The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-01-01
ATTACHES OF IROQUOIS
THEATER ARE ARRESTED
Stage Manager, Stage Carpenter and Ten Other Men
Are Held on Charge of Being Accessory to Man
slaughter Coroner Finds Exits of Burned Theater
We're inadequate and Other Appointments Faulty.


CHICAGO, Dec. 31.-Twelve employees
Of the Iroquois theater were arrested
, tonight on orders issued by Chief of
Police O'Neill. The charge against
them is at present that of being ac-
cessory to manslaughter. They will be
held pending the verdict of the coro--
| ner's jury.
The men arrested are:
William Carlton, stage manager; Ed
ward Cummings. stage carpenter;
Frank Jandrow, r. NJ. Cummings, E.
Engle, Thomas Mcqueen and S. j.
Mazoni
The last five are stage hands and
scene shifters. After being taken In
custody by the police, four Of the men
told Chief O'Neill that they had been
requested by people connected with the
| theater to leave the city. When asked
who advised them to do this they at
first refused to say, but later admitted
| that the advice was given by Assistant
Stage Manager Plunkett.
They said that they were about to
| follow Plunkett's advice and all of them
had packed their trunks and would
have been out of the city had not the
police arrested them.
Chief O'Neill said that the arrest Of
the men did not indicate that there
was any specific blame attached to
them. The move was made to prevent
the possible disappearance Of witnesses
before the time when they are needed
at the inquest. The charge placed
against the men Is one that admits Of
| bail and 1t is not expected that the
bonds will be high when the men are
arraigned for hearing tomorrow morn
ing. 1t Is possible, the police say, that
other arrests will be made tomorrow.
Orders were issued tonight by Chief
O'Neill to find other members of the
company and theater employees who
were actual witnesses Of the fire. This
order will mean, the police say, that
more than twenty arrests viii be made
in the morning, chiefly among the bal
/, let dancers and members of the chorus
who were crowded in the wings waiting
| for their cues when the fire was discov-
cred.
According to Coroner Traeger, a
large placard had been placed in the
| hotel where a large number Of the COM
pany are stopping, ordering that all
members of the company should be
ready to leave upon short notice. Be
lieving that this was q move to keep
witnesses from testifying before the
coroner's jury, the arrests were de-
cided upon.
Shortly after midnight detectives
from the central police station arrest
ed William Plunkett, assistant stage
manager of the theater, and four mem
bers of the Moonlight chorus" The
chorus is made up of eight men and
eight women, and was about to appear
on the stage when the fire started.
Those arrested, in addition to Plunkett,
were William Stack, Samuel Bell, Vic
tor Bozart and Edward Wines.
The prisoners were taken to Harri-
son street police station and locked up.
Plunkett was charged with man
slaughter, and the members Of the
chorus with violation of part of the
| municipal code of Chicago providing
for the holding of witnesses for the
coroner's jury.
Two women members of the chorus,
Miss Anna Brant and Daisy Beatue,
were arrested and taken to the central
| police station. After being questioned
by the police they were released.