The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1932-04-21
Fires Last May 80 and June 1
Result in Action; Seven
Witnesses Called
FIRE CHIEF ON STAND
Steffl Tells of Fishing Trip
Shortly Before First
Fire; Called Home

The origin of fires which destroyed
the store building belonging to John
F. Steffl at Clements, was disputed
by attorneys Wednesday as crowd
ed court room heard the action
brought by Mr.. Steffl to collect DAM
ages resulting from the fires.
Curious crowds filled the court
room late Tuesday and all day We'd
nesday to hear the testimony of wit
nesses questioned by the attorneys Of
Mr.. Steffl and the attorney of the
Home Insurance Company of New
York and the Implement Dealers Mu-
tual Fire Insurance Company of
Grand Forks, North Dakota, defend
ants.
Up to the closing time of court
Wednesday afternoon, eight witnesses
had been called by the insurance at
torneys in an endeavor to prove to
the ten men and two women on the
jury that the fires in the Clements
store were incendiary.
Steffl Takes Stand First
After arguing among themselves
over selection of the jury, from a.
m. until after 8 p. m. Tuesday, the
lawyers started questioning the
plaintiff at $3.50. Twenty-one men
and women were questioned by w. R.
Werring, attorney for the plaintiff
and C. F. Kelley, attorney for the de-
PENDANTS before the jury was chosen.
In preliminary address to the
jury by the defense attorney the jury
was told that the law suit arose from
two fires in the Steffl store in Glenn
ents May 80, 1881 and June 1, 1881.
He said that the defense will prove
that the fire or fires were of unna-
tural origin.
Testimony brought out by Steffl
while he was on the stand, showed
that he was in northern Minnesota
at the time of the first fire, fishing on
st. Mary's lake near Lewis Twenty
Acres at Alexandria. He said he went
north with two other men from Glenn
ents the Thursday before the fire,
and that they were still there when
the call came that his store had burn
ed down. He revealed that he had been
fishing and was returning to the
cabin when a stranger from the next
cabin approached him with message
that he was to call Clements imme-
diately.
AS the cabin in which he lived did
not have a phone, Mr.. Steffl said he
went to nearby cabin and call
ed Miss Bertha Bruckbauer, an en-
ployee of the Steffl store. After veri-
flying the fact, he said he and his
companions started home. Accord
ing to his testimony, Steffl received
the message and called back at ap-
proximately noon, Saturday and the
trio reached home late that after
noon.
Other Facts Revealed
Testimony Tuesday and Wednesday
brought out that only a small por-
ton of the store was damaged by the
fire of Saturday morning, May 80,
and that another fire started at ap-
proximately 3 a. M, June which
completely demolished the store, fix
lures and merchandise.
AS the Redwood Falls fire depart
ment answered call to the first fire
and was asked to come to the second
one, Joseph M. Corbett, chief of the
Redwood Falls fire department was
called by the insurance attorneys as
one of the witnesses. Several ques-
tions were asked Mr.. Corbett as to
what was burning when he arrived
there, how much of the building was
in flames and how much was in smoke
and whether he thought the flames
had been completely extinguished.
A heated argument arose when Mr..
Corbett accused Mr.. Flor, plaintiffs
attorney, of insinuating that he was
not telling the truth. Mr.. Flor quoted
the argument when he said that Mr..
Corbett was there to answer ques-
tons and not to assert opinions.
Other Witnesses Examined
Other witnesses who were put on
the stand Wednesday were w. r.
Werring, attorney for Steffl; Richard
Schmidt, cashier of the State Bank
Of Clements where Mr.. Stefl took
out insurance; Fred Anthony of Red
wood Falls who was asked by the IN
surance lawyers to go to Clements
to check on the dimensions OF the
fixtures in the basement of the build
ing: James Rasmussen, an employee
of the bank who noticed smoke COM
ing out of the Steffl building; Ber-
tina Bruckbauer who was employed
at the store and Albert Bruckbauer
who operated a pool hall in the nortn