The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-20
MRS. ROSA REICH LIT CANDLES FOR
 RELIGIOUS RITE
Explains What Was Believed to Be Attempt at In-
 cendiarism

Gnat the candies found burning III the White House Clothing store 6l Water Street were lighted by her in observance of the Jewish festival of | 'Sokes'' and unintentionally left burn 1 ing, is the statement of Mrs Rosa Reich, proprietor of the store. Last Monday night Policeman Mccarthy Ewhen passing through the alley be- tween the rear of the store and Carl Schnidts restaurant saw a light in the White House establishment lie peered through a window and saw two candles burning low on a table He called police headquarters and later IChief Mooney of the fire department Detectives from headquarters and lat CT Prosecuting Attorney Delaney were called after the rear door had been forced open To a Farmer re- porter Mrs. Reich said yesterday:
 '.The newspaper reports of the cir cumstances of this case do me the l gravest injustice That anyone who knows me and knows of my long residence here during which I have brought up a family of eleven child ren. should presume that I would set fire to building and endanger the I lives of many persons who were as- l leep on the floor above, seems to me to be almost beyond belief.
 .I lighted the candles that is true, but I did so to carry out one of the most sacred and ha1lowed customs of ! t1Se Hebrew faith. It is required of I every Jewish woman that she light icandles at tAsundewn every Friday and lon certain of our holidays although on the holidays it is not required that i the candles be lighted at sundown. placed the candles. one on a brass candle holder and the other on a large 1 iron wrench.
 Monday night my little girl was l in the store with me. She said, imam ma, arn't you going to light candles I tonight I didn't have any candles a and I sent her to the corner grocery kstore for the kind that sell, six for5 tcents. The grocer did not have the kind I wanted and he gave the girl longer ones, three for 5 cents. Always before T lighted my candles on the safe where there is no danger from fire. You can see the top of the safe is coated with wax now where have
 holder is filled with the wax from l other candles.
 q lighted two on the table in the I rear of the store as have told you I lighted the candles at just ten, min utes past seven in the evening. The 1 day before we had moved more than $2.000 worth of stock from the store | at l196 Main street. It was all in the
 rear of the store and would have been
 burned if a fire had started. I could
 not have gotten a penny Of insurance for it either. Does that look as if I
 wanted to start a fire and burn my
 store?
 .The candles burned an evening at I the back of the store and there are two big double glass windows there
 and big double glass door and any
 one who passed in the alley could
 have seen them at a glance. If I
 wanted to burn up the store doesn't t it seem reasonable that would have
 the candles in the cellar among rub bish or in the center Of the store
 where they would not be visible from the street
 q had engaged a servant that day and the girl was the car where the fuse blew out She jumped of and forgot her pocketbook and bag in her excitement. She came in the store early in the evening suffering from : nervous shock and wrenched ankle called my family physician, pr. Os- born to attend her. He gave me two prescriptions. get down to the stons every morning at o'clock and rare I Iy leave t6 go home before 10 o'cIocE at night Last Monday night fny lit. she was sleepy and wanted to go tC I, bed. had the prescriptions to ge at Riker,s drug store so went home ! about half an hour before my usua 2 time. I did not think at the tirnt 3 about the candles which were longer ] than usual and which were stiI l burning at the back of the store = When Jewish women 1ight@cand1es il . accordance with their religious rite = they are not permitted to blow then n out. The candles must burn ou ) themselves
 ..I did leave the box of matches ly s ing near the burning candles but i
 Nas not near enough to catch fire no
 was the waste paper basket neai e enough as has been said. I hay, n matches in the store. I have give1
 away 11o gross of small boxes o
 matches as an advertisement thi
 Bridgeport knew that. That is Wh,
 there were so many matches in tn
 store The candles were against tn
 iron radiator and even if they fel
 over they couldn't set fire to any
 thing.
 "The store has been broken int x twice by the rear door and hay . asked the police on the beat to kee uH watch of the alley. don't blame tn
 officer for reporting what he did. Tha
 was his duty and he did .perfectl
 right, but I do blame people who tr ' to make out. that I intended to set fir
 to my store: The brooms which tn
 morning paper told about were abou
 twenty feet from where the candle
 were. I had them at a recent cIea
 sweep sale when I gave one with eac se large purchase.
 n State Policeman Flynn has inves -e tigated the case and he Is satisfied tha d there was no harm intended and the le l there was no danger from the fir,
 They make me worse than a murdere B. who insinuate that would set fire -y a building in which scores of me es were sleeping. Half of the dodgers u s, stairs are out of work and I hay Id not been charging them for 1odgini
 Last winter I kept a lot of dodgers UT .e til they could get work this summe Id and pay me back. trusted them fc s. sweaters and clothing too as they ca e, testify Does it seem reasonable ths