The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-06
Wright Conisssos to Being the Author
Of Many Big Fires
LOSSES HAVE REACHED MILLIONS
At Least Five Lives Sacrificed by His
Decds-says He Had No Motive for
Setting the Fires but Was Overcome
by IN. .Uncontroiabie Impulse


witnessed signature. Lewis A. Wright. q
l7-year-old youth Of Newton, has admitted
himself to be the author OF the terrible
Boston fire last March. which cost five
lives, injured 20 people and sent up over
100000 worth OF property In smoke.
He has also confessed to setting five
other fires. while two more, one little
short of a confagration. that cost 81. 400,-
900, seem bound ultimately to be fixed
upon him.
Young Wright is now In the Westboro
asylum, where he has been committed for
al unlimited period.
Thus. this youth stands, by his own ad-
mission. the greatest criminal In incendiary
annals. no fire Of equal magnitude in loss
Of life and property ever having been
placed upon human shoulders In the his
tory OF the United States
Not content with the awful sight of
charred humanity, of men, women, girls
and boys jumping from windows to life,
death or crippled existence, of millions
Of dollars of property swallowed up in an
ocean Of flame, this infantile Nero of to-
day went four hours later to the Hatha.
way building and set his fourth fire in
that structure, even while it looked as IL
the business heart Of Boston would be-
eaten out, while firemen were dropping
exhausted and while property owners
spurred the re-fghters to renewed effort
by offers Of large rewards.
His Plan.
On Friday, March 10, II. r. Caldwell,
salesman for II. II. Fleming In the Hatha-
way building, in whose employ Wright
also was, sent him on an errand to %
School street. On his way back Wright
admits that he went to the Ames building
to get catalogue of pumping machinery
from an Office on the third floor. He found
the Office locked, and on the way out went
into toilet closet on the same story and
set fire to a lot of newspapers, which he
had piled up In a corner. He then ran
down stairs and reached his Office about
4:30 D. m.
Young Wright's confession goes on to
say In effect that during the early part of
the present year he purposely set fire to a
shed in Newton belonging to his mother,
Ellen f. Wright; that on Feb. 10 he at
tempted to set fire to the Hathaway build
ing in Boston by firing some paper under
the sink In the toilet closet ON the first
floor.
Failing In this attempt, by reason of the
early discovery OF the state Of affairs by q
tenant, he again. on Feb. IA, set fire to the
same closet by igniting paper saturated
with naphtha. which he brought with him
in beer bottle from his home in Newton.
This fire was also discovered and extin-
guished without damage.
: Young Wright further admits in his
confession that, on Feb ~. he set fire to
waste paper in barrels on the third floor
Of the Hathaway building, which fire was
put out by one Of the porters.
Regarding his attempt to set second
fire on the memorable day of March 10, he
says that about $50 the same evening he
entered the Hathaway building by a side
door. and set fire to some paper In q toilet
closet-No on the first floor.
'UncontrolIabis Impulse"
He says he had no motive in setting any
of the fires, and can only account for his
actions by the fact that he was actuated
by an uncomfortable impulse. This much
Wright has confessed to, but other charges
lie at his door, There is every indication
that he is responsible for the great fire in
the Hecht building on Federal street, in
which Reporter Barker OF The Transcript
lost his life and IL people were injured,
and from the terrible shock of which Mrs.
Barker has since died.
luc L1cCub ouiiuiuS 10 ioCsttu OppOsiLe
that in which young Wright was en-
ployed. He Is known TO have been in
his employers Office at the time the Hecht
fire was discovered, while the train from
Newton reached Boston just in time for
him to get TO the Hecht block. set the fire
and skip across the street before the blaze
was discovered.
There is also strong ground to believe
that on March %, 1891, Wright set the fire
ia the basement Of Jenkins hat store at
4O7 Washington street. Wright was then
in Mr.. jenkins employ, Is known to have
been the only person In the basement at
the time the fire broke out, aud has AL
mitted that much himself
Mr.. Jenkins, it is understood, was so
sure that young Wright tried to fire his
premises that he speedily fired" him.
a.osner so. .ss..o..