The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-06


WI Giubbins of the Shanghai Po-
lice to his chief assistant,
what do you make 1t out to be. an
accident or a regular old case of in
cendiar5sm2''
Looks rather queer for an accident
to start out in about four different di-
reetions at the same time. doesn't it?"
replied the Captain. as he proceeded to
take OF his rubber coat and cap cover
and brush the cinders and dust off
them. "Rnd they can't work OF the old
fashioned excuse about 'carelessness'
this time. either. know these chaps
are awfully careless about fire, hut
even chinese carelessness doesn't burst
out IN four distinct spots at exactly
the same time, does Il. nOw?"
No that's true. There might have
been one or two careless coolies smolS-
ing in the goodwin (warehouse) when
the Waterman wasn't looking"
"Or, just as likely interrupted the
Captain the Waterman himself when
the English quartermaster wasn't
looking--,
Yes, but hardly four OF them in four
different parts Of the building. chr"
Hardly. no. sir. you can be sure
that thing was all carefully planned
out Beforehand and those four fires
started by some kind Of slow match
concealed in the cotton and arranged
so as to get a good old Roadway on
before we could get an alarm turned
IN It's incendiarism pure and simple,
that's what II is. sir. and now suppose
it's up to us and the Department. as
usual. to find out who the irebrand
WINS"
Tho conhagration to which our two
officers were referring had taken place
about eleven o'clock in the evening IN
the old go-down of Macmillan & Co.
near the lower Australian Wharf. and
before the alarm had been given and
the foreign engines and firemen had
been able TO respond thousands Of taels
worth Of valuable goods had been de-
strOyed. The curious circumstance, as
the Captain said, was that it seemed
TO break out in four different places at
almost the same moment of time. The
first alarm was given by the native
Waterman at the goodwin OF the Aus
tralian mail adjoining MacMillan's on
the north: the second by a jin-rik- sha
coolie. who was passing up the street
on the south and saw smoke curling
out from under the caves; the third
by two old women who were having
their goodnight tea on the second
story verandah OF the house across the
way on the west. and the fourth by the
"
lying in the stream almost directly
east. When the police and fremen ar
rived they found the iron doors and
shutters TO the windows all intact and
apparently securely locked. so that
they were Obliged to break a passage
in for the hose with axes. and this ii
was that made them conclude at once
that the fire had been started some
hours before and must have been actu-
ally smouldering when the goodwin
was closed and fastened up for the
night at sunset 1t was no very
strange occurrence for a fire caused by
carelessness to shoulder on for several
hours and finally burst out into flame
later in the night; indeed, the Chinese
dropping of hot ashes from their pipes
in between the cotton bales generally
produced this result; but for four diff
ferent fires to burst out simultaneously
In four different parts Of building
looked to everyone as If something far
more serious than carelessness had
been at work, and the entire foreign
community on reading the account in
the papers next morning agreed at
once with Captain Brownlow in his
conclusion. $40
The agents of the English and
French insurance companies. with q
promptness and courtesy characteristic
OF the Far East. at once set their ap-
praisers and adjusters to work and in
a very few days Messrs. Macmillan &
Co. received from them checks to
cover their loss in full, and arrange
ments were made to rebuild the
burned-out goodwin. SO far so good.
but Inspector Gubbins had not yet
been able to report to the British Con-
sui that either he or any member of
his force had laid hands upon the in
cendiary nor had they been able to
solve the mysterious question as to
what purpose he had in committing
the deed. The Chinese detectives on
the force very naturally concluded that
Il must be a case Of hatred or revenge
and so, after due consultation with
their Chief, they started a very careful
inquiry among all the employees and
attaches OF Macmillan q Co. as to any
possible cause OF motive for such q
retaliation. Their efforts, however
seemed TO meet with very little sue
cess. They could not find that the firm
had recently dismissed any of their
native employees. nor that they had
reduced their wages, nor that they had
inflicted any bard and unjust rules
upon them, nor that any European
connected with the establishment had
ill-treated or abused a native-any one
to n feeling of bitterness or resentment
but they found that. on the contrary
everything seemed to have been goins
along in a most harmonious manner
Last OF all they took up the question
of religion. including various native
customs and prejudices, against which
they knew the European was apt t.
protest and stumble and so star
trouble and opposition, but even herr
the firm seemed to have been entirely
innocent. They had not objected Il
the burning OF incense and the offer
ing OF idol money to the wharf god. un.
der due precautions; they had 70
compelled any man to work upon
native holiday; they had granted tn
usual number of absences for grand
ra-nrta. fnnerals and other ancestra