New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-18
ARSON IN POLITICS.
AN ILLINOIS DEMOCRATIC BOSS CHARGED
WITH HIRING INCENDIARIES.
TIVE MAN WHO STARTED FIRES IN THE VlLLA'h'
OF GENEVA MAKES AsfoNFnssloN l'-
rEELING AMONG LOCAL FAOlioN''
ssY TELEGRAPH TO THE TBIBUNE)


FEELING AMONG LOCAL FAOIioN''
isY rKLEesAPH TO THE TBIBuNEI oc
~I...uo III Nov 1.-THE little towns OF
neneva and Aurora. Ill., are wild wlth eAci'einenO
over the developments of YESTERDAY III ~Ud
with the supposed Whtecap outrsses u 80 CN..a
,eeo Jata last year the citizens Oh "cneN"
becarne alarmed over SUCCESSION U,
6res which were evidently oil lncen0"'rS osii -
There were seven of these nres III an CIV
,ooLed at one time as If the Wnoie Uo"n "ouiI
no destroyed before the author VI one ni'o''i'A
could be discovered. All this was III OAis "i'
a.. Ubitecap outrages in various other States,
%. ,,ont of n better explanation, these fires
.,,or. commonly attributed TO Whitecaps One
reorI;ar feature of the fires, however, was that
tha victims were nearly all active members of
,,oI;+ical faction known the Anti-Herrlngton
taction Among the first buildings to be destroyed
WAS w. H. Howell e. Co.'s foundry, which was
burned ON the night of April 20. 1855. Then
followed at intervals the burning OF stores dwell
incs and barns, the last of which was the large
harm of Hiram McChesney, which was destroyed
ON the night Of January Z, 1889. Seven build
iros two sheds and Windmill tower were
destroyed on this occasion.
Mr. McChesney determined to bring the lncen-
diaries TO justice if possible. lie offered reward
of 81 600 for the arrest of the guilty person. and
,ther reward of equal amount, Nothing more
was heard of the matter until some months later,
when Williams, Geneva physician, was charged
with committing the crimes in fits of INSANITY
Nothing was proved against him and the matter
again dropped out of sight. McChesney, how
ever. continued his search, and excitement was
revived again by his arrival in Aurora yesterday
with Chicago detective, and prisoner IN IRONS
The prisoner, Charles MusSey, was taken at once
before R. w. Gates justice of the peace, where
he pleaded guilty to setting fire TO McChesney
barn. He said that he was present when Howell
foundry was burned but had nothing to do Win
IL, When asked as to his motive for firing
McChesney's barn, he made the incredible state
ment that he had been hired to do 1t by James
Harrington, ex-Mayor of Geneva, eX-member OF
the legislature a well-knOwn Democratic poiltlcai
boss of Illinois. In the memorable Logan
Morrison Senatorial fight Harrington was one
Of the leaders who marshalled the Democratic
hosts at the State Capitol
Mussey was taken to Jail at Geneva. His con-
fes,ion was made without Mr. McChesney's llnowl-
edge 1t is made in writing. lie says that
early in 1889. Harrington offered him $50 to
fire the town of Geneva. This offer was made
in the bar-room of the Harris Hotel in Geneva
and a few weeks before the Howell foundry fire
Harrington said that he wanted G. Maur and
Dr. Blackman burned out Continuing, MusSey
SAYS: Hoyt and Gus Rush, of Geneva, came to
me one night in Geneva, close by the snOOtiDS
gallery kept by H0yt, and SAID, Let us nave
little fire tonight This was the night OF The
fire of the Howell factory, which was about Tie
month of April 1855 saw Hog1 roSo SyinHe yinSo
on the west side of the building known as tne
Howsn & foundry: Shy: ,o,o,o tho Howell factory was
set afre, too, l met James Herrngtan between
Porters meat market and the Harris Hotel, III
Geneva. He asked me If was gong TO 40 i whnC
he suggested TO me. lie sald he dld h0G thllnf
the Howell boys were any friends OF MS, anu
said: want you TO set hre to the howel IIi laC1
tory and make clean JOB OF IT, Ihere wPuIa ho
be men TO 90 down with me TO assist ana ne
would make il all right with me-. About the
second or third day after the fire met James
Harrington, and he said the setting ahre OF tife
Howell factory was good JoD, ana also @ siiI I ie
would have them all cleaned out, and would snow
Mr. Mann, DR.. Backman and Mr.. Met Chesney
that the shOrt-hair slugeers are not dead YET. l
met Mr.. Harrington again few days aiterWard
and asked him for the money he promised Tor
setting the fire. lie replied that he did not have
IL but would get il in a few days. lie aftef"ard
gave me So, and that is all he ever gave me- IN
a few days / met IIerlngton and ne asked me II
/ would set G. A. Manns factory aire Saturday
forenoon. He asked me If would set McChes-
news barn on fire, and said he would give me
$50. / told him l thought | would If 1T was
sny accommodation revenge for him. day
or two after ] went up the railroad track
until got opposite McCheSney's barn. | crossed
the field TO the barn between the hours of 10
with a lighted match on the south side, and saw
the barn afre before | left. and then returned
home. After the fire alarm, | again went TO the
FIRE and remained there until the barn was in
ashes.
90 few days afterward Herring told me that
the McChesney fire was good job and that he
wished the whole town WAS in ashes He added:
You know what l mean by that-the property of
my enemies Hoyt, day or two later, told me
thar he was going fire to the cheese factory
Mr. Harrington has just recovered from stroke
of paralysis Interviewed in regard to MuSsey's
confession, he said The first time / saw Mussey
ne was a policeman of the village of Geneva. Of
McChesneys own creation, and he has never sworn
20 such thing except for money given
him by McChesney. l have not seen MuSSey
for year. | have nothing TO say, but TO dc
nounce McChesney as who will commit any
deed | don't care what it is. l
have lived over fifty years in this
town, and I believe that the community Will
agree universally that he is the worst man that
ever lived in il. Mussey is the tool of McChesney,
and will never swear in court that / hired him.
! have no defence to make for myself II is
.ob hot old MoCH Oh