Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-06-15
INCENDlARIES ARE BUSY.
The Residence OF Il. L. Casperson aud J..
Taylor Set Afire Last Thursday Morni


Two dastardly attempts to burn
dwellings in the vicinity of Eighth
and Ninth and Madison streets were
other about 2 o'clock Thursday morn
discovered soon after it started and
the fiendish purpose of the perpetrators
was not accomplished. 1t is altogether
likely, however, that had it not been
for the presence of mind and quick
work OF Officers Peterson and John
F. Ward, who were assisted by others,
both of the houses would have been
destroyed.
The first attempt was made at the
residence of Edward L. Casperson,
No. 703 West Eighth street, and the
second at the residence of John D..
Taylor, No. 70s West Ninth street.
The houses are just square apart
and the rear Of each faces the rear Of
the other. The square is one Of the
longest in the city, however, and the
houses are not as near each other as
might be supposed.
A few minutes after o'clock a boy
named Taylor, living at No. S07 Madi-
son street. was aroused by bright
light shining in his room. He went
to the window and seeing the kitchen
door of the Casperson house, on Eighth
street, blazing, notified his father. The
Casperson family and Officers Ward
and Peterson were also notified. The
officers hastened to the scene and with
the assistance of others extinguished
the flames. The door was badly wrecked
and much damage was done to the
rear of the Kitchen. which is Of frame
An investigation revealed the fact that
paper had been taken from box 10
the yard and placed between the screen
door and wooden door and fred. 1t is
, also suspected that the paper and door
and frame were saturated with oil
before the match was applied, as some
| thought they detected the odor of oil.
Scarcely had the blaze Mt the Cas-
person house been extinguished when
the police were informed that an ont
building in John d. Taylor's yard,
on Ninth street, was Gu fire. The
officers went to the latter place and
were as fortunate in preventing the
spread of the flames as they had been
Mt the Casperson house. They were
assisted by several other people and
the blaze was soon extinguished. The
building was pretty badly burned, but
the. fire was checked in time to prevent
serious consequences.
The fire at the Taylor house was
discovered by James McGlinchy OF
No. SAT Madison street, who saw II
from rear window at his house. He
quickly notified the family. At the
Taylor fire bottle partly filled with
coal oil was found in the building
which was burned, and the discovery
was also made that portions of the
building and some paper inside had
been saturated with the oil before
the fire was started. Mrs. Taylor said
this morning that she detected the
odor of oil in the yard early in the
evening and an attempt might have
been made at that time to set fire
to the building.
The loss in each case was small
but the occupants of each house had {
narrow escape from being burned tt
death. Only the fortunate discovery
Of the flames by people living in nearb,
houses saved their lives. The loss al
the Casperson house is estimated a
$40 and that at the Taylor house at 60
Had either of the fires been allowed
five minutes more Roadway the con
sequences would have been serious
The kitchen of the Casperson house
where the fire was started, is of frame
and, being very dry, burned like finder
The blaze would soon have communi
Gated to the dwelling proper, wher
the occupants were sleeping. Thi
was evidently the object of the persol
or persons who applied the torch.
The conditions at the Taylor hous
were even more favorable for a fir
than at the Casperson house, as tn
building in which the blaze starte,
was Immediately under and only
few feet below the bath room, which
extends beyond the main portion o
the house. Fortunately, however, tn
flames did not reach the bath room.
Mrs. Casperson and Mrs. Taylor
when asked about tho fire, said the,
could not imagine the object of tn
people who started them. No attemp
was made to rob either house an,
nobody was seen in the vicinity a
, the time. There is no clue to tn
! mystery, so far as the police know.
1t is said that there was slight fir
OF similar nature some time ago a
the residence Of Mr.. Casperson whe
he lived on Sixth street near Monroe