St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-02
4 GANG GOBBLED
Solution Of the Mystery Sur
rounding st. Paul's Nu-
merous Fires.
Clever Detective Work Un-
earths a Widespread Ar
son Fraud.
aany Small Houses Fired for
the Benefit Of the Insur-
ance.
Detectives Work Themselves
Into the Confidence of the
Firebugs,
Hho Confess to Having Fired
Buildings Here and in
Chicago,
And Plan to Burn a West Side
Building at Dark Last
Night.
Marx and MoritZ Michael Ar
rested in the Act Of
Lighting 1t.
& Third Arrest Follows, and
More Will Come This
Morning.
MarX and MoritZ Michael Ar
rested in the Act Of
Lighting 1t.
& Third Arrest Follows, and
More Will Come This
Morning.

One of the shTewdeSt pieces of de-
eective work ever done in this part of
the country eliminated last night in the
arrest of the perpetrators of long
series Of crimes. They are safely under
lock and key this morning at the cen
trail police station. The arrests were
made by the combined detectire forces
of the city and the libel Detective
agency. The men arrested are Marx
Michael.Of l63 State street, West St. Paul,
and Moritz Michael, his nephew, who has
resided for some time past at 81 East
Fairfield avenue. Marx Michael for
meTly kept a store in West st. Paul.
He was burned out in a mysterious
manner a few weeks ago. The furni-
lure and stock was insured, and the in
surance was paid. The charge against
the NichaelS is arson. 1t is already
proven. MoritZ MlchaeIS was caught in
the very act by the detectives, and has
confessed to the burning of five build
ings in the last few months. The man
came 10 St. Paul three years ago from
Chicago. There he was known as John
Meyer. He confesses while living under
that name he burned several houses
III ALlCdAU 4Ol q Slldl Z Va lllC lnSQl dl1CCs
The clever capture of these desperadOes
is feather in the caps of the detectives
engaged in it. The coup of last night
was brought about as a result or action
taken at the meeting of the under
writer's ASSOCIATION early in October.
The alarming
Frequency of Fires,
s-rf " IL
led to a suspicion that they were not of
accidental origin. The matter was dis
cusSed very fully at the meeting. and,a
final result of the deliberations, j.
Quincy Haas. of the St. Paul German
Insurance company. was instructed TO
use any means he deemed fit 10 dis
cover whether or not ircendiaries
were at work. On Oct.
Mr.. Haas placed the matter
in the hands OF SuDt. Barnes, of the
] hiel detective agency. Barnes. after
a little investigation. decided that there
was case TO be worked up. He placed
two of the cleYereSt men in the employ
of the agency at work on it. They have
been in the confidence of the Michaels
for nearly a mouth. Their names are
Ben Finklestein and Ham Floyd.
The former is a Hebrew, shrewd
as the rest of his race-a
Chll44Q4 OPNldlifCs 10y - a
SWede, and particularly cunning one.
These two at once proceeded to circu-
late among the suspicious" element
of the population. They learned
enough in i short time to convince them
tnat they were on the right track.
FLOYD cultivated the acquaintance of
MOritZ Michael, and Finklestein
warmed himself into the confidence of
Marx Michael. They were anything but
CQr11nI7 Ions GPpnrdinU
dications; in with anything that
was good or bad that promised a
return in dollars. The Michaels thought
the new people an acquisition to the
gang. AS the acquaintance grew the
tongues of the INSURANCE workers.
lOosened a little. They began to talk
Of the possibilities in their line of bust
ness, Of
Tricks They Had Turned
in the past. and of the comfortable sums
they had realized out of their nefarious
profession.
Moritz Michael was the most indis-
Greet. He told Detective Finklestein
IN a rather bOaStful strain how he
helped his Uncle Mart out by
burning his place down for him.
Detective Floyd looks about as unlike q
detective in his makeup of last night
as possible to conceive. He went round
the town with his quondam pal, bought
beer and discussed over il at a table at
the BOdega Concert hall the future pos
sibiliteS of the hOuse-warming bust
ness. FinkleStein, according to the
stories he told Michael, was a devil of
fellow himself. He had burned few
places, too, and knew a good deal about
the business. Every day the detectives
found time TO compile a typewriter
report of their progress, which was
placed in the hands of Supt. Barnes,
who directed their movements. MoritZ
Michael. in his confidential moods, was
laxative. He told Finklestein that he
had lived in Chicago as John Meyer
There he had done two or three good
jobs. The Fly bobs'' weren't fly enough
for him, he said. He always made a
clean job of it. By slow degrees
Michael gave up the history of
his criminal career. Only a few
weeks ago he burned the house of Ida
Gees in West st. Paul. He had been
having ''iots OF fun" with Ida. he said
He was to get half the insurance when
the loss was adjusted. Id Gees had
given him jewelry valued at $500 as Sc
cuIity for his share. She was
Scared to Death
over the deal, said Michael, and he
laughed heartily as he added that he
had her where he could do anything he
liked with her. All these little incl
dents went to swell the several hundred
pages Of evidence now in the possession
of the detectives. Having secured all
there was TO confess from the Michaels,
uncle and nephew, Detective Barnes,