OCR Text |
Show ISEBOGS "ATTEMPT TO DESTROY MAN! ; smugs m wotirs fair. pike;. : j!2 MAN ISMRES1B OK SUSPICION "Streets of Rome" and "Quo Vadis" Are Destroyed; and Other Concessions Damaged Dam-aged by Fire. when he was asleep within a few feet of where it originated. , Two Japanese, Y. Muto and J. Ku-matsa, Ku-matsa, were painfully burned, having been rescued by Liept. Scheppe of the World" fair police force, from the building build-ing in which they were asleep. The wildest excitement prevailed upon the Pike and many hundreds of people were attracted to the vicinity of the exposition ex-position grounds by the glare of the conflagration, which was visible from all parts of the city for nearly half an hour. Three Arrests Hade. Three arrests were made by the police and Jefferson guards on suspicion that the person taken in custody knew something some-thing of the origin of the Are, but with the exception of Dunn all were released after being questioned. It is also stated by persons who were on the Bcene soon after- the fire alarm was sounded, that there were two distinct dis-tinct conflagrations, one in the "Streets of Rome" and the other, which was observed at about, the wme time, In "Old St. Louis." , The police are w orking - upon ' the hypothesis that there was an attempt to destroy several ot the concessions by preconcerted arrangements. 8T. LOUIS, Dec. 3. A further Investigation Inves-tigation by the police and the Jefferson guard strengthens their belief that the fire on the Pike last nlgh which totally t' yroyed the "Streets of Rome" -and ' vuo Vadis" and damaged "Fair Japan,- "On the Bowery" and "Old St. Louis," was of Incendiary origin. One suspect has been arrested, Arthur V. Dunn, 26 years of age, who gives his occupation as a waiter. He has been Identified by John McAnnar, employed as a watchman at the "Moorish Palace," as the man'he saw run from the building: build-ing: In which the fire was discovered. Couldn't Explain Action. Dunn was arrested In "Hereafter," an attraction immediately opposite the burned buildings; and the Jefferson guards who made the arrest say that he could wot give a satisfactory explanation explana-tion of his presence in the building. The guard's attention was attracted to "Hereafter," some time after the fire In the "Streets of Rome" was discovered, by a bright light which proved on Investigation Inves-tigation to be a pile or burning newspapers newspa-pers and straw. Dunn told the Jeffer-ton Jeffer-ton guards that he had entered the building to extinguish the fire, but could not explain why he was locked in the concession.. When searched eleven pocketbooks were found in Dunn's possession. pos-session. Famous Pictures Burned. In addition to the loss of the buildings, . which rs estimated to be about $5000, a series of old paintings, illustrative of scenes from the novel "Quo- Vadis,v-which Vadis,v-which formed the principal attraction In the concession known as "Quo Vadis," ' valued at $75,000, were, burned. The paintings were the work of Jans Styka, the Polish artist, and were brought to. this country under $50,000 bonds. - ' . M , The fire was firs discovered in the "Streets of Rome" by Jefferson guards The blaze was small, but the guards say that It spread rapidly and assert tba they found traces of kerosene oil ' before they were driven from the build- lng by the flamea Fire Hose Worthless. The guards first attempted to extinguish extin-guish the flames without calling the Are ; department, but after they had stretched the emergency fire hose from the plug to the scene of the fire, it was found that the hose had been cut and was worthless. - The first alarm was 6oon followed by a general and part of the fire fighting . ability of the city was called to the as- sistance of the World's fair department. Life Probably Lost. It Is believed that a waiter named 'Alexander Dickson, called "Scotty,"' was ' turned, as' the last seen of him was Just previous to the discovery of the fire. |