The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-04
MORE ABOUT THE FIRE BUG

Harris Fisher, the young man who was
arrested Friday night by Capt. Jim Lucy
and Officer Grizzard for being an incendi-
airy, spent very quiet morning in the
city Jail yesterday. Several of his
friends came to see him, but none of them
were admitted to his presence, and he
spent the time in his cell. The officers
put him through another series of uues-
tioning yesterday and secured from him
some additional facts with reference to
his recent actions in this city. AS was
stated in yesterdays issue he confessed
Friday night to having fired all the recent
ly burned buildings in this city, and also
to being the author of fires that originated
IN this city over year ago. Harris, while
young man and should be IMMERSED in
the art of the criminal school that he has
made such a successful start in, is one
of the coolest individuals on record. When
seen yesterday he appeared as unconcern-
ed about the matter of his arrest and his
future as though he had only to 90 over
to neighboring town for q visit. The
United States officers took charge of the
prisoner yesterday. Commissioner Little
had special sitting and two charges were
sworn out against him, one for breaking
open mail boxes and the other for robbing
the United States mail.
In addition to these charges the local
authorities will file three charges against
him for arson, but as a matter of course
I'ptfn fntn ha. h.
position of his case. When he was
brought before the commissioner yester-
day he asked if he couldn't have his trial
transferred to San Antonio. He was
asked what was his object in going over
there, and he said that he had rather be
tried there than here. He was informed
that he would have to stand trial here, as
he had to be tried in the court nearest the
place where he committed the crime,
which would be here at the July term of
court. He said with the uttermost indif-
ference that if such was the case he had
nothing more to say. He then began dis
cussing as to where United States prison
ers from Texas We're taken. He said he
thought they all went to Brooklyn, but one
of the United States officers present in
formed him that he thought that they were
all being sent to other northern points.
This matter was passed after he stated
that he would prefer Brooklyn. When
asked about the robbing of the mail boxes,
Harris said that he had begun his work
at the Temporary capitol and gone on
around That he had taken the letters
out of each box and, after opening and ex-
aiming their contents with view of get
ting money. that he had thrown the let
tiers i'll the grass or street by the box as
the case might be. There was one eX-
ception, and that was i'll the case of a let
ter he got out of the box at the corner of
San Antonio and Twelfth street, which
he had carried on down San Antonio street
and thrown into the yard of Mr.. George
Criser. He said that he had not read any
of the letters or examined any of their adj
dresses, and he was not in Il position to
state who they were written to. He add
ed that he had failed to get any money
out of any of the letters, and as that was
all he wanted he paid no attention to the
latter save to tear them open and throw
them away
From his garb he showed that he had
been seeing the hard side of life of late
and was considerably down on his luck.
He was cool as a cucumber at all times,
however, and never quivered or showed
the slightest excitement while he was
talking.
Capt. Lucy turned him over to the feder-
al authorities yesterday, who Immediate
.A.N1 L. oh. Nnl