Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-05-12
boy HELD FOR ARSON,
Herman Achtermann, Aged 6
Years, Confesses to Setting
Fire to Barns.
NOT OLD ENOUGH TO PROSECUTE.
Three Other Lads Arrested, But
Are Not Believed to Be
Guilty.

Rock Island at the present moment
bids fair to produce a rival for the
aspiring youth whose vandalism
brought him fame that outlived that
Ephesian dome. Whether or not.
however, the modern youth who was
caught yesterday in Rock Island torch
in hand, is responsible for the long
series of sensational barn fires here.
remains to be disclosed. If while he
is in custody the operation, which has
become one of the regularly expected
animated features of our daily exist
ence of late, should be repeated the
effect would be to start everybody
guessing again. At all events. young
Herman Achtermann was discovered
red-handed yesterday. He implicated
others. They have been arrested.
The police think they have solved the
N ysterv. We hope they have.
Herman Achtermann, the 9-year-
old boy arrested late yesterday after
noon, is believed by Chief of Police
Miller to Re the author of many, if
not all. of the % mysterious barn
fires that have occurred in Rock ISL
and in the past few weeks. Achter-
mann, who is not old enough to real
ize the seriousness of the crime of ar
son. coolly confesses to having set
three of the fires, but maintains that
he had accomplices. naming Fred
Wells, aged u. son of g. ID.
Wells, 3l3 Sixteenth street, and Lee
and Clyde Thompson, aged respec-
lively II and 10 years. sons of j. NJ.
Thompson, 1920 Third avenue. The
three latter named boys protest
that they are innocent. They
occupied the chiefs private office
last night. while Achtermann was
locked up by himself in a cell. The
Thompsons and Wells have been cry
ing necessarily since being arrested,
but Achtermann has not shed tear.
AS Achtermann has not arrived at
the age where the law permits prose-
cution for misdemeanor or crime. the
authorities are at a loss to know how
to dispose of his case, unless simply
requiring his parents to send him
away from the city to live with rela-
tives.
Caught In the Act.
Achtermann was yesterday after
noon detected in the act of setting a
match to the charred remains of the
barn of DIR. f. NJ. Sala, 322 Nineteenth
street. Conrad Kirsch, an employe at
Volk' 8 mill. says he saw the boy apply
the match. Achtermann, whose pa
rents are Mr.. and Mrs. Carl Achter-
mann 18OS1 Third avenue, was on
his way home from school. The Off
GERS had been keeping their eye en-
barn owned by Valentine Dauber,
near Volk & Co. g mill. The barn was
rented by Expressman johnson, who
housed his horses and wagon there.
On the afternoon of the fire young
Achtermann accom- panied johnson
to the barn and while the latter
was unharnes sing the horses the
boy went into the hay loft.
Johnson and Achtermann left the
building together. Johnson securely
locked the door just before leaving.
Just as he reached home he was noti-
fed the barn was on fire.
Watching Results.
Yesterday afternoon. a few moments
before the Corey barn south of Fourth
avenue between Nineteenth and Twen-
tieth streets began to burn, Achter-
mann was seen on Twentieth street
looking intently in the direction of
the building. When the flames burst
forth he skedaddled.
Achtermann, the Thompsons and
Wells are all in the same room at the
KEN BILE school. The former, although
L tho nf tho q tho
shrewdest.
He is not the least excitable. He
talks deliberately. He was engaged
in conversation at police headquarters
by an Argus reporter.
Says He Was Forced to DO IL.
Yes, l set fire to DR.. Sala's barn
both times" said Herman. Il did
not want to do it. but some boys made
me. / don't know who they were.
But Wells had just as much to do
with the burning of the Corey barn
as did. He went into the barn with
me and struck the match and lighted
the fire. The Thompson boys set fire
to Ehmer's barn. They were smok-
ing in the stable and when they were
leaving, set it on fire" Achtermann
disclaims connection with any of the
fires except those at DIR. Sala's and
Mrs. Gorrey's.
Wells denies he was with Achter-
mann when the Corey barn was fired.
The Thompson boys declare they
know nothing of the Elmer fire.
They say they came to Rock Island
about three weeks ago with their par
ents from Chicago. 'One day soon
after we came here Achtermann came
TO me and Clyde" said Lee. land
asked US TO go with him and set
barn on fire. He said il was lots of
fun; that it was pretty 10 see the
smoke. / told him we would not do
it, because it would get usinto serious
trouble"
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