The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-01-08
FUSION GETS FUNNY
PUTS LIGHTED MATCHES IN LET.
TER BOXES.
} Caught ut the Peculiar Pastime and
Arrested BY the Federal Authorities
Was Formerly Of Wichita, Where He
Made = RECORD as . Bad Man With a
Hook-His Attack on . Wichita Police
man Recalled by His Arrest by the
Federal Authorities and Imprisonment
in Kansas City

| A Kansas City paper gives the follow
| ing particulars of the peculiar criminal
performances of former resident of this
| city:
For pure righteousness the crime for
| which James Fusion, a negro, was ar
! rested by the federal officers yesterday,
| is more than remarkable. Fusion seems
| to rack his brain for some new and in
genious form of devilment each time he
gets out Of jail His latest escapade was
the dropping OF lighted matches into
street corner mail boxes. He was detect
+! ed in this week ago by Harry Staples.
| who was instrumental in securing his ar
| rest. Fusion was first seen loafing
around the southwest corner of Tenth
and Walnut streets. He has only one
hand, a lage murderous looking hook
adorning the other wrist. Staples atten-
ton was drawn to the negro by the lat
ter scratching the paint off mail box
with his hook. Enjoying himself for a
time in this way, Fusion drew several
matches from his pocket, and after light
ing them dropped them one by one into
the box. He then went across to the OPP
posite corner and did the same thing. A
woman whose name the postoffice author
tiles would like to know stepped out of
the Office of the Kansas City Gas COM
pany just in time TO see the negro drop
the burning matches into the box. Sta
pies tried to find a policeman TO arrest
Fusion. but soon gave up the hunt.
Yesterday Staples, who is a laborer
told Assistant Postmaster Seidlitz of the
occurrence and volunteered to find the
negro. He went to police headquarters
and learned that a big, honey negro,
rxrf%1 h1.11 ~ 80 t,.A
been sent TO the workhouse a few days
before for vagrancy. Staples went to the
workhouse and found his man. He was
arraigned before United States Commits
siOner Parry this morning and his hear
ing set for next week.
Nearly hundred letters were destroy
ed by the burning matches and many
more were badly mutilated. Fusion re-
fused to say why he had committed the
deed. He has a very bad reputation in
Kansas City and many other cities in
Kansas and Missouri. and is known as
one of the most dangerous men with
whom the police have to deal 1t is said
that he killed an officer a few vars ago
in Wichita while resisting arrest. He has
his hook filed to a needles point and uses
it most effectually whenever ne gets into
a fight"
Many Of our citizens remember Jim
fusion He was for long time resi-
dent of Wichita, and was dreaded most
by those who knew him best. He made
record as a bad man with hook, al
though the killing of an officer in this
city is erroneous. The report probably
grew out of Fuston's attack on Milt f.
Brown, who was then on the police force.
Fusion was on reckless rampage and
Officer Brown attempted TO arrest him.
Fusion resisted by making a swipe at
Brown with the terrible hook. II barely
missed the officers jugular vein, tore the
flesh off his shoulder and split his coat
down to the elbow. After this his hook
was taken away from him by the city
authorities. He drifted from here TO To-
peka, where he wounded several persons
with his hook and was driven out of that
city. Some of the colored people who
know him say he was subject to fits, and
think the government will confine him in
o.