The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-28
The Conviction IL Forced on the
Authorities of Butte.
A HUNT FOR THE FIREBUG
Two Boarding Houses Burned Within Q
Week Under Nearly Similar Cir
cumstances - Has Butte q
Professional Ffrebug?

making such Roadway before they
were discovered that the inmates were
compelled to flee for their lives. has
forced a conviction upon the authori-
ties of Butte that a firebug is oper-
ating in Butte and steps are now be-
ing taken to ferret out the miscreant
and bring him TO justice, or at least
prevent another disaster.
There were many who held the opin-
ION that the fire at the Hale house was
Of ~incendiary origin. but there an
peared so little excuse for the commits
sion or so dastardly a crime tina il did
not become the general belief at that
time. NOW, however, that another
boarding house that harbored Anacon-
"a men has been fired. under almost
technically the same circumstances. the
opinion that an ~incendiary is at work
mas become a settled conviction with
every one familiar with the facts. Who
the miscreant can be. no one at pres
ent seems able to even form a conjec-
ture. The prevailing opinions are that
.ae nres were started by some man
VINO considers he has a grievance
against the Anaconda company and
thinks he is getting even by wreaking
vengeance on its miners. or else that a
PROFESSIONAL firebug has come to Butte.
Whatever the facts may be, the au-
tnorities nave taken the matter i'm hand
and II will go hard with the guilty par
ty If he is unearthed.
A Settled Opinion.
1t has been a settled opinion of Chief
tlannery Of the fire department from
the first that the Hale house was set
on fire, and he feels even more positive
that Yesterday mornings fire was of
~incendiary origin. Mr.. Flannery said
yesterday; Il cannot see how it Is
possible that either OF these fires could
have started otherwise than by being
set. The Hale house had been running
Two or three years and every morning
a fire was started under the bake ovens
the same as ii was the morning of the
nre. III seems to me that IL there had
been any show for the house to have
caught fire itself it would have done
SO long before. We are told besides.
by Mr.. Haggerty, that after he took
the house improvements, were made
with a special view to providing
against fire, and every place where
there was any danger of fire catching
was lined with iron. / cannot see.
therefore, how it could have been pos
sible for the fire to have caught other
wise than by design. The fire in Null
Inns boarding house / regard as proof
almost positive that these fires were
set. for there was no fire and nothing
combustible within 30 feet of the spot
where this fire is known to have start
ed. i am satisfied in my own mind
mat, boch fires were set, and am
equally as well satisfied that If some
thing Is not done promptly we shall
have another"
That the Mullins house fire was not
a repetition of the Hale house catas-
trophe was due solely to an exceeding
ly kin Providence. There was every
opportunity for a great c~onfiagration
and the house was filled with men.
The wonder is that ever though the
IRE was G1hnrIad fhnra xr-a 49, --~
one killed or many seriously injured,
for there was the same confusion that
prevailed at the Hale house. Men
awoke from their sleep, stifed with
smoke. the halls were filled with il and
men and women nearly suffocated in
trying to make their escape. Many
cum their way to safety cut off by
the smoke they did not dare to pass
through. or to try it. and jumped from
windows, preferring to take their
chances that way than of s%mothering
in the halls. Why there were not
MANNED, more than there We're, can
only be due to an extraordinarily
good piece of luck.
Only -Four Injured.
Very fortunately. there were but
four injured in the fire. The one most
hurt was Peter Shovlin, the
old man who tried to crawl TO safety
along a board extending from his win
dow In the rear Of the old frame por-
ton of the structure to a butcher shop
in the rear. The old man was in a
room with Paddy Holland, commonly
among the miners at Center
VILE as Paddy Duffy. When they were
awakened by the cries of fire. they
made a rush for the stairway. but
themselves cut off from escape
way by the dense volume of smoke
already filled the
Retracing their steps. Duffy broke out
the window with his fists. There was
an alleyway about IL or Is feet wide
this end of the building and
a low butcher shop. Some one stand
ing on the roof of the shop, which was
about the same height as the window,
a board across to the window
and Duffy crawled across to safety. ,
was followed by Old Man Shovlin. ,
AS the latter neared the roof of the
Duffy reached out to assist him.
caught hold of Shovlin's shoulder
to pull him onto the roof. but the board
slipped of the window sill and the old
man, who is very heavily built, fell like
a log to the ground. The distance was
only about 10 or Is feet. but the old
gentleman was picked up. II was sup
posed at that time. mortally injured.
He was carried tenderly to a saloon
across the street and the ambulance
rom st. James hospital summoned.
II was thought his back had been {
broken In the fall. but an examination I
Il the hospital proved this report to be J
but his back received a !
errible wrench from which he suffers !
he most intense pain n which will :
Ieep him in the hospital for many days y
o come. Duffy had his hands badly c
ut in breaking the glass. +,
Peter McIsaacs. another Of the in =
ured men. counts himself both ar ex- :
'eedingly lucky and unlucky mortal. :,
lucky because in jumping from a sec 4,
window he was only slight ,
v injured. and unlucky because twice ,
n one week he was caught in a board ,
ng house fire in which he had a mar )
escape from death. McIsaacs was :
n h Hale house fire and was one OF :
he very few who succeeded in saving Y
q much as his trunk. but he had a $