The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-04-05
ANARCHlSTIC INCENDIARIES.
Operations Of Gang of Criminals Who Did
Profitable Business in Arson.

New YORK. April "A band of Anarch-
lists organized for the purpose of arson and
collecting insurance money in Brooklyn,
has been run down. How many buildings
they have set on fire isnot definitely known
as yet. The police know they have been
working since September last, however.
There are two clear cases against them,
anyhow. On the Cd of February last, they
fired store at 40 Bristol street. They had
opened it few weeks before, and seemed
to be doing good business. 1t was the
ground floor of a tenement-house. After
the mid nj ght hour. on Feb. 90. the cry of
fire aroused the sleeping tenants in the
house; the lower part was then enveloped
in flames, and there was narrow escape
from loss oflife On Dec. 6, last cigar store
at So Powers street was set ON fire
by them, the police say. The brand was
applied at night. Again was there a wild
rush of panic-stricken people in their night
clothes, and fortunately there was no loss
of life. Strange and mysterious fires broke
out in every part of the city. Fire Marshal
Lewis became suspicious and set trained
detectives at work. For months they could
get no clew. and the fires continued. Lives
were lost at fires, some of which the origin
may be traced to the anarchistic fire bugs.
At last the fire marshal struck q clew. He
learned that celebrated Anarchist, named
Bernard Nauman, had left Chicago. He
was noted there for his readiness to apply
the torch to anything infiammable. Mar
shall Lewis learned that he had been seen
in Brooklyn, and for days and weeks de-
tectiyeS secured the city for him. At last
they learned that he lived in Jersey City,
oat had four warm friends in Brooklyn.
! sc was the chief of the fire bugs, was the
Murphy, of Jersey City. secretly arrested
him at II Porter street in that city, on
Monday night. He is twenty-six years
old, and married. He was taken to Brook
lyn and shown evidence said to connect
certain degree if he would betray his
allies. He refused. The following list.
however. was obtained by Capt. Dunn, of
the Fourteenth precinct police in Brooklyn:
Varet street, Brooklyn; George Freund,
aged thirty-four, married. So Walton street,
BrOoklyn; Fred Dunsing and Ernest Hazel,
aged thIrty-0ne and thirty-seven, of Brus-
sells street, Brooklyn.
Captain Dunn sent detectives to their adj
dresses last night and arrested the men.
Twenty bladders, containing benzine
and other Infammable fluids, were found
under Nauman's bed in Jersey City, where
he is known as Bleium. The method of the
stock and obtain a heavy insurance on the
stock and fixtures. When preparations
were made for the incendiary blaze a lamp
would be broken; near it were placed blad-
ders filled with benzine, and around a
bladder a circle of gunpOwder; a slow fuse
was used to ignite the powder, which
exploded the bladder. and like fash the
place would be ablaZe leaving no trace of
the incendiary work. except the broken
lamp to deceive the insurance people. The
occupants of the store would, of course, be
absent the night of the fire attending a
social gathering at the home of one or the
other cOnspiratOrs to prove an alibi.
The men were arraigned in Brooklyn to-
day. They pleaded not guilty and were re-
manded without bail until Monday next
The men were very nervous while in court,
and did not open their mouths to speak,
allowing their counsel to talk for them.
The information about these men was
gwen Justic Naeher by a man named Fred
erick Schwertfeiger, of Brooklyn, who ad-
mitted having been a member of the gang.
The Justice at first did not believe the
story. But when he learned that the gang
had made preparations to burn house in
Harrison. a suburb of Newark, N. j., last
evening he telegraphed the Newark police.
A dispatch from Newark stated that trai |
of powder, benzine. etc., had been found at
the Harrison house referred to.