The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-27
FREIGHT CAR is
FIRED BY WOMAN
Mrs. GuSSie Wallace Jailed in
Salt Lake for UnuSu-
al Crime.
DETAILS OF CONFESSION
CAUGHT TO COLLECT DAMAGES
FROM RAILROAD COMPANY.

Mrs -Gussie Wallace. arrested at Ha-
49,, New. on "A charge OF setting fire
= EAR loaded with merchandise in Salt
I.ss was brought 10 this city yesterday
.o-ring by Sergeant J. j. Roberts and
PTrS s crime Of which the woman is ac-
iced Incurred on Jan. rs. when car Of
S'ctrres and picture frames was burned
r. fhs north yards of the Oregon Short
line railway in this city. The fire de-
.srtment and the BOiice investigated the
fsss and the arrest OF Abraham Wallace
IN this city by Sergeant Roberts and De
socfives shannon and Wilson Of tho city
Senarfment and Detective Joe Jones of
,bs a s L. detective force followed
II was found that Mrs. Wallace had pur-
chased ticket for San Francisco. but
IA eft the train at HaZen. New The
authorities of that city were notified and
sbe was apprehended there. where she
was going under che name OF Mrs. CO.
hen.
ON her return to this city yesterday
Mrs Wallace is alleged to have made u
statement TO Detective Jones in which
she confessed 10 the crime and assumed
the entire responsibility for the affair
and exoneratcd her husband from all
guilt fen the case. The statement was
written ont and given to Mrs. Wallace
10 sign She refused TO sign IL. il is said
unless the officers would agree TO re-
lease her husband and not push the
charge against him. This was refused
and the alleged confession connot be used
ms evidence against the woman.
The story accredited to Mrs Wallace
bv Detective Jones is = follows:
Il am solely responsible for the burn
ing Of the car I'm which the pictures were
loaded / purchased fifteen gallons of
gasoline and mad ~ placed in the car
Ten gallons OF gasoline were in the key
] had this keS placed i'm box and sur
rounded by q sack OF rice and other gro
ceries The other five gallons were placed
IN another box. The car was loaded with
boxes Of pictures and picture frames con-
signed at $50 box TO Max Cohen. Cold
field Nev. There is no such man that
! know of in Goldfield by the name of
Max Cohen. The reason made the bill
ing this way was that If the car burned
the railroad company would have TO pay
f0r the contents.
After the car was loaded ! lit a piece
of paper and threw il into the car in or
der 10 burn the contents. / then closed
The door and locked il with two padiocks
! had purchased for that purpose
II then bought ticket 10 San Fran
CISCO signing the name OF Mrs. Cohen
on the ticket The reason 7 bought the
ticket 10 San Francisco was because
could get il cheaper that way ! intend
ed TO get off at Hazen and GO from there
10 Goldfield.
Nobody assisted me in burning the car.
not even my husband. / am sorry for
what l have done and I release the rail-
Dad company from any damage done
~ the fire 10 the contents OF the car
nd / am willing to pay any damage that
vas done the car by the fire"
Another Suspicious Blaze.
The fire in tire box car was the second
uspiciOus blaze that the Wallaces v-era
with. Before Christmas
he WallaCes conducted a small auc.
ion store at y East First South. where
hey sold pictures at auction on Dec
3 fire started in the basement of the
building from some mysterious origin
he blaze started I'm pile OF rubbish that
he Wallaces had been notified to clean
~ that very day by Chief Vail of the
ire department.
The blaze I'm the art store was discov-
red before II had gained any great head
way and was eNtinEushed by the firpmCn
ne fire created comment at the TIM
'ecause OF its suspicious origin and be-
ause OF the fact that the stock had been
ecently insured for 5000. obviously con
SIDERABLE more than il was worth
eitement was finally effected with the
nsurance companies. however. and the
Nallaces received $1,000 insurance