The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-04-30
MYSTERY UNSOLYED.
No Light on the Origin Of Sunday
Mornings Fire.
nav A HYPNOTIC TEST WAS TRIED.
petectiye Quinn Personated Monroe Reds
Old Mother.
SERVICES AT THE FUNERAL YESTERDAY
salvation Army Songs and Showers Of
Flowers as Collins Were Low
cred into the Graves.

Tho mystery of the origin OF the fire
!. nc old Rnpersberg building In which
X. r-oppIn family were burned alive Sun
AL was not cleared up by yesterdays de-
yelopments
tustiee Malsch continued the inquest pro-
seedlings yesterday morning.
I Sims. an extra Waterman employed
NJ lanes McCane, testified that he was
n duty In the vicinity when he heard
nlstol shots at the corner of Milan street
Ana Capitol avenue at 2:40 a. M, and
fastened to the assistance of the regular
Waterman there. He arrived in time to
see the fire break out. lie saw Il man
,ump from window and helped him ahd
lady who had already jumped out of
the burning building across the street. The
1rp department appeared and began work
four minutes afterwnrd and In about six
minutes after that the building fell. He
then went away and afterward returned
to the scene of the fire, where he saw four
dead bodies taken from the ruins and
placed In the dead wagon.
j. j. ollrc, driver of Hook and Ladder
company No l. testified that they started
10 the fire within ten seconds from the
time the alarm was given from box AZ,
at 3 a. m. When the truck turned into
Milan street he saw fire break out at
the corner of Milan street and Capitol
avenue like flash of powder. Hose com
paly No. ] was laying hose when the
hook and ladder reached the. fire. Other
apparatus arrived three or four minutes
laicr and the fremen worked until day
light to get the fire subdued when the fire.
nen made the discovery Of. tn eoppin
hmlly In the ruins, Other firemen tesil-
ned to the same effect.
A HYPNOTIC TEST.
Monroe Red the negro boy who was ar
rested Sunday morning. has been made
The subject of searching inquistion by
the city detectives.
Finally, yesterday they had him hyp-
nctized with the result that nothing in the
way OF eliminating evidence was procured
inc experiment was conducted by Prof.
lawrence II. kenner AT the instance of j.
Fagin, ESD, and Detective c. G. Quinn.
assisted by Detectives G. ID. McDaniels
and ]. w; Smith and Jailer Benneit.
ING bayls mother, Lizzie Watf, who lives
q No; 12oh Chambers street, WAS inter
mat she had reminded her son when he
hist came nome after the fire that snr
asd always told him. to pray aud again
Tx. then went to the county Jail, where
Pr9flP kenner exercised his powers and put
the boy into the hypnotic state.
that he was talking to his mother Then
Detective Quinn. representing her said
Now, son, tell your old mother the truth
about this Did YOU set fire to that houseY''
The boy replied: Mamma never set
that place on fire"
Z lie was kept talking, and then was asked
NE question in another form. when he re.
Piled Mamma, | didn't do It; / was
asleep"
Detective Quinn who has had charge of
The case said yesterday evening that he
tnOugnf the nrOSDpptS Vnnd N
boy to he released,
What may he done next to get at the
bottom Of the affair can only he ,con-
,cctnred. The detectives have been reticent
from the beginning and. MS appears from
he evidence nothing has been disclosed In
lne inquest to throw any light on the az
DEVOTED UNTO DEATH.
All the terrible story of the death of
the coppn family will never be known.
The most distressing part can only be
ssoaleetured. Il is nov believed, upon the
started to leave the burning building In
ample time TO escape. but that in the hall |
wnere they were last seen alive, the
m n1a .e was taken with the pains of labor,
lne child was born. What must have been
t thelr agony 1t is difficult TO Imagine. The
r ,aa,Il OF course, scarcely old enough to
rllf,ehts, and the father could not leave his
VIE to take them out of danger So they
~, remained until the flames wrapped them
aMegether in a funeral pyre. and father
NV Hn, mother and little. children aud the in
tn, ,rnl al went. persisted in that awful
tragedy Of life and death
,o me funeral of the unfortunate family
so pace NJ 10 a. m. yesterday. A large
wewd of salvation Army people and other
h Hns,a 9vas assembled at the undertafers'. Ross
aMrlghi, at the corner ~ Travis street
w w hnsk avenue, bringing surh pro
r rI,sn Of nowers that the air was heavy
nm, nNn we sweet odor. They proceeded from
{ sss rT 70 Hollywood cemetery, whore the
X irt,,i,ces were conducted ny Rev. Hubert G..
\ eoni or the Tabernacle Methodist Epis
s ",,si church and the Salvation Army. The
T,plnte lesson was read nv Rev. Willis
-rm 'he fifteenth chapter Of Corinthians.