The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-17

The majority are skeptical that the Pre-
fessor has not sufficient faith in hi
own invention.
INCENDIARIEs USE A BULB
Chicago Fire. Bugs Who Use Chemicals (
| Their Work.
Chicago. Aug. 16.-Wiih a simple-look
ing glass bulb, containing an unknown
| chemical mixture, a bold band Of Chicag
| fireDugs have been conducting operation
on a big sca,e for over four years. Ii
this time they have defrauded insuranc
| companies out of large amounts Of none.
| in risks and rewards. Three OF the mel
/ implicated are now under peniten;iarl
! sentences, and a fourth is trying 4
evadecapture by the police. Inspector
NJ. W. Conway OF the Chicago fire de
partment, is confident the gang has beer
effectually broken up. but he will not be
entirely satisfied with his work until NJ
! masters the mystery Of the glass bull
and it's contents. This is task in which
insurance companies have engaged the
service Of expert chemists, but thus ia!
no progress has been made.
Last Spring a man giving his name as
William Eaton opened an agency in
Wheeling, w. Va, for the distribution OF
toys, willowware and similar goods. La
ter he took out s25 900 insurance on his
stock, and following this there was a
fire. In the meantime the suspicious oil
the insurance men had been aroused,
and there was an investigation. which re-
c,r1-o ;y,f ne of . md his h.
sequent conviction. When ne was ar
ranged for trial a Chicago attorney APP
peared to defend him. II developed that
Eaton himself was from Chicago, and
that aonther Chicago man had been
there and had a conference with him
about the time OF his arrest. On the
trial a negro named grandson, who had
worked for Eaton, told of seeing some
suspicious glass bulbs about the store.
which his employer had cautioned him
against handling.
Inspector Conway heard Of all these
things and made up his mind that the
firebug gang which ad been operating in
Chicago had transferred themselves to
other parts Of the country. still using this
city as a basis. Il was in 1898 that in
cendiary fires were at their worst here.
The band was then composed OF Fred
Smith, William Eaton, William Alexan-
der, Henry Scnueck, and, 50 Conway as
serts. of Fred G. Cowie. The method Of
operation, as shown by sworn confessions
now in possessions Of the authorities
was this:
One OF the band would rent a store,
which would be fitted up under Smiht's
directions. the shelving in every instance
being painted with black aspAal;um, TO
make it more inflammable. A dummy
would net be found to pose as proprietor.
and a stock Of unstable goods brought
in from Scheuck's factory. Bogus bill
heads. bearing the names OF reputa bic
business firms, were printed and filed in
TO show the purchase OF large quantities
of valuable goods. Insurance to the
amount OF $4,000, SIS, 900, and in some
instances $4,000. was taken out and the
premiums proptly paid. Suddenly there
would be a fire. Proof of value of ,ock
was made by striking balance between
the amount shown by bogus invoices and
the sale book, and in nearly every case
the insurance companies had to settle.
Paul Loewenmeyer, in a confession un-
der oath. says the band ran regular
school OF instruction and had every dam
ger point vel guarded.
Finally, after numerous disastrous
fires in Chicago, the band vas cornered
and convicted. Smith turned out 10 Re
the same man who was sent 20 Joliet for
bribing Cronin Jurors. and afterwards
posed as an evangelist at a West Madi-
son street mission. Alexander made a
confession. Schueck go; his prison sem
tence commuted 10 $1,000 fine. Eaton
had 70 face the music. What worried
Inspector Conway was that he could not
detect the means OF starting the fires
In one case Alexander said he igni:ed
the blaze by throwing a burning match
into a barrel OF dry excelsior, but suose-
quent developments make i; possible That
this was merely a blind 70 draw attention
from the glass bulb which is now known
10 have been used in many Of their jobs. |
Tbs bulb looks something like an cleo |
trio light globe. but is a little larger /
than those used on the ordinary mean I
descent Light. 1: has a screw cap a. one I
md. ana is pear-shaped- Tiny fragments !
D. these bulbs have been found a; 4
Xenia. Ohio. Wheeling and Huntington. |
W Va, and in other places where in |
,eniia-y frs have occurred. No trace 4
y their contents can De had. but the 4
.heo-y il they are filed with some !
chemical mixture which can be 50 pro-
,or;ioned as n burst che glass and I
freak ou- into flame az any given me
smith locked his store al Xelia on Sat-
Irday night and went 10 Colum5U
While he was away a fire broke oct
md under primary circumstances he
would have had q complete altoi from
barge ~ arson. Claim fo- the instr
Iace money was not pressed. hoSever
: asa IL became knoxn that the auta5ri-
les had evidence % experiments with
mysterious glass bulbs. % -nidaiga,
nixings os chemicals. and % Seat tests
n a stove The fires in Wheeling ard
were set in the SsCls way
I.oexennsye-. who was 20 have man
ged the fire IN The Eclipse sore a.
seevit: and Harrison streess. Chicag0.
avs lis Instructions we're . watch e
he breaking out % the blaze. and then
brow plenty Q. water On the surroua1-
~ goods before hs gave al alarm
VIE t9s as z cley re c5en-ssS "a
on Ike lea hat tas bai5s z-e
died slla son1e material the ignition o.