The Portland daily press., 1898-01-22
FIRE INQUEST ENDED.
Servant Girl Was Most Important
Witness Yesterday.
SHE GAVE HER TESTIMONY WITH
MUCH RELUCTANCE.

Broke Ont-Twe Little Girls We're Vls-
itlne Their Aunt at the West End.
The long protraoted inquest on the FIRE
at the Dominion or Terrace house was
brought to an end yesterday afternoon.
All of the evidence in the case having
been heard by the board of aldermen and
the testimony having been taken down by
Stenographerl Barrows it will be trans
cribed by him and formal report made
to the insurance commissioner Of the
state. To the commissioner the evidence
will be forwarded with whatever recon-
menaations or findings the board may
arrive at. 1t is probable that the board
will report that the Terrace house fire
was of ineendiary origin and may re-
quest the ecommiss Toner to take some action
in arresting the guilty party or parties.
Miss Dugan, the servant at the Domin-
portant witness in the case. She was
present on the first day of the hearing
but did not come the second day. She
was found on investigation by City
Messenger Macgowan to have left the
Dominion house after the fire and her
whereabouts was unknown. Tho city
messenger started out to do little de-
tectiye work on the case and after hunt
ing about for some time found boarder
who knew where Miss Dugan had gone
when she left the Dominion house. The
city messenger traced the girl to Green
street, but found that she had left the
house there and gone somewhere else. He
nosed around a while. and finally found
the girl on Fore street. She was unwill-
ing to appear before the aldermen but the
city messenger rendered her the fee of 60
cents and a summons and she finally
decided to appear It yesterday afternoon.
ssssThe board having been called, to order,
Miss Helen Dugan, the servant at the
Dominion house. was called as the first
witness. She came here from St. John
three weeks ago and did general house
work for MIR. Niles. Witness did not fill
the lamps nor did she have anything to
do with them. She never saw the Oil can
in the kitchen and had nothing to do
with the oil. Witness's room was near
the kitchen. Mrs. Niles has five children.
Two little girls were away from home
the night of the fire. The other three
children were at home. Witness went tn
bed the night of the fire at.eight O'Clock.
The first she knew about the fire was
when she heard severalknooks at thsiaoor.
She was very badly frightened and the
remembrance of the night go full of terror
for her brought on fit Of soboing. and it
was some time before she recovered her.
self.
Witness put on her wrapper end went
across the street to the house Of Danish
family where Mrs. Niles and the children
were. Witness did not see any kerosene
oil in any of the rooms the day before the
fire. Anthony, the porter, helped the
witness take her trunk ont of the house.
1t was Anthony who filed the lamps and
had charge of the oil can in the house.
Miss Dugan appeared to be q very re.
luctant witness and answered nine-tenths
of Mr. Morrill's questions by stating that
"she knew nothing about it, She did
not even know the number of people In
the house. She said she was terribly ex-
cited the night Of the fire and did not
know what she was doing. She was ex-
cited because some one raped on her
door, but she didn't know the house was
on fire. She couldn't tell why she was
excited, or why she grew excited when
some one raped on her door.
Miss Dugan again rslapsed into tears
and sobbed Historically for some minutes.
It seemed impossible for the young
woman to control herself and she could
not answer many of the city solicitor 8
questions.
Two little girls Of Mrs. Niles were
away the night of the fire for the first
time since the witness had worked for
MIR. Niles. 1t was a very unusual thing,
SO the witness said, for the children to be
absent from the house. Witness made the
bed In room number eight on Sunday
morning. There was straw mattress on
the bed then. She was very sure 1t was
straw mattress and not a wool top mat
ress. There were several wool top mat
tresses in the house. but she had never
seen one on the bed in room eight.
Anthony Downing, the porter at the
Dominion House, formerly worked at the
Match factory, but got hurt and had to
give up his work. He pad for his board
with Mr.. Niles by working about the
house. On Saturday he filed nineteen
lamps. There was five gallon can of
oil in the kitchen and small one gallon
can was used to fill the lamps, which
were up stairs. When he had filed the
lamps there was left about two gallons OF
oil In the big can and some in the little
can.
The witness occupied room opposite
number eight on the second floor. Sun
day night witness returned homo at nine
O'Clock. At that time three OF
four were sitting in the kitchen. Witness
went to bed at 10. 80 o'clock and described
how he had been awakened by a police
man. After witness had filled the lamps
on Saturday and left the small oil can OF
the table In the hall. Witness had never
| broken lamp in the house nor had he
ever seen broken lamp about the place
| He had never spilled any oil on any ol