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or irom wmuiwLiko a thief in tho night, it awaited tho opportune moment, and us if to silence Hint which might give tho alarm,onfoldod tho organ hi its deadly embrace. Tho frail timbors of that structure oasily succumbed, and from Us doomed body the revengeful dames spvanp to tho sheltering timbers of the audionoc room and pursued their destructive work in the dark loft, hiddon from view of tho outside. When the work was woll under way and the deadly element could claim the structure as its victim, it burst through the brick walls, as if to pain liberty and announce with fiendish pice its victory to tho world outaido, Then help arrived, but it was too late—the judgment had boon oxocntod.H was shortly before 10 o’clock when Mr, and Mrs. Wells A. Hutchins were walking up East Eighth street to their borne. As they passed the SecondV,-esby toritm church they noticed a very brilliant illumination 011 the inside. Mr, Hutchins remarked that serviceswero holding laic there. Ho fore they passed the church they heard a peculiar cracking sound which for an instant they took to bo the noise made by tlic janitor in closing the windows and preparing to look up for the night, the error of this inference was very soon apparent and Mr. Hutchins walked in to tho window to investigate suspecting that something was wrong. One glance revealed the truth and he immediately hurried out and started for tho fire alarm box to send in an alarm. When ho pot there John Woods, a colored boy living ou Ninth street back of the church, had already broken the ■rlass in tho firm alarm box and sent inthe message. Then came a long waitreactor. i paswjr wu*™ b*---------ry of the fire, to him it was as much a mystory as to any oue olsu.The janitor, Goo. Williamson, was as much at loss to account for the mysterious bhr/.u as the pastor. He said that ho had extinguished the gas after the congregation had departed, which was probably a quarter before nine o’clock.As lie locked the door lie looked back us has been his custom for twenty years, which time he has been the janitor, to sec if any light remained.He says there was no trace of a fire and he could scarcely reuliae that it was burning. He says the basement was locked all day and he is positive no one was there during the day. The gas on the organ was all extinguished and there was no other fire in the building so far as ho knows. ^Tho trustees and other officials ana members of the congregation rendered valuable aid to the firemen and worked hard all evening- They were all interviewed by the Times, but could throw no light on the mystery.The incendiary theory has gained rapicHy us investigations progress, although none of the church officials will acknowledge any suspicion. The (iremon are almost a unit in their opinions. They feel certain that the fire was started by some one maliciously. A big board was found standing against the window leading to the organ whore the lire started. The window is probably ten feet from the •round aud access would be easy by way of the board. This and othervery suspicious circumstances strength-on tho theory of incendiarism anu further investigations may clear away the mystery. There were no electriccit.madcjther1U1MiqutoouOTatwtbat61s
Newspaper Details
Portsmouth Daily Times
Portsmouth, Ohio, US
Mon, Jun 10, 1895
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Scioto C.
OH, USA 23 Jan 2019
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