The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-08
Is HE The FIRE BUG2.
a sepsag Chain ~ Circaassassial kvtaenes
VWeaved by the P0lice-@ss wecsra pt
. Black One-Me b Now
IN the Cells.
spe,,ial tn the standard.

street. A number of boxes had been piled
sip against the wooden walls of clubhouse
in the rear of the saloon. In one OF shs,se
was a large can Of coal oil. Between thu
box and the building a lot Of paper sattFe
ated with coal oil had been lighted. AMI
when some Cinnamon i'm an adjoining
restaurant discovered the fire II was blas-
ing fiercely. Water was promptly APP
piled and the fire cxtinRuished h.
fore any damage was done. That
the fire was OF i~ncendiary origin
no one doubted. Fire Marshal
O'Brien was promptly ON hand and de-
diary. A few moments after the fire
Chief of Police Smith arrested n man
named Frank InRcrsol ON the corner of
Main and Park streets, n half block from
the scene of the fire, on suspicion of be-
taken 10 jail and lodged behind the bars
tempt. The evidence against him is very
strong. A reporter, who
trace: Traced h the matter mat. ;s sl sSs f SsSsa II that sS,a In,
playing cards with two Others, He left
ostensibly to go home. A few
moments later "a man answering
his description wa seen to enter am alley
the fire started. After remaining there q
few moments he retreated 10y the same
nearer To Front street to have gone
through the saloon. Fire broke out "a few
moments after he left. twenty feet from
t%aurant, at which n number were sta
toned constantly, yet no one in that
the place. To deliberately approach this
place and start g fire was the, work Of "a
demon without fear. as the hance" were
tccted. A STANDARD reporter visited the
scene a few moments after the
. .ss . s%S e amy mea%s Whereby .Sy
fire might have originated accidentally.
None could be found. Papers had been
newly packed I'm. apparently, AS il bore no
evidences of dampness except where
water used in q~uenching the are had
small house in an alley at the rear of the
scene of the fire told n STANDARD reporter
that she saw the man enter the alley, walk
past her house to the corner where the fire
started "a few moments later. He remained
hut a few and then returned the
time, as no one has any business going in
that way. In - few moments the fire
The police have been shadowing Ineer-
sol for the past eight weeks and seem to
think they have a good case. A strong
tainly been wound around the prisoner.
Ingersol is about 10 years OF age. peck
marked and has csrly hair. He hasa wife
ter OF Thomas Stcece, care ake of Odd
Fellows Hall which was burned last FRI
soils reputation is a black one.. ON.
out i'm b Centennial Hotel on
II them, Jesse GIidden and one Lincoln.
pioyee OF the Butte p~ostoiiice were burned
to death. j. II. b. Foster, now of Mis-
soula, was lodging at the Centennial then.
He was very III with pneumonia at the
time and the Odd Fellow. had appointed
this Ingersol to nurse him. When the
small satchel under the bureau. When
the fire died out search was made Tor the
gold but i was never found. though the
picion at the time fell upon Ineer.
sol as having deliberately started
r ros ars bun. nor %s,hins s"s could 81 prove q.
pisyed TO- nurse one Mack, who wa. IN
street. When he became iii he was takei
10 tine 1 4 fe es"~s da a"" 1 After inssrsa1
! out, he said. Mack says -
a considerable sum of money which VIA.
buried in one corner of the shack. Inger
sEo .at" afser. but !" vidence sutlieient u
convict him of the robbery couldn't bs
obtained. Shortly afterwards Joel What
ley had Ingersol arrested for till tipping
hut he was again acquitted on the Rrouns
of insufficient evidence. InRcrsol's house
streets, where "a stable and several valu
able horses were burned one night thi,
summer as "a result OF incendtar1sm. jus
near this place two other disastrous fire,
have occurred recently OF u~ndoubtcd i'm
cendiary origin. One of these fires wa
that which destroyed the Stevens mins
hoist. Shortly after this Ingersol applies
for, and obtained "a situation as specia
night watchman in the eInplo.
of merchants on Main street. bstweei
Granite and Broadway. While i'm this pc
sition Iugersol claimed to have ~discovercs
and put out three fires started ON his beat
There is doubt of the fires having beer
started. but il was regarded as very sIs
picions that Ingersol should make all tn
discoveries and his fellow watchmen I'm,
none. Mr.. Babcock and Others though
there was something wrong with Inge
sol and reported their suspicious to tn.
police. hut Ingcrsol was discharged
From that time forth Ingcrsoll was places
under close surveillance 10y officers. In
gersol was known to- he about town lat
the night when the daring attempt wa
made to burn the Califor MIA Restaurail
OH West Park street. Another thin
which led the police tn suspect InGerso
was the fact that he was intimate with
female fortune teller who some time AZ
made herself conspicuous ~ predictin
fires the night before they happs.nes
This woman predicted "a fire in Sout
Butte on u certain night. and on that ver
igh III. L. Franks building was burnes
The police have reasons To suspect ~.
Iugersol acted as agent to fulhH pred1'
tsNra Of the sDpthSnypr. Should he I