Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-28
SIXTH ATTEMPT
MADE TO BURN
FLAT BUILDING
Incendiary Plies Torch to
Large Apartment House
on Second Street
CASE DEEP MYSTERY
Lodgers Extinguish Blaze;
One Is Injured-Woman
Tells of Plot

IN OR THE sixth time in the last
n three months an attempt was
made last night to burn the four
story double apartment house conduct
ed by Miss c. D. Cross. 5Os-5to West
Second street.
Miss Cross stated after the fire had
been extinguished with light loss that
she had kept previous attempts from
publicity, but the nervous strain she
has undergone in the last few months
has been more than she could stand,
and she desired police protection 70
prevent the destruction of her prop
erty.
The fire last night was discovered
about Z o'clock, a few minutes after
Miss Cross had left her apartments to
visit a friend.
Mrs. Frank Levins, who occupies one
of the apartments, detected the odor
of smoke and investigation disclosed a
lively blaze in the hallway on the Sec
ond floor.
A trunk owned by Miss Cross had
been left in the hallway near the head
, of the first fight of stairs. On the
trunk was a bundle of laundry, a
small table cover ana numDer OIL
newspapers. The fire could not have
been due to other than incendiarism,
say the firemen and patrolmen who in
Vestigated.
The cries of Mrs Levins attracted a
number of roomers and the fire was
put out with pals of water carried to
the scene by willing hands.
One Roomer Burned
Alfred Christensen, roomer on the
first floor, was the first to respond to
the cry for help and threw the bum
| dies of burning laundry and paper into
| the street. His hands and face were
scorched, but his timely work doubt
| less prevented a serious conf1agration.
The blaze was put out when the fire
| apparatus arrived. A number of en-
| gines were unable to climb the steep
| hill leading to the West Second street
| entrance. With the wind blowing al
most to a gale it was strange the fire
| did not gain more headWay before be-
| ing extinguished.
| Miss Cross was notified by telephone
| that a fire of mysterious origin had
broken out at her rooming house.
When she arrived at her home she was
| in state of nervous collapse, and on
| her recovery related a rare story OF
the many attempts to burn her house.
To The Herald reporter Miss Cross
said: "I have borne my trouble long
II,
have tried to put the thought out of my
head, I realize that someone is at
tempting to burn my house. Who 1T
is or what the motive is 1 have been
| unable to fathom, but six attempts at
| fires during the last three months nave
been enough to convince me.
"Christmas night I left the house to
visit a friend and when / returned was
| Informed that the instantaneous gas
heater had been turned on and llgnted
full force and the water Withdrawn
| from the tanks. l regarded 1t at the
time as a queer accident, but twice
since the same thing has happened and
fire has been prevented only by the
prompt work of my roomers.
other Attempts Made
",rhree weeks ago I left the house
| and on nv return was informed flre
had been discovered blazing under the
| stairway leading to my rooms, but it
was put out with slight loss. since
that time fire was discovered IN the
pantry beneath my sleeping room ana
| was not put out until everything III
| the pantry was destroyed.
."The nantry fire may have been an
| accident. but tonight's fire and the at
| tempts to explode the gas heater am
| sure were of incendiary origin.
| "JVhat worries me is the fact that L
have no enemies that I know of, but
someone is evidently attempting to de-
stroy the house, or at least to ruin my
| business.
"Tonight's fire could not have hap
nened accidentally. 1t would be an
easv matter to go up the stairs ana
start the fire. and to go away without
| being noticed-that would be difflcult.
For business reasons nave kept lne
| other fires secret, but l thlnk IL time
7 should ask police protection, not
alone for my financial interest, but for
| the protection of the families VINO oc-