New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-06
PLOTTING INCENDIARISM.
MANY ATTEMPTS TO BURN THE CATHOLIC
PRoTECToRY!
SIX ARRESTS FOR COMPLETELY IN THE LAST
FIRE THERE--A YOUNG scAMP's WAY
OF GETTING REyFNGEy

| OF GETTING REVENGE!
There have been during the last few months
several fires in the buildings on the grounds of
| the Catholic Protectory ct Fordham and in the
| immediate neighborhood, which have been re-
| garded as the work of an inoendiary, but so well
were all the clews covered up that no one in
| particular has been suspected. The last fire at
| the Protectory was on March 26. 1t was In
stable and cowsheds, q short distance from the
main building where several hundred children are
kept. The fire was discovered about 40 o'clock
| In the morning. The sparks from the stable fell
upon the main building, but fortunately 1t did
not take fire. The children were removed to o
place Of safety during the danger. and they were
| greatly excited. There was attempt made to
| burn O large frame-house in Cedar Grove, which
adjoins the ProtectOry property on the west side
| on October 16 Following this there was fire
| in the gas house belonging to the Protectory on
| October 20, and a portion of the structure was
destroyed. Then there was o cessation of fires
| until March 18, when q fire was discovered in
wooden building near the gas house, which was
totally destroyed before the arrival of the remen
These fires have all occurred during the night.
after every one had gone 70 bed In the institution
except q watchman The Protectory is situated a
long distance from thefr engines and, as the roads
are always in a poor condition In this neghbor-
N
the fremen get to it. These things and the fact
that some one evidently actuated by iendish NAL
Ice was the originator Of the fires, have awakened
O feeling Of dread and alarm among the children
nt the Protectory that no amount Of assurance and
confidence on the part Of the brethren in charge
| could subdne The children were unable TO sleep
at night were constantly on the outlook for fires,
were talking about them all the time.
and there was nearly an end to all
discipline in the institution. The matter had
! assumed such a serious aspect that q meeting
Of the Board of Trustees of the Protectory was
held, and there was long and serious discussion
The outcome Of it was that committee composed
of Henry L. Hoguet, president, and James Bayis,
| and John Burke two of the trustees, called upon
Inspector Byrnes and asked his assistance in clear
| ing up the mystery.
| DETECTIVES PUT TO WORK!
Although Fordhnm is outside of the jurisdiction
| Of the city police the Inspector willingly con-
| sented to aid In the investigation. Detectives
Sheldon and Jacobs Of the central office, were de-
tailed TO work up the case and they spent several
| days at FordhRn, searching for evidence. There
| were few clews 20 start upon, and the detectives
wcre led away by several false scents, but by
shrewd and persistent work they got on the track
| Of the hight persons and on Thursday afternoon
they arrested six young men living in Fordham,
| and locked them up &C Police Headquarters. The
| prisoners were taken before Judge Duffy and
remanded until yesterday into the custody Of
| Inspector Byrnes. Their names are Henry Cas-
| sidy age seventeen, OF No. Az East One-hundred-
| nd-forty-hrStst; Reuben Lewis, age nineteen, OF
| One-hundred- and-forty- and Rider-aye;
! William II. Avery. age nine, OF One-hundred-snd
| forty-hnSt-st. and Rder-ave.; Edward Durr, age
nineteen, of Me- 3,39o Second-ave,; Edward Saw
u -luS,d Lar
I forty-third-st and Rider-ave., and John II. HILL
| OF No. 467 East ne-hundred-and-forty- ty-second-st
The first information that led TO the arrests
| given by Frank Menge, who has beer-bottling
place at One-hundrcd-and-f0rty-s sxth-st and Rider
ave Mr. Menge Is the owner OF several fast horses,
| and on March 90 the night OF the last fire at the
Protectory, he found Of his horses in the stable
ynrd exhausted and covered with sweat. 1t
| hltched to his light wagon and had been driven
hard evidently for q long distance. Soon after he
found his horse he saw the Gre at the Protectory
several miles away. One Of his neighbors saw his
wagon driven up 10 the stable at rapid rate, and
| two young men jump from il and run away. He
| called after them, and John Newman, MIR. Menge's
hostlcr, who lives over the stable, got up and
loolnd out Of the window, but unable 70 iden-
tify the men. Mr.. Menge keeps two large blood
hounds ut his stable They ferociOus, and will
attack any one going there at night, with two ex-
ceptions and they are Henry Cassidy and William
H. Avery, and this led Mr.. Menge to believe that
Avery and Cassidy had taken out his horse and
given IT. hard drive for evil purpose. The
detectives, working the from this point of
view soon got 10 the end Of it.
Henry Cassidy and John Cassidy, his father,
were formerly employed at the Protectory as
engineer and fireman They were discharged Octo-
bop D Ioet for Jp, nd inpn nd
when they tried TO get back again in q few days
they met with positive refusal Frank Manages,
| an experienced engineer, was hired to take their
place on October 8. Young Cassidy was greatly in
censed over this and said that he would have re-
venge He told bIanges that II he did not leave
the Protectory he wOuld kin him, but Manages paid
no attention 10 the threat.
Cassidy fer more than year has been the
lead.r Of o gang Of meraudcrs dignihed by the
| title Of Fordham Club and among the members
were the persons arrested with him. When no
found that he could not back 10 work at the Pro-
tectorv he osGanized band from the club for the
81 s 5h SrSIS Ss 0 h9 s @src
them, n he would w whack them n with a club. The
fires on osSSSF d s srd 6a GS
70 show that any one was with him. Cassidy and
Lewis on February 10 broke open canal boat
on the East River and after taking out all the
stuff that was worth stealing Cassidy spilled about
a haf-barrel OF kerosene oil upon the cabin floor
and set fire TO it. The boat WAS destroyed.
BURNING PROPERTY RIGHT AND LEFT
few days after this John Kely's house and
store in Rder-ave. were burned. Cassidy had
tried TO hire room over Kellys store in which
10 hold club meetings. but Kelly would not let
him have IT, He swore vengeance against Kelly
and shortly after midnight on Sunday he touched
a match TO some benzinc in Kelly's store and the
building was burned down. Kelly and his wife
narrowly escaped with their lives. Cassidy
Dragged about burning Kelly's place among the
club members, and said that the fires must be
kept up until their enemies were driven away
On the night Of tho last Are at the Protcctory
Cassidy met Durr and told him that he was going
-4ay. ~, h1..o 4, a ,hurt TINA Jo