Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-04-22
ANOTHER BLAZE.
Small Dwelling Consumed by
Fire at an Early Hour
Wednesday.

1t seems that when. the fire fiend
determines upon visit in this city
his desire for destroying property is
never satisfied until he has had at
least three fires in quick succession.
Such is the history OF his work In
the past four or five years, and it
seems that he will carry out that
program in his visit that began Sun
day morning, for 1t was followed by
another Wednesday morning.
About O'Clock that morning
the small frame dwelling house ON
Third avrnue southeast near the
parOchial school, owned and Occu-
pied by an old man named r. B.
johnson, was discovered on fire.
The alarm was Immediately turned
in, but owing to one Of the hose
carts being short several lengths OF
hose, and delay in notifying the
company for Il fire pressure, it was
some time before the tiremen could
do any effective work toward SUBJ
DUNG the flames, and the building
was almost, II not wholly total
loss before the flames were under COLI
troll. Nearly all the household
goods on the first floor were saved,
but those in the upper story and in
kitchen were destroyed.
Mr.. johnson arose about an hour
before the fire and started fire in
the cook stove which had been
moved hut Il short time since to a
GUNNER kitchen in the rear Of the
main building. He returned to bed
and it il supposed that the fire
originated from the stove pipe, which
was perhaps not properly put up.
The building was insured for $3.50
in the Westchester Insurance CON-
pany, the First National bank local
agent. The contents were insured for
$500 In the Continental UuniOn In
surance company. of which E. s.
Brown is the local agent.
This fire has caused a row Of con-
siderable proportions among factions
that have been created by the recent
police appointments. Chief Lauer-
man went to the fire shortly after the
al .rm was turned in, and not find
in: the night patr0lman, Martin
Since. there he made Il search for him.
He claims that he did not find
him until some time after the fire
was out and that he did not then
know that there had been fire.
Lauerman claims that Since was
asleep in Martins paint shop.
This story is denied by Officer
Since and some of his friends. Since
admits that about the time. the
alarm sounded he was in Martins
shop, where he went in response to
a request from Mr.. Martin to start
q fire in his stove to heat water for
use in making paste early in the
morning, and that he probably
failed to hear the alarm by reason Of
the noise he made while working
with the stove. AS soon az the fire
was built he went out, and hearing
no noise he patrolled several blocks
north OF the shop, and did not know
that there was a fire until he came
back to the city hall. This is prob
ably the case. One thing ia certain,
there seems to be great desire on
the part Of certain faction for
Smee's scalp, and they will certainly
paint the affair as black as possible.
Smee's friends will use all their In
fluence to keep him on the force, and
the other faction an he trusted to
do all in it's pow er to remove him,
and it remains to he seen which side
will gain its point.