The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-04

she put on her clothes took few things
out or her desk and left the room. She
didn't go down cellar, and she did not
see any fire herself. When she went UP
stairs to wake the boarders she passed the
doors of several rooms, but none Of them
were open, though she heard afterwards
there was fire in some of the rooms. She
did not think of going down cellar with
a pail of water to extinguish the fire. She
did not know how large the fire was.
Some of the dodgers took out their cloth
ing and valuables, but she did not take
out anything of her own excepting foul
pictures and little box. None of the in.
mates of the house made attempts to lind
out where the fire WAS or to extinguish
it. She unlocked the cellar door and
looked down stairs but saw only smoke.
| When they got out Of door Mr.. Kane
and the boarders stood about the side
walk. She asked some one to ring in the
alarm, but didn't know who did 1t. She
was greatly excited. She didn't know
how the fire caught and had no idea and
couIdn' t account for any of the fires in
the house.
| Alderman Ilsley asked the Mayor if
the testimony taken before the board was
to be used in court.
Mayor Randall said that he thought it
could be SO used.
| Alderman Ilsley said that it didn't
seem right to him to examine this wit
ness in this manner. He said that he
wished the Mayor to inform Mrs. Kane
that she could have counsel present if she
W ished.
1t was found that Mrs. Kane did have
counsel present. Mr.. Hunt said that he
represented Mrs. Kane.
Alderman Ilsley said he didn't think
much of a law that made a grand jury
out of board of aldermen and gave the
accused no chance of being heard.
| Alderman Rounds spoke up at this
point and said the whole law was wrong.
''We have to sit here like mummies and
hear this testimony which we have moth
ing to do with and have no power to act
upon.
The Mayor suggested that the board of
aldermen did not make the law, but was
here to carry it out.
| Alderman Rounds-"What do we care
about jewelry? What have we got to do
with it any way9 We are here to find out
about the fire. What has the jewelry this
woman had TO do with this case?''
| The Mayor-"I presume the city So
licitor knows what he is asking these
questions for and presume he is trying
to establish motive.
Alderman Rounds asked Mrs. Kane if
she had been allowed to look after her
house since her arrest. Mrs. Kane said
| she had not and Alderman Rounds then
said he thought the house should be care
| fully looked after as the city might have
a bill to pay if it was open and neglected.
The Mayor SAID -e supposed the police
were looking after is, as it was their duty
| to do SO.
Alderman Rounds Supposed to be
| looking after things. I think they should
| be ordered to look after this house."
Mr.. HINT, the attorney for Mrs. Kane
| asked some questions of Mrs. Kane in re-
gard to the manner of her arrest and her
elCesUlhChV w OhO PoAlOO OAiOAesAos aO
police had sent for Mr.. Hunt as the coun-
sci at Mrs. Kane s request.
Mrs. Charles 81. Cloud said she had been
sick and was lying awake in her room at
the time Mrs. Kane began to wake the
boarders and cry fire. She woke her hus-
band, they dressed and went out onto the
street. They didn't know where the fire
was at the time, and after they got out
on the street they thought it was in the
basement Mrs. Cloud and her husband
had not been boarding at the house long
and didn't have much property in their
room, so they didn't try to take anything
out of the house. When Mrs. Goud and
her husband came down stairs they found
Mrs. Kane in the lower hall, wringing
her hands and crying. She was only
partially dressed. Mr.. Goud corroborated
the above facts and said he went to the
Chemical engine house to give the alarm
of the fire at some ones request. He
didn't know anything about the fires up
strairs at that time.
Incidental to the Investigation Insur-
ance Commissioner S. A. Carr had a
chanceIto give his ideas in regard to the
fire inquest law.
| Mayor Randall read the law on the
holding of the fire inquest by the NUM-
cipaI officers. Alderman Ilsley said he
thought the suspected person should also
be heard in every case. The alderman
| thought the board was Assem- bled for the
purpose of getting at the facts and moth
| ing else.
Insurance Commissioner Carr was called
upon.to explain the law, and said that
| the object Of the fire inquest was not to
prosecute or to prosecute, but simply to
get at the facts and see if the fire was
caused by design, accident or from care
lessness. "There have been fifteen fire in
quests in the state this year." said Mr..
Carr, land one man has been convicted
of setting fires, two more are in Jail. The
| law Is intended to protect property own
ers and insurance companies as we'll.
Alderman Leighton-"We have ex-
amined several mysterious fires in the