The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-04-25
FIRE FIEND AT WORK
Desperate Battle With Man Who
Would Burn Home of
Wife's Benefaotors,

Last night about 1880 fire depart
ment No. / was called TO the double
tenement house at 30S-3l0 Eighteenth
street They found a few shoulder
ing rags in a closet at M. $40 which
was unoccupied and this led to an
investigation which reveals the fol
lowing story:
Mr.. Richard Julian resides at No
sos Eighteenth street with his fam
+ ily Several days ago a woman with two
children applied for shelter at the
Julian home saying she had not place
to sleep, and showing bruises all over
her face and body which she said hat
! been received at the hands of hel
husband who was cruel TO her ant
mistreatcd her. She gave the name Of
I Mrs Louis Petric, and proved to be
I the same woman of whom a story
+ was published in The Bulletin few
/ days ago, setting forth the bruta
treatment to which she was subjected
i by jealous husband
Mrs Julian was touched by the
womans sad story and took her and
her children into her home and shell
tered them until the woman procured
employment
1t seems that the kind treatment
accorded his wife incensed Petrie and
meeting Julian on the street he threat
cncd vengeance,
Friday nigh; Petrie entered the va
cant portion of the tenement house
aud taking a lot of rags saturated
with gasoline he put them in closet
and set fire to them. On account of
the closeneSs of the place the fire was
smothered out and he failed in his
diaholical purpose.
He met Mr. Julian on the street
Yesterday, however. and again threat
ened to burn the house Mr. Julian
returned to his home last night, but
instead Of going to bed he procured
his revolver. entered the adjoining
tenement house and laid in wait for
the inCendary.
His vigil was rewarded about 1880
by a steal;hy tread in the rear of
the building and the scratch of a
match warned him that the torch was
being applied
He was sccreted in the front of the
house and showing open the door lead
ing into the next room behind. he
ran almost into the arms of the fend
who was trying to destroy his proper
" and who was just creeping out
from beneath a stairway where he
had placed heap of rags and ignted
them after having them thoroughly
saturated with coal oil
The fire ficnd carried a long dan
gerous locking knife in his hand
and recognizing his assailant he cried
in a triumphat tone 1--WE got you now
- you" and rushed at Mr. Julian
with appraised knife.
They closed Ia combat and the man
with the knife fought desperately,
cutting Mr.. Julian's clothes and hands
badly, but the latter managed to ex-
tricate himself from the mans grasp
and warding off the blows he fred
five shots directly at the fellow. See.
ing that he was against fighting
game the would be house burner
turned and fled
A diligent search was made for
him but he could not be found and it
is presumed he made his escape from
a hole in the side fence.
A Bulletin representative in com.
pany with Sergeant Mcnamara and
Officers Wilson visited the place
shortly after the shooting and found
where the man evidently had gone up
stairs. but he was not to be found
A visit to his room in the kluge
building at 1872 Poplar street dis
closed a blOodstained shirt which it
is thought he pulled off after the
shooting and exchanged for a clean
one.
Mr.. Julian feels quite sure he hit
Petrie and close search in the
room where the shooting occurred
failed TO find more thon one of the
bullets fired from Mr. Julians rcvol
yer. Petrie removed his shoes before
entering the house and they were
found by the officers
It is expected that Petrie will be
found today and it is believed that he
was seriously wounded as Mr. Julian
said the bare foot prints leading from
the house were bloodstaiued The
heavy rain which was falling obltera-
ted all trace, however. and the officers
could not follow the trail