Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-03-10
From the st. Paul (AIinnesOtal Press, 2Oth.l
THE FIRE-BUG.
A Rich Man with aPassiOn for Burn
ing Houses.

The city of Newburyport, Massa-
chusetts, about forty miles from BOs-
ton, has for some years past been
afflicted with an incendiary, whose da-
ring feats and malicious crimes have
become a complete terror to the whole
community. The destruction of prop
erty has been immense, amounting in
all to over fifty buildings, including
three churches, and number of stores
dwelling houses and barns.
For a long time every effort of the
police and detective force of the city,
and even of Boston, has been baffied
by the skill and secrecy with which
the incendiary performed his work.
"This method employed by the in
cendiary is at once novel and ingeni-
Gus. His kindling apparatus consists
of a wooden box about four inches
square and fifteen inches long, with
covered top and bottom, lined at the
| top and sides with tin, and having on
one side, near the bottom, hole for
| the fire to issue from. In this box
candle is placed, surrounded at the
[ bottom with combustible materials,
/ saturated with infiamable oil. When
/ the candle has burned so low that
these materials are ignited, the same
/ issues from the box and comes in con-
! tact with the woodwork of the build
! ing, which has been previously satu-
rated with oil. Generally the box IS
placed against the outside of the bull
I dings intended TO be destroyed; but
when access is easily obtained it is
: placed upon the inside. 1t is suppos-
/ ed that the incendiary comes forth
I with his box about six o'clock in the
evening, when the factory operatives
are going to their homes, and he can
pass most easily without observation;
and the time intended for his internal
machine to take effect varies with the
condition of the atmosphere, the di-
rection of the wind or some other cir
cumstance whose effect he can not al
ways closely calculate.
1.-THE acts and motives of the incen-
diary afford abundant food for specu-
lation: and there are not few wisea-
cres who are confident of their ability
to solve the mystery by pointing out
the eulprit. Some assert that the
mischief is caused by some member
of the fire department; Others declare
it is the work of some carpenter who
desires to keep the line of his BUSH
ness active; while others are equally
confident that some member of the
police force uses the advantages which
his position offers to carry on the he
farious work. Stories are rife of mys-
terious persons seen in suspicious pla-
ces, and of men found wandering at
night in women's clothing. Plan
ehette has been consulted, and has
made revelations as conflicting as they
are extraordinary. One appeal to the
spirits elected reply that the fires
are the work of young Clark, who
was hanged at Salem, in 1921, for az
son committed in NewburrypOrt.-
Self-appOinted detectives have tried
. their skill in watching for the incen-
diary, and in some instances have
found themselves under surveillance
of the regular police; while many lu-
dicrous incidents have arisen from the
authorized and unauthorized efforts
for his discovery. ApersOn seen after
dark with bundle under his arm Is
at once an object of suspicion, and
many innocent persons have been OBJ
liged to explain their movements
The city authorities and the police are
compelled to submit to a great deal OF
sharp criticism for their failure to dis
cover the criminal, and even charged
with neglect to take the proper steps
to that end. AS we are not writing
for the benefit of the 'fire-bug,' We
shall not state the means nov employ
cd for his detection but we are able
TO say that such vigor and skill are
enlisted for that purpose, that he will
ere long be compelled TO abandon his
diabolical work, or find himself in the
hands of the officers of the law.
From the above it will easily be i'm
agined what a state of doubt, uneer-
tainty and suspicion pervaded the
community.
So important did it seem that this
criminal should be detected andsar-
rested, that rewards in one form OF
another were offered, in all amount
ing to S1O,500. At last the arrest OF
some one, and the detection of the
criminal, became so imperative that
the mayor sent to Boston for a special
detective.
In response to this request, Moses
Sargent, who was once chief of the
detective corps of Boston, but now an
independent detective, was sent up to
NewburypOrt, to report to the Mayor,
Hon. Nathaniel Purse, for this special
duty.
On examining into the case, Inc
found that these ineXplicable fires haC
been occurring through period OF
seventeen years, though especially
frequent during the past five years
: and in 1867 the fire bug spoken oi
above had been discovered. Every
possible clue that could be found wa:
carefully collected and considered
but without throwing any light on
: the mysterious occurrence. He took
private room in the city under al
2 assumed name, and with the aid o.
the Mayor and other prominent infiu
entail citizens, local vigilance com
mittee was organized for the purpos'
of aiding in the detection of the crimi
nal. 1t was finally decided to TAKE
!. the city by wards, and get the name
l of every resident, and then taking
them name by name, see that each
!. and every one was properly accounted
for. Such list was made outand tht
r detective called the roll, and as eacl
e individual was named, some membel
z of the committee vouched for then
as above suspicion. When the namt
; of one could not be vOuched for, thu
detective was at once upon his tracl
5 until all doubt was removed. AT las
4 the name of Leonard Choate, son o
4 one of the wealthiest and most res
l pected citizens of NewburypOrt, wa
: reached and was pronounced by near
ly all the vigilence committees as en-
L tirely above suspicion. From circum
5 stances, however, connected with hi
/! past history, awOke the suspicion o
d the detective. His fathers premise
e had been unaccountably burned il
u 1852, and brother of Leonard, WHIT
q overworked himself at the fire, tool
: cold and died, and no development
L regarding the cause of the fire haC
{ ever been made.
The detective found that LeOnarC
e Choate had a retired room wherein h,
q was often at work with carpente
n tools, and his labors were general!
/ performed with blinded windows ant
e locked doors. In examining the fir
5 boxes which were in possession of tn
u chief-of-poliee, and which had beeI
/ rescued from various burning build
: ings, he found certain marks whicl
) must have been made by nicked tools
Secretly obtaining an opportunity
= he examined the tools used by Choate
/ and found one of them nicked in jus
II such a manner as to make the identi
$ cal mark that appeared on all sides
the boxes. A piece of st. Pau
~