New-York tribune., 1883-12-12
BOY IyCEYDI4RIES ~ NILW4CKEE.
SONS OF RESPECTABLE PARENTS CORRUPTED BY
DINE NOVELS

SONS OF RESPECTABLE PARENTS COkRCPIED bh
DINE NOVELS
MILWAUKEE,, Dee. 1.-THE police have sue
cccdcd in capturing most OF the authors OF the recent III
ceudiary fires here. Although 1t has been held that IL
could not possible that the fires were the work OF IRE
sponsbc boys the detectives would be sure 10 eaten
Them it turns out that all Of the fire bugs" are little
fellows none OF them being over fifteen years Old Mhat
is most surprising Is that all of them are sons OF men OF
considerable prominence business and society Bennie
West s son OF General +. A. West welknOwn onicer
OF the Civil War; at present prominent member OF the
Chamber Of Commerce; Ernest Finch OF an officer OF the
Chicago Milwaukee and st. Paul Railway Company in
Iowa. Charles MilaId. Of leading grocer; ana Joseph
Moalt ir, OF the proprietor OF a large marble yard
Some months ago part of these boys in company with
others melted by dime novels and stories in "boys
papers," organized themselves as gang OF eebooterS
They secured limited outfit and prepared tOstat for the
West where they intended to emulate the deeds OF the
noted cowboys and Buffalo Bil They intended to start
at midnight but their failure to return home at season.
able hour in the evening led to search which resulted In
the frustrating OF their plans They then set about plans
for fires in different parts of thecty The West boy took
mart in only one Of the ncendary attempts, that at the
Fourth Ward Public School building the first OF the
series The other three did the rest of the work They
confess to setting nearly all the incendary fires Ofhe
last few weeks hut they claim 70 know nothing OF the
cause OF the burning Of Ileers sausage factory anu Ol
few other fires Two of the boys attend the Fourth Mad
Public School, and the Others are students AZ Coie
cial college.
one of them admits that he wrote the postal card to the
Chief of Police threatening that officers life and ia burn
fine town One of the letters received by the Che the
contents of which OF nature similar 10 that o the
nosta was in the handwriting that OF the postal
or the letters sent to the Chief the boy Cl To
know nothing. One Of the boys was cd urea tS cNch
ing and confessed the whole business Before ndulst
his acrompces were arrested. They assert that thclr
only motive "fun u see the engines come out one
of the uccndiary attempts was made on lhc properly OF
Joseph Mot father OF one OF the boys, but hel all dny
any knowledge OF that particular Cast, ne poHS it No
regular meetings most OF which were held al me Pubhc
Library where they carried whispered consultations
and where the leader "Cbcf Knight" laid the plans
which the others executed. Their plans were copied after
the formulas obtained from hashy literature ana were
managed with much secrecy and shreWdnc7s. IN the
case of the burning OF Lndcruan's s"rc-One OF the
worst results fther wOTkfor instance, II wa. arranged
that Chief Knight should 20 the front Of the store and en-
gage the attention OF those present by lnqnIng apou
fLr prices of corn. while accOmpicc should fire the
blan in the Tie boys do not bear the appearance
of being specially malicious But they are thoroughly I'M
bued with the spirit of current literature Tor boy ana
are cnUVer-aut with cowboys NeTnacuar ana thieves
slang arrest and confession are terrible blow To-
tlcir families and great surprise 10 the community!