Chicago

An incendiary broke into the basement of JACOB PORCH’S Grocery Store at the corner of Archer Avenue and Lock street, yesterday and set fire to some oil which was kept there. A police officer saw the blaze and summoned the fire department so promptly that a serious loss was prevented. The building was damaged to the extent of about $200 and the stock about $100.

JACOB PORCH, the proprietor of the store, was arrested charged with having set fire to the place. He was taken to Justice INGERSOLL yesterday and held for examination until Jan. 9, in bonds of $1,000. The police as yet have no evidence against him beyond the mere suspicion that it was he that set the place on fire, and they had the court grant the continuance because they wanted time to gather evidence.

Early last evening fire was discovered on the second floor of the three-story brick and frame building, No. 42 West Division street owned by M.C. WESTZLER and occupied as a tannery by C. CASSELMAN Jr. An alarm was sounded from box 393 at 6 o’clock and in the course of half an hour the blaze was under control, but not until some $2,500 worth of damage had been done to the building and about $3,000 to the stock and fixtures. The former is insured for $600 in the Pennsylvania Company of Pittsburg and for $1,200 in the German Insurance and Savings Company of Quincy. The latter is covered by policies for $1,000 and $3,000 respectively in the Paul O. STENSLAND and WITOWSKI & OFFELDT agencies. The fire is said to have started from some unknown cause, in the dry-room of the tannery.

The Daily Inter Ocean, Chicago, IL 2 Jan 1886
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Transcribed by June. Thanks June!