The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-03-19
Occupant Structure Gave
Alarm In Night
SUSPECTS WERE TAKEN
,,ny5ss ffTiW sH
Locked Up,itnsNtfy Jail; Large
Insurance Carried On Mef-
chandise Stock

= /. Z. 49,
purpose of. securing the insurance car
ried on stock of merchandise in The
structure was frustrated shout 1880
o'clock last night by, THE discovery. Of
the flames and the ,prompt arriya! of
the local fire department.
Answering fire call to box No. ,25
on North Front street. at the hour
mentioned and while a sixty mile
gale was blowing, the department ar
rived at the Kohler building at 31s
North Front street where Mr.. Leo
Hugherz, who occupies the second
floor of the building with his. wife and
two" small children informed the fire.
men that he could smell smoke and
thought that the building was on FIRE.
The first floor of the building had
been occupied by>a general store run
by Albert Aomer and Marvin kael
since last November, The doors of the
store were found locked, and the front
curtains down. but the firemen soon
forced the door. 80
Statement of Fire Chief.
1t was then that evidences of an at
tempt at arson was, discovered SO
Fire Chief BangertaYs stated TO a Free
Press reporter. The chief said that
at frequent intervals throughout the
store were found kerosene soaked
mops with lighted candles. inserted in
them, SO that when they burned low,
the oil soaked mops would catch fire.
Only one of these had burned low
enough to set the nearby. goods on
fire, and the others were quickly ex-
tinguished Then it was noticed that
smoke was issuing from the base
ment. Investigation in that part OF
the building showed that a. large box
of mops and canvas gloves had been
placed there and then soaked WITH
kerosene. Two lighted candles were
also found in this, box Not satisfied
with this large sack of excelsior
soaked with oil was placed near, the
box. The fire had reached the joice
of the floor, but was soon extinguish-
ed.
Chief of Police Jacob Hilgers WIS
right on the job with the firemen and
after looking over the situation ID the
store, he secured taxi and, drove to
the residence of Marvin KS64 plaee1
the man under arrest ana br009ht
him to the police station Albert
Aomer. claimed to be sick and said
that he was not in q condition tn
be taken to the police station. Chief
Hilgers had to be shown. however. He
called up Dr., Al. Kemp and re-
turned with the doctor to the Aomer
residence where the physician exam
ined Mr.. .Aomer He found that his
condition was normal His pulse was
beating rapidly but in a healthy man,
ner. He was then placed under ar
rest and locked up at the police, sta
ton. Chief Hilgers and Deputy Sher-
if Klugherz stated that neither of the
men would make statement but
were very pale and nervous when
placed under arrest.
People Are Indignant.
When the people living in the neigh
borhood of the Kohler building learn
ed that an attempt had been made to
destroy the building, they became
very much worked up over the affair.
and had not the suspected parties
been placed in custody, it might have
gone hard with them. No one doubts
for moment that had Mr.. KlughArz
not been awake when the fire start.
ed that both he and his wife and
two small children would have LOST
their lives in the burning building.
Fire Chief. Ben Bangerter stated
that had the fire one gotten, start
of the firemerl, in the high gale pre-
vailing. nothing could have saved the
north end of the city. Live Goals
from the burning building would have
been carried long distances and Ores
would have been started in different
places at the same time which w0iild
have taken the situation out of con-
troll at once.
Three pals and coal scuttle which
had apparently been used IN spread
ing the oil about the store, were found
and have been seized as evidence. ~
Runors Of Insurance Carried. .s
1t is understood that there was
$4,000 in insurance carried on the
stock of goods owned by Aomer Z &
kael The stock of goods is various
ly estimated to be wpyth from ten
to twelve thousand dollars, 81
Chief Bangerter notified State Fire
Marshal George Nettleton Of the case
and he is expected to- arrive i'm Man.
kato some time today t9esddstitl con-
Quoting the case against sthes two de-
feltdants. 80 ~
f This forenoon Fire Chief Bangerter
swore to warrant before County
Attorney O. E. Phillips = charging
Gamer and Kael- witho itHous in the
first degree. whichs is dpunisha Bile Aby
imprisonment III tfae3lsfatei prison for
IA term not less thSn tendyaars. What
adds to the; seriuuBnesso6 the case is
the fact that people, were. sleeping IN
the building at the time and that loss
|of human life might have resu,Sed
~ Fire Broke Out Again.
Fire broke out in the building. again
at one o'clock this afternoon but was
discovered before it got any Start.
Thisftime it started near the sill nm
der the floor on the north side Of the.
building
ThiS afternoon Marvin Kael stated
to representative OF the Free Press
that he was born twenty i've miles
from the city Of DamAseus, Ayabfa.
That during the world war he served
I'D the United States army nj the S207
|ihaeifiEE suA bS{.aifon atlaeKSa to The
thirty folittb ttisi0n, knuWh : as the
lSzndl Stormo division. He served In
49,.