Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-20
5ourna! anO Courier.
Mon'iaF sarniu4. March 20. 1872.
The Recent Fires.
The Theories ns to thsir Origin-The Tn-
 uuirfeS bxy he Officials,

 Tine Theories as to thsir Origin-The Tn-
 quiries by the Officials.
 After a careful investigation as to the
 origin of the Calvary Baptist church fire,
 Detectives Reilly and Brewer, who were de-
 tailed by Chief Webster to "work up'' the
 case, have reported that the incendiary
 theory is not the correct one They consider
 that the fire caused by the carelessness
 of some person who was in the church either
 to practice upon the organ or for some other purpose, and that the fire caught from one
 of the swinging gas fixtures at the organ
 The detectives also claim that they have dis
 covered that there were fourteen keys to the building, and that nearly every night some one was in the church. and in addition to | this they claim that neighbors for some time
 had been considerably alarmed on account of | young men entering the church smoking
 cigarettes, and who were careless in extin- | gushing the gas when they left. The police
 will lay the result of their investigations in detail before Mayor Robertson who offered
 Il reward for the arrest of the incendiaries on | the strength of Chief Hendrick and Fire | Marshal Kennedys statements to the effect
 that in all probability the Konold and l Doherty fires. as well as the Calvary church l Ire, were the WOrK or ur6DuBS. " nllS 1 the police denounce the incendiary theory,
 there are many who have also made investi- I gations who disagree with them, and for very l good reasons. It seems that ca the night of 1 the fire no one was in the church for that purpose as the police could easily have
 learned by interviewing Mrs. Way and her l daughter, who reside on York street in the l house adjoining the church. These ladies 1 state that whenever the organ is used they ] hUtn instrument l silent. It will be remembered that the or I gan is situated in the rear of the church and does not stand six feet from the Way resi- dence, consequently when played upon it would be almost impossible for the occupants of the house not to hear the music. A gen. tleman named Fitzgerald passed the church ] on the York street side the night of the fire about 10 o'clock. The shadow of man in the church yard attracted his attention. He watched for moment and discovered man peering into the windows, first one and then another. As the man apparently made no effort to break in, MT. Fitzgerald passed on, thinking no more of the matter until the burn ng of the church recalled the incident to his mind. This suspicious incident seems to tend towards the incendiary theory.
 Henry R. Turner the special agent for New England of the Niagara Fire Insurance company of New York, in an interview Sat urday, said that the fire was incendiary be- yond doubt. He said that not only himself,
 but other az nts for companies who had sus- tained losses here the past month, were sat isfed that "frebugs' were in the city, and he added that the insurance men were watch ing with considerable interest to learn who would come out ahead, the incendiaries or the police department. ''Up to the present time, " added Mir. Turner, ''the incendiaries are long way ahead" As there is such diversity of opinion, it is to be hoped that the true so- lution will finally be reached