The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-06-11
Daring Incendiaries Set Fire To
incomplete Houses ofAIbert
G. Kruger Wednesday
FIREAEN GET OIL AND FUSES
Police Thus Far Unable to Find Any
Trace of Guilty Parties
and No Arrests Have
Been Made
(From Thursdays paiIy.l

A dastardly attempt was made to
burn four uncompleted cottages now
in course of construction by Albert G.
Kruger just after ten clock We'd
nesday night and had it not been for
the prompt arrival Of the fire depart
ment it is probable that the conspiracy
to destroy the houses would have been
successful. The four cottages are To-
Gated near the corner of Elizabeth street
and Lyman avenue and the most careful
plans had been made for the destruction
of them by fire. The houses had been
filed with paper soaked in kerosene and
fuses had been placed in each house in
order to allow the men guilty of the
crime to get away from the scene be-
fore the flames became noticeable.
The plan was so carefully laid that
the men have completely thrown the
officials off the scent, but Chief Iser-
mann Of the fire department and the
entire police department are at work
on the case today and they are hopeful
of locating and arresting the guilty
parties.
This is the second time that houses
under construction by Kruger have
been set on fire. The former fire was
of such & nature that the officials could
not make certain that the crime of
arson had been committed, but the fire
in the two houses last night left no
doubt as to the conditions. All of the
four houses had been saturated with
kerosene and eight cans which had con-
tanned the oil were found in the diff
ferent buildings. Some of these cans
were only partially emptied and it is
evident that they had been left behind
by the fire bugs with the belief that
they would be destroyed by the flames
and that in this manner all evidence of
the crime would be removed. However,
the men worked their game too hard
and as result of an attempt to burn
all the houses the officials have secured
evidence which will be sufficient to send
the men to the penitentiary for long
terms if they can be arrested.
In each one of the buildings the
fuses had been arranged in a careful
manner These fuses were made of
cigar boxes in which had been packed
large quantity of birthstone matches.
In the very center of the matches had
been placed a candle and it was evident
ly the plan to light the candle, make a
get away and let the houses burn to-
gether with the fuses and other evil
dences of the crime. The best laid
plans went wrong for in two Of the
houses the fuses were packed so closely
with matches that the birthstone was
tend to the oil soaked paper about the
boxes. In the east house and the
second house from the corner of Lyman
avenue the fuses acted perfectly and
these two buildings were in flames when
the fire department reached them The
flames were extinguished with a small
boss and in the ruins of the rooms were
found the partially burned cans which
had contained the oil.
Kruger is a contractor by trade and
was formerly resident Of Zion City.
Kruger had insured the buildings
and his loss is fully covered.
1t is up to Kenosha to remove
the stain of such an outrage and it is
probable that if necessary heroic eff
forts will be taken to locate the men
concerned in the case.