The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-06
INCENDIARIS&:

The recent disclosures of systematic
incendiarism in New York and other
cities have awakened general interest
in the subject and excited grave alarm
| IN the cities affected and general in
/ terest wherever the accounts of the
fires have been read: The crime OF
| incendiariSm is one of the worst
! known to the calendar, and has always
| been so recognized Indeed, arson in
the first degree THAT Is the firing in the
night of buildings containing human
| beings) is still capital offense in some
of the states. The severity of the law
| is not to be wondered at when the
| possible results of the crime are con-
sidered: In thickly populated districts
no one can predict the extent of the
loss of life or damage to property
which may be caused by a single fire.
An incendiary Is to be feared above
all other outlaws In this, that he works
in the dark and devastation follows
his track No vigilance can be too
searching to rid communities of his
presence. The circumstances Of every
fire should be investigated sufficiently
TO ascertain its origin and prosecutions
should follow surely wherever there is
ground for them.
The fire insurance companies have
taken action designed to check in some
degree at least the prevalence of in
Il fo Il ~. N N
National Board of Fire Underwriters
established q fund Of 100000 from
which, In particular instances, offers
of rewards are made for the detection,
conviction and punishment of incen-
diaries. These are not in the nature
of standing rewards, because that
would practically involve q payment
whenever 4 person IS convicted Of ar
son in the United States, but the offers
are only made where Insurance com
panies, subscribers To the fund. are in
terested and in instances not likely to
be taken UP by detectives or authori-
ties without such an incentive. Since
1878 there have thus been offered by
rewards amounting TO 81 ,449, 100. In
all 352 convictions have taken place
under rewards offered and nearly
100000 (S95, 1863 has been actually
paid by companies for that purpose.
Some criticism is heard Of the methods
of insurance companies. but let credit
he given where IL is due. The system
to which we have referred is certainly
in the public interest, because It works
10 the suppression Of crime and IN the
direction of greater security for life
aud property.
1t is often asked to what extent IN |
cendiarism prevails, l. c., what proper /
ton of fires may be ascribable to that /
cause? This is difficult TO answer. for, |
from the very nature Of the crime, the /
actual facts can rarely be fully known /
Individual underwriters have differed /
widely in their views, and estimates /
take the place Of exact statistics be- |
cause fire so often destroys all traces |
of ITS origin. Moderate estimates have I
placed incendiary fires at from - 70 I
30 per cent of the whole number of !
fires. The official records in Massa- |
chuSetts for Is years. published by the
insurance commissioning and the New
York Chronicle fire tables. make the
percentage considerably less. although
these sources might bear ont the hisn-
CT estimates if il were possible to elm
mate from the column Of causes head
ed Unknown" the fires which are
really ineendiary and place them
where they belong The fixing Of the
proportion OF such fires, however, is
not essential The fact that they are
constantly going on and destroying
millions Of property annually Is known
TO all The problem IS how shall they
be checked. In one instance 4 IRE IS
kindled to realize the insurance; n 1
another. 70 cover theft or other crimes;
in stil another. out Of personal spite or
u satisfy a grudge- The danger :
ever present in one form or another
The fascination which q blaze some
times exerrS over mind not well bal
anced Is well known and the tramp.
the inebTia1e ard the escaped lunauc
will 81 times be moved 20 sst q number
OF fires in slIcreSsioa-
Is the public. and sSecially are public
officials sufficiently alive 20 the import
ance OF examination - 10 the causes
OF ali fires: Thus far, Only Nassa-
chusetfs and New Hampshire have
state laws on the subject In Nassa-
chnS-tfs. there Is now a state are uaar-
shaI with fun power 20 investigate sE1
prosecute. In some q Ire ieadi.-;
cities. aI~o. provision + made Tor ssfs-
lar zSlentien, baI TIE fact remains