The sun., 1899-03-28
A BOY FIREBUG CAUGHT.
CONFESSES TO SETTING MANI VIII
LI1MSBURG FIRES.

He Is Irving Taylor, who Pretended ia
Have Been Bound, Gagged and Robbed
About n Year AEo-Gave Green Apple'
to n Brother and Sister, Who Died
The police OF the Ralph avenue station. Will
liamsburg. believe that they have captured the
flrebug who Is responsible for the sixty odd
fires that have occurred In that precinct
since Feb. 4. Last night Detectives Becker
and Mitchell arrested Irving Taylor IS years
old. son OF the janitor of the fiat house
at $40 Evergreen avenue. He confessed after
being taken to the police station that he had
started fires in fourteen places since Feb. 4
He denied responsibility for the others. but the
police believe that he alone is guilty.
Last Sunday the Fire Marshal reported
to the Ralph avenue police that there
was an incendary fire at $40 Evergreen
avenue. Detective Becker cudgelled his
brains to think why the address sounded
familiar to him. and finally remem bered
former experience he had with the
Taylor boy. On Jan. 10. 1893 DIR. Alfred Gas
tells. who lives on Gates avenue. was returning
home at O'Clock in the morning. and whom
near his home found young Taylor lying on
the sidewalk. The boy was gagged. his hands
and feet were tied. and his pockets
were turned inside out. He appeared to be
unconscious and was taken to the police sta
ton. There he told a marvellous tale of how
he had saved his wages for Ave months until
that night and was on his way home with
them to give them to his mother
when he was set upon by three men
who beat him insensible. tied and gagged
him and robbed him Of every cent he had
The police did not believe the story and put
the boy through such cross examination that
he finally broke down and confessed that he
and tickets 70 cheap theatres in Brooklyn. and
haa buried the rest In vacant lot in Gates
self. and had pretended insensi sibilify to ac-
count to his parents for his having spent his
Becker. remembering this. came to the con-
cuson that perhaps the boy knew something
about the many fires. Each Of them had started
asreaways. near the cellars. Henoticed. too. that
there Gere more fires on F5day than on
sh market 14s5 Broadwyay BSy I Brooklyn S2gqson As
Taylor,s best opportunity to gain an entrance
Ts!sa Moore and Ma
Delivery wagon; With this, they ioiiSxed
esnf m !s' fS last nsSf f2se sy
saw him stealthily leave his house and sneak
u. up to the S elevated ate RI railroad station at Gates
suspected something and was attempting to
escape. they arrested him and took him to the
You're locked up" said Becker, because
you've y iI been setting houses on fire: know you
Judge absolute rroof that you have set set ire TO to
ming to whimper. Il only set about dozen or
Do you want to confess now and tell me the
ones s you did Try to burn p asked Becker
\, The boy replied that he did. and glihly told
fnIl Iatx i,,E
four story APARTMENT house at a2a Ma olson
at o34 Madison street; Febb.. "a "a. three. three
story apartment house at 32 Cornelia
@ pStnsh rGh XaEps5 house
apartment house at 16 Gates avenue March
. tonr,story o apartmHnt house at ss,2 Putnam
g aorv fSdsn f1dss a Ms5ch th5ss
l3. three story ,apartment house at 1850 Put
nam nal avenue; ~ March lS. three-story apartment
house house at at JOG Jefferson avenue March 1s
street; Marcn, 10, three-story- frame house at
1l24 Rushwck avenue, and March 10. the Ire
The boy declared that he had never carried
any inliammahIe material into any OF the
easy to drop a lighted match into tho coal bins.
e. a. they were T AL aIways fnl OF papers and rags,
engines run through the street
would usually G ht cigarette as passed
through the cellar he said. and hold the
blazing match untl saw big pile Of paper
in the bin. Then would place the match in
the paper and hurry out TO the street Iwould
go gr nIoSk away and wait to see the fun =,
boys sbs arrest Rs'rt and c"mfesson and hurried
terrogated the lad, and the boy again
to deny that he had started the blaze at i1SO
Putnam avenue on March 49, He said he did
not know why he had before said that he was
guilty. The police. on account of this dis
crepancy. believe that he was guilty Of many
moro fires than those OF which he has con-
the people in the houses until after the
fire had been started. and then he
admitted that it always scared him to
remember that peope might be killed. He
told the Fire Marshal that year and half ago
h" had been takr' to hospital on account OF
an cpileptic ilt h. also said that a brother 7
years old and sister 3 years old had died
y, ar and half ago from dysentery. and he ad-
mltted that he hai given green apoles TO them
to cat whilc they We're sick a though his
mother had told him to watch and see that the
children ate no fruit.
DO you know any other bows who have
started fires" asked the Fire Marshal
" Yes. sir" said Taylor There's a bow
whose name don't know but whose nickname
is stein. who told me that h. lit a fire in
candy store on BuShwlck avenue last sunday"
The hoy viii be hrraigned in the Gates Ave-
nue. Pollr" Court to-day He is rather tall for
his age and has ahnormally large hands He
only fear OF the consequences.