The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-29
TO ANSWER FOR ARSON
A Fire on Stanley Street With Sus-
picious Circumstances,
WHICH LEAD TO AN INVESTIGATION
And Results in the Arrest of w. NJ.
Maroney aud wife for setting
Fire to Their House.

About O'Clock yesterday morning tuere
was fire at &c Stanley street under such
suspicious circumstances that CHIEF oil tue
Fire Department Ravcll instituted an in-
oury into it's cause through the medium
OF an inquest conducted by Justice OF the
Peace W. b. Hin.
The house was owned and occupied by
w. NJ. Maroney and wife aa1 the cireum-
stances of the fire are best related by the
testimony at the inquest. of which the fol-
lowing is a synopsis:
Mrs. NJ. A. Funston-That she heard
fussing in the Maroney house and the NOV
ing of things before the alarm OF fire was
given.
II. Dissen said: When he got to the
place Of the fire he found the gate loskeu'
also the doors uf the house He and an
other fireman broke open the door ana
commenced using the chemicals. He FOUND
mattresses on fire on two different rooms
and what he took to be kerosene oil on the
floor
Frank McGoweu. captain OF No. nose
COMPANY. said he saw oil around on tine
| front porch. The wardrobe was empty and
it appeared as though things had peeh
moved out He saw lard under one OF the
beds that was on fire.
| y. p Wilson, a neighbor, went over and
found the house locked, but saw Mrs. Ma
roney inside. He haloaed to her, but she
did not heed him He saw what ne LOOK
to be oil on the front gallery.
| Jim Reilly, who lives in the neighoor-
hood said Mr. Maroney came to him about
| . a m and said his house was on hre
| Went there. but saw no fir'. The BACK uoor
was then wide open. Started home. heard
some one halloa fire, went back aud saw
fire then in three different rooms Inc
Z ,IN.- l-al
MIR. E. A. Daniels. another neighbor,
| testified TO discovering kerosene oil on the
| gallery.
Joe Rails testified to getting into the
house and finding what he took to be lara
smeared upon the bottom OF one OF the
mattresses that was on fire. There was
| also lard on the floor under the bed. VIII
moss found a lard can partly empty. also
two lamps. one had no burner and was
| empty the other was empty with the
burner on. but not screwed down. There
was a smell Of turpentinc in the middle
room and a spot on the gallery that ap-
pearsd to have been made with oil.
officer John Smith testified to dlscov-
! erng oil poured around on the iloor anu
having arrested MIR Maroney and taken
him 10 the station house.
Mrs. Maroney and MIR. Naroney, the oc-
cupants of the house ard the aecuSeu'
| made sworn statements as follows:
Mrs Maroney said she was asleep Mhen
the fire occurred and did not know how
it started. She first smelled the smoke
and opening the hall door she c'acoFereu
the fire She then took her chll:ch out
the back way. The children were al,
asleep at the time. She then TOOK TRUNK
full of clothes out; also little altar and
a satchel. She called MIR. Maroney UP
when she called the children. he was
asleep. Mr.. Maroney carried out BOOK
case. Witness was across the street "hea
\ hn NIL
and she WAS burning candles The TRUNK
was already hacked. She had kept IL pack
ed for TWO years. Ii contained clothing OIL
the children. her husband and herself. she
had the property insured for SItl on DOLE
house and furniture.
Mr.. william NJ. Maroney stated Nat he
! went to bed about 9:20 or 10 o'clock. Whe,
he awoke he smelled fire and went out TO
look for It. He saw no fire at the time.
: He did not remember that his wife called
him. She was up when he awoke He
told his wife he smelled fire. She said
5 she smelled it too He took out stand
4 that contained some powder. Witness
did not know where the fire was He did
see any fire and did not know that there
| was a fire there until the firemen came,
i He and his wife mad some fuel in the
afternoon. Witness went to bed between
. and 10 O'Clock Did not know when HE
wife went to bed il she went to bed al
all. She was dressed when he got up.
Upon the above testimony the jury re-
:, turned the following verdict:
u I'VE. the jury. find that w, NJ. Maroney
: and wife, Lena Maroney. did on or abou,
the hour of a M, June 2s. 1897. set the
!, house occupied by them on Stanley street
on fire.
Signed: William Hartung, ]. J. Sweeney
y l.. ]. Tufiy. j. A. Winckler, G. Linen
It lorger and T. l.. Bailey.
a Upon this verdict warrants were issued
VI for the arrest of the defendants, and they
II were remanded to custody
n