The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-15
Blaze Started in Tene-
ment as Men, Women
and Children Sleep.
BUILDINGS OWNER AND
RELATIVE ARRESTED
Foreclosure ,of Mortgage on
Property Was to Have Been
Made Today.

The lives of eleven persons were en-
dnngered eariy today by frebugs, who
placed oii-soekcd paper end boxes from
cellar to attic in the vacant half of
the double tenement at 1894 Nichols
street, applied matches and stood ont
side to watch the flames without turn
ing In an alarm.
Charged with arson, Anton Senator,
% years old, owner of the building,
upon which a mortgage was to be fore
closed today, and Jerry Parwana, his
brother-in-law, are held in 81, 800 bonds
each to await the grand jury's action.
Patrick Corrigan, living on the second
floor of the tenement, was separated by
thin partition from the flames, which
cracked on the other side. The dense
smoke filled his rooms and he awoke.
He groped his way to the room where
his six children were sleeping, after
arousing his wife, and threw open the
windows. AS the smoke was displaced
by fresh air, he saw in the moonlight
the figures of two men, fully dressed,
watching the blaze.
Senator's Family In Danger.
Rushing downstairs with his family,
Corrigan found that the men were his
neighbors of the first-fioor fiat, Anton
Senator, owner of the house, and his
brother-in Jaw, Jerry Parwana. At the
same moment Senator's family, consist
ing of his wife, inonth-old baby and
mother-in-law, rushed out of doors IN
- l,a
men with him and an alarm was turned
in. The flremen extinguished the blaze
and then started an investigation.
They found evidence in abundance
that the blaze was incendiary. The
cellar stairs had been set on fire, a big
box of oil-soaked excelsior being left
upon them In the coal-bin, beneath
the kitchen, were charred remains of
dozens of boxes, plainly showing traces
of oil The door to the front room was
locked, as was every other door in the
house, and the floor was strewn with
burnt paper. Upon the walls was fresh
kerosene oil, which the flames, not
leaping high enough, had failed to
touch.
Suspects Are Arrested.
To the second story the stairs lead
ing from the first floor had been
sprinkled with oil, shown by the boards
burning from the top side and by round
marks burned in comparatively green
lumber where the oil had splashed The
second floor also showed traces of the
f1rebug.
Roundsman McRell, of the Third Pre-
cinet. questioned Senator. The latter
appeared dazed, but the mother-in-l law,
when the policeman asked If she had
insurance on the house, produced
policies from her pocketbook His sus-
picions aroused, McRell learned that
Senator and his brother-in-law had
moved two trunks, containing all their
valuab1es and clothing, to the house of
a friend and to shed in the rear carry
in the evening" They could not explain
their presence at the scene OF the hre
at 130 a. m, fully dressed. when the
rest of the occupants of the mouse
barely escaped with their lives. So Nc
Rsll took them to the station-house.
Senator sulkily stuck to his story,
saving that he knew nothing of the
blaze. but Parwana. IS years old, weak
ened under the close questioning OIL
Plainsclothesmen Adubato and BreN,
and said that Senator had been notlheG
that $500 mortgage. upon which no
interest had been paid this year, would
be foreclosed today. a second mort
gage of $3.50 was also to be foreciosed
this afternoon. Both men appeared in
the Third Crimina! Court today, where
they We're held.
Under further questioning Parwana
weakened and a full confession is en-
pccted from him by The police.
The firemen quickly eXtinguished the
blaze the loss being placed at $500.