The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-27
MANN is A PlREBUG.
Confesses He Set Fire to the
Tenement Houses in
Canal Street.
CHARGE MAY BE MURDER
Critical Condition of the Injured
Fireman-son's Story Con-
victs the Father.

Louis Mann is a self confessed firebug.
He deliberately set fire to the tenement
houses on Canal street, and may have
to face a charge of murder, because one
of those injured at the fire is likely TO
die
The police had suspected Mann, who
was a tenant in one of the two houses
destroyed, and he was locked UP. Chief
Murphy then put him through the
third degree.
Mann has told half dozen
conflicting stories concerning the
origin of the fire and his whereabouts
and actions while the houses were burn
ing. One of his statements was to the eff
feet that an OIL lamp exploded and caus-
ed the fire. When asked why he made
no effort to extinguish the flames he
said he was too busily engaged rescuing
his children. Yesterday afternoon his
children, two boys, eleven and twelve
twelve years old, respectively, were ar
rested. They made it look black for
their father by testifying that he put
them out of the house before the fire
started. Another version given by Mann
is that the oil lamp was overturned on
red-hot stove, causing it to explode.
1t was drawn from Mann that the lamp
was overfilled and the wick turned up as
high as possible. The heat created in
this way was sufficient, it is contended,
to cause combustion. The fact that
Mann had about s75 worth of furniture
insured for $500 weighed against him.
Chief Murphy brought the boys into
his room this morning and asked them
to repeat their stories, but they were SO
afraid of the threatening look of their
father that they would tell nothing. Then
the Chief ordered Mann to turn his back
on the boys and looked out of the win
dow. When this was done the boys were
again made to tell what they knew
After a lot of persuasion the elder of
the boys made this statement in the
presence Of the Chief, Captain Cox and
Detectives Dalton and Doyle:-
My name is Henry Mann. I am four
teen years old. I lived at No. "a Canal
street. This man here is my father.
On Monday night last the 25th of Janu-
ary. my brother Joseph and my father
and myself were in our kitchen. A lamp
was burning on the mantlepiece over the
stove. There was coal fire in the stove.
My father hit the lamp with ramrod of
gun. breaking the lamp. The mantel-
piece and wood box and the closet caught
fire. The burning oil ran on the top of
the stove and wood box. We all then
ran out My father locked the door and
took my brother and me to the bakers.
My father told me not to tell aEyone that
he broke the lamp. My father told me to
say that we came down the-auenne to
buy clothes. My mother is dead. My
stepmother is living in Hornesdale, Pa
After my father broke the lamp he put
the ramrod under the bureau in the
kitchen. My fathers name Is Louis Mann.
My father did not cry out fire, or say
anything about the fire till he told the
baker the house was on IRE.
TITS a lie. a. lie" fiercely cried the
father, turning around. He was made
to resume his former position, and then
the younger boy was induced to speak,
and this what he said
my name is Joseph Mann. am II
years old: heard the story my brother
Henry just told about the fire in our
father hit the lamp with the ramrod he
told US to get by the door and get out
When Mann heard this he broke down
thing. His statement was carefully taken
down, as follows
My name is Louis Mann; am 50
years old and was born In Germany;
am a cooper by trade: heard the story
the boys just told about the fire. It is
true that / hit the lamp with ramred
and broke the lamp. I was SO long out
of work and had no money that l want
ed to get the insurance I did tell the
boys to say took them down the avenue
to buy clothes That was lie. I did
fIe was locked up and the boys taken
to the Woalan's prison. Not long before
the confession was made the firebug
His past reputation and alleged connec-
tion with other mysterious fires in houses
where he has lived caused Justice Potts
to- commit him as supposed firebug.
Mann, IS it has been before said, may
have to face charge of murder. At the
fire fireman named Liddell was seri-
ehsly injured, and his condition this morn
ing IN the hQSDlt9l pronounced "