The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-04-17
Lives of Several Imperiled in At
tempts to Burn Halsey
Street House.
POLICE EFFORTS FAIL TO
GET FASTENING CLUE
Sick Mother and Infant Among
Occupants Threatened by La
test Outbreak OF Flames.

Belief that O. woman firebug may
have planned the mysterious incendiary
fire at So Halsey street, today led the
police to make a searching investiga-
ton Of the fourth attempt to destroy
the double three-story frame structure
used for living quarters by nine per-
SONS The latest attempt to burn the
building was made last night and fol-
lowed the fire of last Sunday night,
when the lives of eleven were imperiled.
Two other attempts had been made
previously within thirty days.
Detectives last Wednesday, In the
hope of obtaining some information
which might give them a clue, called
Mrs. Harvey Dodge, of 80 Burnet street,
in conference. Mrs. Dodge owns the
furniture in the house and knows the
tenants we'll. She could give the police
no idea who would have a motive Nh
setting the building afire.
Mrs Dodge is now In Vermont visit.
ing her mother.
Mrs George Mccarthy, mother of a
week-old baby, last night, at 8 o'clock,
declared to her husband that she heard
the cracking of flames.
Her husband investigated and found
the room above filled with smoke. A
door, which usually swings open, was
tightly closed and held in position by
a screw. Mccarthy fumbled with the
screw in the smoke for fully minute.
Then, bursting into the closet, he dis
covered small tongue of flame leap
ing from beneath the floor.
Mccarthy ran to the nearest fire
alarm box and turned in an alarm.
Then he went back to fight the flames.
The water throughout the house had
been turned off six weeks before,
through some difficulty between Mrs.
Dodge and the municipal street and
water department, and he beat the
blaze with his hands and piece of
carpet. while his wife, below, terror
stricken and unable to move, hugged
her baby and prayed that the tircmcn
might come quickly.
Smoke Oyerc0mes Mccarthy.
When they arrived Mccarthy was
overcome by smoke lie was taken out
side and revived, while other tenants
moved the bed in which his wife was
lying from a spot directly under the
blazing closet to the window. The fire
men made quick work of the fire, and
Two minutes after Mrs Mccarthy had
feen moved, the plaster of the ceiling
fell to the floor from directly above the
spot where she had been lying.
This time the firebug left no clue as
10 his identity, as he had done before
when Jug, llalf-fiiled with Kerosene,
left on the back stairs, told of the haste
with which he had departed. On that
occasion four mattresses had been oil
soaked and ignited in as many rooms in
The vacant second floor.
Two weeks before the gas jet of a
vacant room had been found turned on
full blast Mccarthy discovered IT, He
was holding "a lamp at the time, and
the explosion which followed shook the
building to its foundation. Two weeks
before this the room of Harry Dunbar.
. lodger, on the third floor, was found
ablaze.
The building, which has been open
day and night heretofore, will be lock-
ed and bolted tonight. Detective Ser
geants Koerber and Waller who are
working on the case have found no
clue as yet which will lead them to
make an arrest. They believe, they
say, that tho work is done by someone
who wants to get the present tenants
out of the house.
Tenants Alarmed.
IN the building at the time We're Mr..
and Mrs Henry Tut, George Nc
Carthy, his wife and three children.
Ciistohel. aged 6; Miriam, aged 2, and
the baby; Miss Mary Hathaway, Mrs
Williams and Frederick Mccain. a
moment before the blaze was discoy-
cred Dunbar stepped out to get
bucket of beer Dunbar was arrested
Immediately after the fire on Sunday
night. but was discharged after the de-
teotives had heard his story.
The tenants are thoroughly alarmed.