The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-12-30
MAN STARTED FIRE
PANIC IN HALL
IN CALUMET
Witnesses Say He Wore Citizens
Alliance Button
C0RONOR'S INVESTIGATION
Prosecuting Attorney will Endeavor
to Fix Responsibility for
Shocking Disaster


OF score or more of witnesses testl'
fled before coroner's jury yesterday
that the man who caused the Christ
mas eve disaster wore a white button
like the badge of the citizens alli-
ance. Immediately after adjourn
ment Of the hearing. Q. n. Hilton, the
Denyee attorney in charge OF the
western federation of miners Legal
interests, said further developments
OF this phase OF the inquiry would
be attempted today The union law
yer did not comment on the fact that
the president and half 4 dozen mem
bers of the womens auxiliary ofthe
federation swore that they SAW no
insignia on the man and that union
memhe $ who stood in the vesdbulc
oil Italian han for an hour before tho
panic started said the alarm came
from within the hall and no person
wearing such button had passed
them
In the opinion of Anthony Lucas,
prosecuting attorney OF Hough,on
county, who conducted the examina-
ton OF witnesses, facts fairly well
established yesterday were thai an
excitable membee OF the audience
raised the cry, that there was no &C,
tua fire in the hall and that the
doors were open and the stairway
clear when the panic started.
"All We want is finding based M
On facts developed at the inquest. .
said Mr.. Hilton. The identity OF the
mi seros.as who started the maa lasl
for the stairs il OF paramount lmpcr-
lance and We intend to do what we
can TO clear this up.
The testimony as TO the button
came al the beginning and end OF the
afternoon session OF The inquest.
John Bugcar, who gave his age as
u. and said he had lost 4 sister in
the disaster, excitedly told OF seeing
q man muitied to his eyes In fur
collared overcoat enter the hall lie
hollered Fire and then ran out said
the boy Il ran out. too. He had all
alliance button on his coat" The
other witness, Mrs. John H. KosNi,
said she was 90 feet from the man,
who wore a dark blue coat on which
was a white button. 1t. looked like
an alliance button" she said But
was TOO FAR away to read it." One
Of two witnesses said there had been
some confusion in the hall before the
panic started, but women in charge
OF the celebration denied this. Prac.
tically all witnesses agreed that the
first alarm came from man. that 1t
was taken up at once in different
Of the hall, and that the rush for tbs
exit was instantaneous. Someone
hollered and we all started to run,
said one child
Moving pictures which had been
taken of Sunay's big funeral probab
ly viii not be exhibited. The opc a
tor reported that his room in local
hotel had been broken into and the
films stolen. The film case was found
several blocks away from the hostel
" in the middle of street bu; be-
yond this circumstance the local po
lice said they had no clew to the do
tails OF the robbery.
At federation headquarters there
was no hesltancy in laying blame FOL
the disappearance Of the films on the
same spirits in the community who
sent President Meyer out OF the dis
trict The theft vas denounced as
an attempt to stife publicity for the
STRIKERS.
Another employe OF Tyomies, The
Finnish socialist paper published in
Hancock. was arrested yesterday on
a warrant issued at the request OF
Sheriff Cruise Saturday. None OF the
newspaper men has obtained release
or bail. the justice who issued the
warrants notifying attorneys for the
men that he could not conside. sucf
applications until all warrants in tn,
CAGE had been served. The editors
printers and publishers are charge,
with circulating false statements cal
culaied Is incite riot.