Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-11-14
CHANCE SAVES
BL. RIVER FROM
DESTRUCTION
Ingenious Fire Starting
Device With Mouse as
a Prime Mover.
Arrest Movie ShouUn1an

A possibly disastrous fire at Blue
River was narrowly aVerted and one
of the most ingenious and diabolical
plots at arson in the history of "set
fire" annals uncovered by the authori-
ties last week. Frank Randall, 25, of
Blue River, is out on $1,000 bonds
awaiting hearing on charge of at
tempted arson Nov Is. Further ar
arrests are looked for. The trail of
case leads hundreds of miles away
and mousetrap plays part. But
read on.
The attempted arson came to light
the morning of Oct. 80, when Frank
Bennett, aged and heavy-set citizen
of the village, went to frame building
used occasionally as movie show
and owned by Clyde Barrie of West
Allis. Bennett wanted to see Henry
Richter, road patrolman, and ledger
on the second floor and sole occupant
of the building.
AS Bennett moved down the hall to-
ward the stairs where the untroubled
Richter lay asleep, he smelled smoke.
He plunged into the building and saw
heavy smudge emerging from
packing box. He tore the box away,
threw an evil-looking device out of a
window and smothered an incipient
blaze with burns to himself. Then he
called Richter and the local authori-
ties.
The device, now in Dist. Atty. Glenn
entsOn's office, is ''sure-fire" starter
for criminally started fires. 1t con-
sists of a board about two feet square.
II the center of the board is some
coarse sandpaper. Riding edgewise on
the base board is a thinner board set
upright. The bottom of the board is
drilled with eight holes so that a row
of matches lie against the sandpaper.
On each side of the upright board set
two glasses. These glasses contained
kerosene when Bennett found the fire.
Above the board was placed a wire
basket. This basket contained cell
luloid movie film, highly inf1am-
mable substance. From the base
board laths led to combustible ma
terials in a. rack above.
The most ingenious part of the de-
vice remains to be told. From the
center riding board ran a wire. This
wire connected with the spring of q
mousetrap about a foot distant. The
mousetrap set off by some innocent
and hungry mouse pulls the board.
The matches CRATE on the sandpapeT
and ignite. The blaze ignites the
kerosene and film. A hot fire results
and the building ignites and is de-
stroyed. The evidence goes with it.
Randall was arrested last Monday
and held in Jail until Thursday when
he provided bond. He is the son-in-
law of Barrie, who owns the building.
There is $4,000 insurance on the
building. Randall maintains his limo
cence. Up to Monday, Barrie at West
Allis, had not been conferred with.
The building, two-story frame
about 30x60 is next door to garage.
Other buildings are adjacent. People
at Blue River say that had the movie
building ignited the whole village
would have been swept with flames.
Richter, asleep, probably would have
persisted
Dist. Atty Clementson thinks thac
Bennett, being heavy man, might
have caused enough vibration to re-
lease the spring on the mousetrap
when he walked through the building.
Or mouse may have released it. Who
knows? In any event, by some stroke
of fate, a hellish plan to destroy
building for reasons to be guessed
was averted. Blue River was saved
ruinous fire. The authorities here are
noncommittal. They are working on
the case. Further results are looked
for.