The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-04-07
GUILTY OF ARSON
Frank Cast Says He and Gale
Rose. of Redwood. Burn
ed the Peoria Hotel.
Contractor MOntrOSS Was to Give
Them Three Hundred Dollars
For Doing the Job But
Failed to Pay Them
Anything.

From The Redwood Gazette.
On the night of Jan. 81, large
two-story frame hotel which A. b.
Montross of this place was building
at Peoria for Mrs. Robt. Thompson,
was totally destroyed by fire. The
origin of the fire was a mystery and
State Fire Marshal Hollenbeck sent
Division Assistant w. ). Davie to in
vestigate.
Mr.. Davie found that the in
surance was made payable to A.
B. Montross, the contr actor, and his
interests appeared. Mrs. Thompson
had paid Montross about 81, 800 on the
b Iiiding and as he was to get -, 900
for the work as soon as completed,
there was due Mr.. Montross, as he
understood it, sl,700. He owed l. G.
BEEN the greater part of this for
m.terial and was well aware that he
would be behind on the contract when
the building was completed.
For several weeks he tried to in
duce Harvey Wilson of this place,
to go to Peoria and burn the build
ing. Afterward he enticed Wilson to
Marion and they returned to Rich
wood together on the midnight train.
lie insisted on Wilson going on to
Peoria and doing the job but Wilson
refused to do so and gave Montross
to understand that he did not want
him to ask him to do so again.
This was in the fall and few weeks
wards Montross approached
Frank Cast who was at the time
working for him on the Lake build
ing, and also Gale Rose blacksmith
who had a shop on the west end
of the Lake lot. Montross offered
Cast and Rose $500 to burn the build
ing and made arrangements with
Cast and Rose to meet him at Sill
mans saloon on the evening of Jam
uary 81.
The trio met at Sillman's place and
after having a few drinks together
Cast and Rose left Montross about $50
o'clock and got in a buggy at Roses
shop and drove to Peoria. Rose held
the horse while Cast entered the
building and set fire to lot of shaw
ings and kindlings stored in the base
ment. They took five gallon can of
coal oil with them which Rose pur-
chased at ]. w. Martins grocery. A
potato was used for a stopper on top
the oil can and as it accidentally fell
off, the carpet in the bottom of the
buggy was saturated with oil. The
vehicle belonged to Cushman Bros.
the livery men, and when Rose and
Cast were confronted with the soiled
carpet taken from the buggy, it was
easy to discern that they knew more
than they desired to tell.
Cast finally weakened and told the
the above story on the afternoon of
March 20, to III. II. Holenbeck and w.
s. Davie, in the presence of Mayor
Hill, Marshal Sloop, and the stenog-
rapher who was with the officials at
the Mayors Office in this place. When
taken before the grand jury at
Marysville yesterday Cast told the
same story and Mrs. Rose broke down
and confessed to the grand jury that
her husband was guilty and that he
and she had arranged to tell the
same story.
AS soon as Mrs. Rose told her story
Prosecuting Attorney Robinson lock.
ed the door and had Montross and
Rose locked up in the Jail where they
are still detained.
Cast returned home from Marys
vile last evening with his wife and
says he feels so much better since he
turned state evidence. He also say,
he is sorry to see Rose in trouble fol-
if it had not been for Montross and
the whisky he furnished them, they
would never have thought of commit
ting such a crime.
Both Messrs. Davie and Hollenbecl
deserve much credit for the persist
ent efforts put forth to ferret out tn,
origin of this fire. They have beer
Handicapped to some extent by peo
pie endeavoring to shield these mel
in their crime. bnt said people ar,
now on the defense and they will b,
made to suffer if they do not tell th,
truth.