The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-16

CASlAO, I6SUluCu tll1U W. 6a uS HOu W ullo
fire he kicked in tho middle door of the
store. The room was all ablaze. The
most of the fire seemed to be to the right
as one entered the room. The witness
said he could not tell whether the fire
started on the floor behind the counter or
above the counter. All the flames he said
were above the counters. The back doors
of the shop were looked. The shutters
ON the windows were closed. From his
knowledge of fires the witness said he
thought the fire might have been burning
ten minutes If it had originated from
natural causes.
George W. Hunt the proprietor of the
shop in which the fire occurred was the
next witness. He described the arrange
ments of the shop which was fitted up as
a fruit and confectionery store He val
ued his fixtures at $500 and his stock at
5000. He had clerk named Russell
Ludington, and the two young women
who have before been examined. He left
the store at $40 o'clock Sunday night.
He closed little earlier than usual on
this night because the last Casco Bay
boat had come in. The clerk had gone
home at Z o'clock. When he locked up
the store he thought he had told the girl
up stairs that he was locking up. Be-
fore he went home he had carried a lob
ster down to Mrs. Morgan on Wilmot
street. He sitaid there until 9 O'Clock and
then recollecting that he had left his
money in the trunk he went back to the
shop and got it out of the trunk. He
talked there with man from the revenue
cutter and another man until 9.35 o clock.
Then he went up to the Woodbine res
taurant and when. the alarm struck he
looked up at the clock and it was seven
minutes past ten o'clock. After short
time he went down to the fire and found
his own shop was on fire.
/. Going back to the closing up of the shop
before going home Mr.. Hunt described
how all the windows were fastened.
When he came back to the shop after his
money he did not go into the shop itself,
but went up stairs. 1t was then 9.a5
O'Clock, but he could smell no smoke and
saw no indications of fire about the prem
ises.
When asked what his idea of the origin
Of the fire was Mr.. Hunt said he thought
it had been caused by the rats setting
the matches on fire The matches were
in glass jar in the show case. The rats
are very numerous about the premises.
He said that he had seen rats about the
case himself.
"Do you think the fire was incendi-
aryi' asked the city solicitor.
81 don't see how anyone could have got
in there to set it. I have had some peo-
pie threaten me, but don't think any of
them could have done it,
"Can you account for the fire in any
other way than from matches?"
"Well the electric wires in the place
might have started it, said Mr.. Hunt
describing the location of the wires in
the place.
4. Witness said.he hadEbeen carrying 81, 600
insurance for about year.
Alderman Pagan asked what were the
nature of the threats which had been
made against him, and the witness said
that some men had said they would have
the witness in jail before year was out,
that they would smash his head. Witness
said one man had.said if witness got
$1,000 insurance, he would make $500, and
there has been considerable more talk
of the same. kind.
Chief Eldridge was called next. He got
to the fire five minutes after the alarm
sounded. The blaze was on the right hand
side of the door above the fire. He
thought the fire had originate above
the counter. Some Of the papers and
boxes under the counter were not burned.
If the fire had started beneath the coun-
ter all of this rubbish would have been
destroyed. The chief said he did not
think it possible for the fire to have been
going less than half an hour. The fire
might have gained the Roadway that it
did in ten minutes under certain condit-
ions, but not under the conditions found
in this shop.
The staple of rear shutter had been
pulled and this might have been done
before the fire was discovered.
The chief of the fire department. ad
mitted that he thought the fire looked
suspicious, but that it might have been
caused by the matches in the show case.
This ended the investigation and the
board then adjourned.