The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-24
FIRE BUGS AT WORK
ONE FIRE CONSUMED OR DAMAGED
ESQ TONS OF HAY.
Wagon Load of Hay Burned ON East
Market-Three Horses burned in ms
Many Different Places.

The fire-bug, who for two days has had
the fire department a. his mercy and own
ers OF property in terror. appeared in the
neighborhood of Washington and Blake
streets yesterday afternoon and set four
buildings afire within two hours time.
There was strong northwest
wind blowing at the time,
which carried dense clouds of smoke over
the State-house, making the entire sky over
the business portion of the city seem hay.
Fully five thousand persons, attracted by
the ringing of the bells and the clouds of
smoke. hurried westward. Rumor had it
that the mills in that locality. we'll as
all the houses in the square. were on fire,
and the excitement was the greatest since
the Bowen-Merrill fire, in which eleven
firemen lost their lives. Everybody seemed
TO realize. before they reached the scene,
that it was all the work of a fre-bug. 'He
ought to be hung" "he should be shot,"
and other kindred expressions were heard
as the crowd hurried on.
The loss from the four fires would have
been greater had it not been for the effec-
tive work of the department 1t was neces-
sary to send in a second and third alarm,
calling out the entire force of the city
Three, fires We're going at one time, and
they had hardly been put under control
when the alarm for the fourth was sounded.
1t looked, indeed, to persons on Washing
ton street as If the entire western section
or the city was going up in flames and
smoke. The police were on hand, about a
dozen strong, but it seemed as If the fires
were started right under their eyes. The
detectives were there securing the neigh
boring alleys, and nearly every man in the
crowd delegated himself committee of one
he rrsI TIL.
big fire was that which destroyed the old
warehouse of the Landers Packing Com
pany, which was used last winter by Gen.
Frye's army while guests" of the city.
The crowd gathered around the old frame
building, which burned rapidly. While the
nremen were at work a cry from the crowd
announced another blaze at the corner of
Biake and New York streets. Thither
rushed the crowd like so many cattle. Men
were knocked down in the rush few
minutes later another cry caused the crowd
to run to 400 West New York street where
barn was on fire. BY this time the en-
and citizens searched alleys. barns and out
houseS, hoping to catch the miscreant who
destruction of property. While the search
was going on a fourth alarm wentsup, and
the crowd rushed pell nell over to Wabash
street where barn was on fire. All of
the buildings destroyed were such as would
o o9rh readily, and in each was quantity
that the miscreant has been actuated by a
desire to see fires more than malice. tt is
thought that he is crazy, but there seems
to be. method in the madness. The bold
ness displayed is amazing for it is seldom
tnat nre-bug pursues his trade in day.
Agnt. The police have no shadow of a
ciew, but they have been instructed to ex-
ert all efforts to capture the incendary
superintendent Powell has instructed his
men to, arrest all persons found prowling
abor alleys and acting in suspicious man.
ner He has also ordered his men to hasten
to 9 IRE as soon as an alarm comes in and
begin an immediate search of the neighbor-
nooc. A portion of the officers will wear
cbtizen's clothes from now until the mis-
creant is caught or stops his flendish work.