The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-13
FIRE THE YES.

ADVANTAGE was taken of the confusion incl
dent to the burning of Paterson's warehouses
last week for a number of men in firemen's
uniform to enter the houses in the neighbor-
hood for the purpose of pillage. One house
was cleared of all the valuables that the
thieves could carry off, and a number of
others suffered to a considerable extent.
This affair has created much scandal, and has
brought the entire Fire Department into disre-
pute. Some of the companies already have a
bad name for harboring thieves, but it is ina
possible for either the sufferers or the pub
lie generally to discriminate, and all the decent
men connected with the department suffer
in reputation because of the sins of
certain hangers-on who merely wear firemens
badges on account of the facilities they afford
for pillage. This is not the first time that
complaint has been made about this matter
and it is certainly high time that the respecta-
BILE fremen should take some decisive mea-
sures to purge themselves of their rascally
associates. The thieves undoubtedly consti-
tute but a small minority of the whole num-
Der of firemen, but until they are detected
and punished, and efficient measures are
adopted to prevent such occurrences in the
future, the innocent will suffer with the guilty,
and the brave men who battled all night long
with the flames will be under suspicion as
well as the scamps who meanly availed them
selves of the opportunity afforded to plunder
unprotected citizens.
The tiremen as body have not yet moved
in this matter with the alacrity that thew
should, and, instead of endeavoring to ferret
out the thieves, many of them have contented
themselves with writing letters to the news
papers complaining Of the criticisms to which
they have been subjected. At the same time
it must be admitted that the result of a case
tried yesterday in the Court of Quarter Ses-
sions is not encouraging to the officers and
men of the Fire Department who have endea-
vored to do their duty in this matter How
ever tardy others may have been, Chief Engi-
neer Downey appears to have exerted him
self to the best of his ability to
find out the thieves and have them
! punished. A man whom the Chief arrested
was brought to trial yesterday on the charge
of entering house with intent to steal. He
was found guilty, and it was certainly ex-
| pSCISu IloU I'LL OAlllllJlS WOulu DG made OF
him. To the astonishment of everv one
however, instead of being sentenced to pun
ishment, he was only ordered to give security
in the sum of $1,000 to keep the peace for six
months. The Chief Engineer very naturally
characterized this action of the court as very
poor encouragement for him to exert himself
in discovering the offenders at the late fire.
Such a sentence as this would seem to he
nothing more than a Judicial license to the
thieves, and it will undoubtedly be so con
sidered.
Notwithstanding the palpable failure O
Justice in this case, the duty of the fremen i
none the less plain. They are under obliga
tions to the public to find out who the thieve
were and expel them from their organization
even if they cannot execute further justic
upon them; and any company that refuses t.
take action in the matter should be denounce
by the entire department. Prompt and deci
sve action on the part of the honorable me-
, who constitute the great majority of the Fir
Department would have the effect of drivin
! out and exposing the thieves and vagabonds
. even if it did not secure their punishment q
the hands Of the law