The Portland daily press., 1897-10-19
MAY HAVE BEEN A FlREBuo.
Strange Actions of Man ON Congress
Street Early Sunday Morning.

Without specializing in any manner up
on the occurrence it would perhaps be
we'll to tell just what was witnessed by
the lady who saw the affair and leave the
readers to draw their own conclusions
from the story. 1t was about half past
one o'clock or perhaps little later Sum
day m orning. The wind was blowing
gale from the northwest and the houses
on the slope of Congress hill were ex-
posed to the full strength of the blasts.
In one house the wind shook the building
SO much that the children asleep in on @
of the rooms in the upper story were
awakened by it and ran in fright to their
mothers room. The mother found 1t
difficult to sooth her children into going
to bed again and while trying to comfort
them happened to look out of the window
towards Congress street. The house from
which she witnessed the mysterious pro-
ceeding is situated on Crescent street and
the long steep hill slide below. Near the
house recently erected by Mr.. Freeman,
| the lady saw the figure of man crouch
| ing over something on the ground. She
watched him for fully a minute and for
that space of time was unable to make
out what he was doing. Suddenly she
saw a fire spring up from q heap of
rubbish which had been collected on the
hillside. The sparks from this fire which
was famed into a fierce blaze by the
heavy wind went flying up the hillside
towards the dozen or more wooden house
on Crescent street and especially towards
the house of Mr.. Freeman.
AS the woman watched the fire she saw
the man go across Congress street to the
new house which is going up just below
| Weymouth street on the northerIy side
and in few minutes he came back to
this fire with an armful of boards and
| kindlings. These he threw on the blaze
and the sparks continued to fly up the
hillside In clouds while big embers rolled
along playground by the force of the wind
were threatening the houses above.
The man made another trip across the
street for fuel and the woman continued
to watch him. She was very much
| frightened, but hesitated about alarming
the neighbors as she was afraid of the
man and was not sure, but that he had
some good object in building the fire
though it seemed to be reckless thing to
do in that locality and with the gale
which was blowing. After a time the
| nan ran down on to the sidewalk of Con-
gress street and for some time remained
in one spot watching the result of his fire.
Then he walked on down the hill as the
| flames grew and the sparks became more
| numerous and every few minutes stopped
| to look back at the fire. Finally he disap
peared from sight altogether, and Tor a
long time the fire burned away on the
hillside. until at last 1t burnt itself out.
Meanwhile the woman watched the sparks
houses in the vicinity were on fire. U ntil
the few glowing embers had died away
and nothing but cold ashes remained to
mark the spot where the fire had been tine
woman sat in the window keeping watch
over the houses in the vicinity. She did
| not dare alarm the neighbors because she
couldn't do that without going out of
| doors and this for woman all alone with
her children seemed to be big under
taking. What this fire was started for and
who started it is mystery. The people
on Crescent street believe that it was the
work of would-be firebug. The woman
thinks she can give pretty fair de-
scription of the man who started the fire.
The matter is being Investigated.