had been entered
from the rear end Of the building by
means of ladder. Before beginning
operations the telephone was carefully
plugged up so that there would be no
chance of the explosion being heard
and lots of time would be given for the
robbers to make good their escape.
About midnight, as Tommy Nader was
passing near the office, he claims that
he heard sharp report, but thinking
that it was on one of the boats in the
harbor, he paid little attention to 1T
and went on home. The explosion
must have been very violent one, as
the heavy iron door of the safe was
blown all to pieces and small portions
of it were blown through the west win
dows of the building. The men were
very poorly paid for their trouble, as
they only managed to receive about 81
as the remainder Of the contents of the
safe had been taken away in the after
fn
and will cause much greater loss
than the money taken from the cash
drawer The officers are already at
work on the case, but positively no
clue presents itself to assist in the solu-
ton of the mystery. The work was
evidently done by foreign talent, as it
is hardly thought that Kenosha has
any artists of the~safe blowing kind.