The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-28
THE WORK Of A F|ENO
A Dastardly Attempt TO Set Fire
to a Rooming House.
WAS NEARLY SUCCESSFUL
He Had Soaked the Room in Coal Oil
and Was About to Apply a Candle
When He Was Discovered.
He Made His Escape.

Another fiendish attempt to destroy
life M property. this time seemingly
without the shadow OF an excuse, was
made yesterday morning i'm the room
ing house conducted by Mrs. James
Layro, at 300 East Park street. The
villain attempted TO set fire to the house,
and only failed i'm the attempt through
his own clumsiness in making a noise
which aroused some OF the inmates, for
the place was one suite d to his purpose
and was filed with human beings, who
could not possibly ha We escaped had
the fire once gotten un der Roadway.
The building is a I wo-story frame
structure. with basemen ut. 1t is dry as
finder. and would have burned like
kindling wood. The upper fioor is oc-
cupied as living apartnl ents. the ground
fioor by a meat market and bakery,
IL being a double building, and in the
basement Mrs. Layro runs her room
ing house. n narrow stairway. not
more h fou feet wide. leads from
the sidewalk down to the basement. Tn
door opens on a long hallway, the same
width as the stairs. which runs back
49, A'AhH a. " Wv CAhA ~
or 50 feet. and on each side Of the hall
are the rooms. The first room to the
right on entering from the street Is
used as "A storeroom, and il was this
room the fiend selected i'm which 10
cOnsummate his hellish work. Had ne
succeeded in getting TN fire well start
ed, the occupants of the house. all be
ing beyond the storeroom. and who
would have had to have passed by the
storeroom to reach the street, would
have found their only means of exit
cut Off. and the loss of life must newt
ably have been appalling.
As stated. the dastarllly attempt was
frustrated by the firebug himself. About
3 o'clock in the morning William
Hughes. who himself occupied the room
adjoining the storeroom. was awak-
ened by Mrs. Hughes. who had heard n
peculiar noise. which appeared To come
from the next room. II was the
thought OF both that burglars had en-
tered the house and We're engaged in
ransacking the storerodm. Mr.. Hughes
got up TO investigate. He stole noise
lessly out of his own room and went to
the door of the storeroom. He opened
the door and loked in. What he saw
fairly paTalyZed him. There stood a
brawny brute with a lighted candle in
one hand. while with the other he
poured coal oil from a big can into a
tin vessel and splashed it about the
walls and ceiling. The air was filed
with the smell of the oil. and the pa
pered walls and ceiling were literally
soaked. MIR. Hughes stood and watched
the hend until he had finished and
turned away 10 survey the job. Be
fore touching the candle to itg as he
turned. he saw MIR Hughes. ana quick
as "A flash dropped the candle and
lodged behind the door. which was
pulled shut by Mr.. Hughes. who intend
ed To imprison the coundrel until help
could arrive. Fol- some minutes he
held the door, shouting for help and
whistling through his fingers in the
nope Of attracting the attention of a
policeman. Officer Walsh was not far
distant. and heard the rumpus, but sup
posed II was made by some drunk max
ing a racket. which is not an i~nfrequent
occurrence in parts of the neighbor-
hood, and he paid no attention.
At length the prisoner. seeing he
would surely be taken if he remained
where he was, made "A bold effort TO
get away. and succeeded. He was n
burly fellow, strong as an OK. while
Mr.. Hughes Is small. and he. therefore.
had no trouble i'm pulling open the door.
He then walked boldly out, and started
for the street. AS Mr.. Hughes was un-
armed he did not dare attempt to stop
him. and as none of the other dodgers
came to his assistance he simply let
the fellow go.
After the man reached The street a
roomer ran out i'm search of an officer,
and found Officer Walsh, but IL was toe
too late: the man had disappeared. on
inspecting the villains work II was
found enough coal oil had been splasned
about the room to have created in one
minute a fire n could not have failed
to destroy the building. MIR. Hughes
furnished the police with a good de.
s~cription of the man, and the city was
searched Yesterday in an effort To find
him. but the search was without re-
suit.
Mrs. Layro, when seen last evening
said She was absolutely at a loss I,
know who the perpetrator OF he helm
Gus crime could have been. as she knew
no one of the mans description. anC
did not know that she had an enemy N
Butte. II is thought the Il
some one with A fancied ~grieNanc'
against the owner Of the property wh'
sought 10 get even by this means. |
will doubtless go hard with him II h.
Is caught, as Mr.. Hughes is certain n
can Identify the man IN he sees him..