The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-28

third floor of the Harrington block. Ih1~
was also in the closet and did considera-
BILE damage. On July 18th there was an
other fire at 2.19 a. m. This was in the
Mccarthy building, in Monument square.
The whole Of the rear Of the store was in
flames.
On cross examination Mr.. Heckbert
took up all of the fires in turn and asked
Capt. Butler to describe the fires more
particularly and inquired whether or not
he had seen Mr.. Waite at any of them.
The witness had not seen Mr.. Waite at
any of these fires. Capt. Butler was
asked If he remembered of an attempt to
start fire in the Davis block just above
the Central Engine house on the same
day as the fire in the Harrington block.
The witness said he had no recollection
of any such fire. He had never told
any one of this fire to his knowledge. e
Tobias A. Burke, reporter for the Ar.
gus, testified that he was in the Chemical
Engine house the day the fire occurred at
the Harrington block and when Capt.
Butler received the still alarm it was not
quite 2.05 O'Clock in the afternoon. The
bell alarm was not pulled until some ten
minutes afterwards. Burke said he had
not seen Waite at or near this fire.
Mr.. Leighton of the firm of Hooper
Jun CO IClAuDOli. WdS TCCbll0o dud tCSul'
fed that Waite had been paid 90 cents for
| services from March Is until April first
Mr.. Leighton had stated when on the
stand before that Waite had first talked
with him about the protective patrol in
the fall Mr.. Leighton said he was rely.
ing on his memory when he made this
statement but the books would show that
it was later In the year. Mr.. Leighton
produced receipt from Waite for this
amount of 60 cents.
Charles W. Allen, auctioneer, had talked
with Waite about his fire protective
patrol system sometime in March. He
had not employed Waite.
On cross exaninationsMr. Allen said
Waite had made two prices to him, one
for casual examination and the othe1
for having keys to the store and going
through the place.
b. j.. Rodick, hairdresser at 500 1-2
Congress street, had discoved fire oDt
Saturday morning in coal bin, on the
| first floor. He had extinguished it him.
| selfsb he could not tell what month Il
| was. He thought it was early in tht
winter. The witness was not cross ex
amined.
Edwin S. Bean, printer, testified thai
on June s he visited the Harrington store
block and discovered a fire on the THIRD
floor He said his attention was called tt
the fire by Walter Bailey. 1t was in {
doorway to the left of the hall near his
room. He put the fire out with single
pail of water. The witness was not cross
examined.
Daniel B. Parker, clerk for Rines
Brothers Company, discovered fire OF
December 81, 1896 in the ]. Henry Rine
building at 542 1-2 Congress street. L
was in the scuftle in the blind attic ant
there was another fire in the water close
ON the same floor. The fire in the attic
was in some old rubbish.
On cross examination Mr.. Parker sail
he discovered this ire about 6.45 o'clock
When he saw the first fire in the blint
attic he had notified the Maehigonne en-
CINE house. When he returned from tn
engine house he discovered the fire in tn
water closet The outside door of the
building was not locked as the door i
open all night. He had not seen the fir
in the water closet until he returned
from the engine house because he has
not gone way up stairs. Witness ha6
not seen Waite at this fire.
At this point the court took a reces
until O'Clock.
The first witness of the afternoon was
O. P. Hodgdon. He is the Janitor of tn
Harrington block and has been for
years. In regard to the fire which oc
CURED in the Harrington block he sale
ne usu6llN MGnb " Oluu6I DctMooA Ou
and two o'clock. On this day he returned
just at two O'Clock and going up ont
the fourth floor he discovered the fire II
a closet. A lot of paper had been heape
IN one corner and was blazing f1ercely
He tried to put the fire out but could no
get any water and SO had a still alarm
sent in to the Chemical Engine house
He said it was only a short distance from
the Harrington block to the United State
Hotel
On cross examination Mr.. HodgdoI
said he went home on the day of thu
| fire at 10 O'Clock and did not return un
til O'Clock. When he entered the build
ing he heard the First Parish church bel
strike 2 O'Clock. He met man comin
downstairs with big box and waite'
for him to pass. The witness said b
walked up stairs very slowly and it too
him some time to do SO. When he reache
the top of the second flight Of stairs h.
heard the cracking of the flames ant
through an opening in the floor saw tn
tire He then hurried up to the fourt
floor and found the fire in the waite
closet The door is usually kept locked
but it is open evenings when the hall
night before the fire. Witness has th
only key there is to the closet. In tn
closet he found a lot of newspapers partl
consumed. The closet inside is sheathe
up some ways. 1t had also been val
nished. 1t was between and 10 minute
past o'clock when the fire was dis
covered. He undertook to put the fire on
with glass of water but after he ha
drawn the first glass the water stopped.
Mr.. Heckbert asked the witness ifss he
did not think that the water had ssstoppe
as if it7had been shut off on the floor be
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