Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-14
TWO ARRESTS ARE MADE
Mayor Beck Points Out Suspicious
Circumstances.
ONE PRISONER MAY BE INSANE
Two More Women Added to the
List of Missing in the Re-
cent Disaster.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BOSTON, Mass, April 14.-State and
local police. working i'll conjunction on
Mayor Beck's> charge that the Chelsea
fire was the work of incendiaries, have
made two arrests this morning.
Daniel Ross. fifty years old. was taken
into custody early today. charged with
attempting to set a fire in the lumber
yard Of Pope & Cottle, in Everett avenue.
Chelsea, near to the point where the fire
started Sunday morning.
The police OF East Cambridge have un-
der arrest another man, giving the name
Of Manuel Oliver, who is charged with
attempting to fire d tenement house In
that section about midnight Both men
were arraigned today and both were held
for investigation.
Ross Seems Crazy.
Ross was discovered prowling in the
lumber yard about am. by Collie Walsh.
a night watchman. Walsh watched him
and says he saw him set fire to q bundle
Of newspapers beside a pile Of lumber. He
cverpowered him. locked him In the lum-
ber office and then extinguished the blaze.
Later Ross was turned over to the police.
Ross was sullen and acted strangely
when taken to the station house, and 1t
Is presumed his mind may be unbalanced.
He lived on West Sd street, Chelsea, and
his home was destroyed by the confagra-
ton that swept the city.
Mayor Beck. when informed of the ar
rests, reiterated his statement that he was
positive the fire was the work Of incen-
diaries
Suspicious Aroused.
City Solicitor James. Chief Shannon of
the police department, joined with the
mayor In the statement that the fire did
not start at one of the sheds of the Bos-
ton Backing Company.
II went to the fire on the second alarm
says Mayor Beck. 1.-THE flames at that
time were confined to the Boston Black
ing Company's plant, and we thought we
had them well in hand There is no
reason why the tire should have spread
from that plant. and say that It did not.
TO my personal knowledge fire broke
out In three separate places to the cast
ward In .he rag district. 1t was not tg-
-tiited by sparks from the backing COM
pany's plant.
More Lives Lost.
There are other suspicious circunl-
stances that do not care to speak of be-
cause they are under 1nVeStlgatIon, but
some persons after the blacking property
was on fire, or about the same time, set
three other fires
Two OF Chelseas best-knOwn society
and church women are believed to have
lost their lives, bringing the total loss to
five lives. No trace of them has been
found since. They are Mrs. ]. B. Fen
wick, wife OF Dr. ]. Z. Fenwick, whose
home on Chestnut street was destroyed.
and Mrs. Helen 4. Plumridge. LAB SUIT
leff street.
Business Starts Up
BOSTON. April 14.-Eusiness began TO
revive in Chelsea today with the opening
OF the banks at temporary quarters. the
resumption OF the. street car traffic
through Broadway, the placing once
more in communication by telephone and
by Il general determination on the part
Of the citizens to rebuild the area swept
by the great fire OF Sunday.
For the next few weeks, however. the
grelteSt problem will be relief of the
homeless families. and the work Of solv-
Ing that problem taken I'D today
with energy and diligence by both city
and state authorities. with the co-opera-
ton OF the numerous charitable organiza.
lions In this city