MADERA   MERCURY Madera, Madera County, California Saturday, August 13, 1906 ATTEMPTED ARSON. _________ A Chinese Fire Plant Found on Mrs. Yee Chung's House _________     Some fiend, and the indications point to a Chinaman as the guilty one, made a dastardly attempt to fire the residence of Mrs. Yee Chung last Saturday night.  Coal oil and a Chinese fire machine were found on the roof of the dwelling, and it is only owing to the fact that the paper in which were the materials for starting the fire was wrapped too tight that the building and the sleeping occupants were not destroyed.     Mrs. Yee Chung is a widow, residing about four miles from town, in an old building with several small children.  She has been buying fruit in the neighborhood in competition with several other Chinese and has been usually successful in her bids.  It is believed that some of the Chinese who bid against her for fruit, in a spirit of revenge, sought to burn her out of house and home.     One of Mrs. Chung's boys went up to grease the windmill Sunday morning and noticed some papers lying on the roof of the building.  He told his mother and an investigation was made.  There were two pieces of paper lying on the roof of the building.  He told his mother, and an investigation was made.  There were two pieces of paper which when unrolled showed several sticks of punk which were half burned out.  Inside the paper were a lot of matches and the whole had been liberally sprinkled with kerosene.  There was kerosene on the roof and a pint bottle in which was a wooden cork and had evidently contained coal oil was found near by.  The firebug had evidently waited until the family was asleep and had then gone to the top of the building and set his machine.  The punks were lighted and the oil scattered.  As it would take some time for the punks to burn to the paper in which the matches were, the fiend would have plenty of time to get away and fix up an alibi.  Fortunately the paper was wrapped to tightly that when the punks burned down to it, they went out, as no air could get in.  That is all that saved the building and possibly the lives of the sleeping inmates.     Constable Hollister was sent for yesterday, and he found the articles just as they had been left and brought them to town.  The officers will take charge of the matter and make an effort to locate the fiendish Chink. _________