The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-07-06
POLICE SUSPECT
F|REBUGS At WORK
Suspicious Circumstances Surround
Fires In Star Theater Building and
Solution of Mystery Is Being Eag-
erly Sought By the Gary Police
Department.

When the fire flend got through cele-
brating In Gary on the Fourth he had |
made pretty mess of it.
Since Saturday night the Gary fire |
department was called upon five times
to protect Gary property from the raw
ages Of the flames. Two of the fires
were disastrous, resulting in the almost
total destruction of the Star theater,
and the other consumed the building on
Fifteenth and jefferson street, owned
by Frank Swada.
The fires which brought out the de-
partment were:
Negro shack, near Ninth and Wash
ington streets. Call sent in at II
o'clock Saturday night. Totally de-
stroyedewith $50 loss.
Star theater, call received at II
o'clock Saturday night. Loss, $500, COW
cred by insurance.
False alarm call sent in from Fifth
and Virginia streets Monday afternoon.
Swada building, destroyed at II
o'clock last night. Covered by insur-
ance. Loss, $4,000.
Star theater again took fire at
o'clock this morning. Fire Quilted the
building. entailing almost a total loss
to the theater and serious injury to the
building.
Police Investigate 1t.
The blaze at the Star theater is a
matter which will bear close police in
vestigation, according to the witnesses.
many of whom are of the opinion that
the blaze was the work of a fire bug.
Not only did the fire start in the build
ing twice, but each time that 1t started.
flames were found in four different
places.
One OF the condolences of the blaze
in the Star theater, is that this place
is owned by James Rogers, in whose
place on the last Fourth of July a cook
was stabbed to death by a dishwasher
in the lunch room in the rear of the
building The Fourth seems to be Rog-
er's Jonah" day.
The swada two story frame building,
located at Fifteenth and Washington
streets, also caught fire in several diff
ferent places, and it is believed that
this place might have been the victim
OF a fire bug. At the time that the
department arrived all that could be
done by them was to protect the adjoin-
Ing buildings and let it burn. The
grocery store, containing the entire
stock, which occupied the ground floor,
was destroyed with a $1,000 loss.
Firemen Kept on jump.
The fire department had just re-
turned from the blaze. which destroyed
a negro shack. the owner of which was
, unknown to the police or fire depart
: ments when they received the call from
Z the Star The shows had been fin
ished for some time. and the theater
had been closed when some one smelled
, the smoke emanating from the build
a ing When Chief Feeley and his men
arrived they discovered flames in four
n different parts of the theater. In spite
Of the sitting smoke which they en-
countered, the blaze was finally put
out after flooding the floors and cut
0 ting into the places where there was
e fire.
$ The blaze last night in this theateI
t was more serious than the first Again
o fire was found in several different
n places. This time the fire department
e being out on the Swada fire at the time
e the flames obtained better start thar
= at the first confagration. The fire.
: men thought at first that crossed wire:
s were responsible for the blaze, bu
n since the second place that theory ha;
I been abandoned, and the f1rebug ex
e PLANTATION sounds more reasonable. Dur.
Ing the course of the fire A. McCarren
k one of the employees of the theater
=. was arrested by Sergeant Catey for in
e terfering with the f1remen.
o THE second blaze gave the firemer
g a hard fight. The entire inside of th'
9 building was Quilted by the flames. Th'
seats, curtains. stage and entrance Il
= the building was practically ruined.
Il Is hard to estimate the loss at tn
g present time, but it will probably b.
close to $4,000. The loss on the Swad;
u building and contents has been place,
. at 5000.