The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-08-20
MUST BE CAUGHT.
Blu rning of Barns Becomes Alto
gether Too Common.
Incend Aries Continue Their
Work Uninterrupted.
POLICE Do NOTHING.
No effort Made to Capture the
Fire Bugs.
Four Buildings Destroyed Early
Sunday Morning.

Jack the barn burner is again at
work. Four fires occurred Sunday
morning and two of them were undoubt-
edly of incendiary origin.
1t is time that the police make some
effort to catch the fire bugs. The indica-
lions are that nearly all the incendiary
fires have been set by the same party or
parties. With the exception of a couple
of vacant dwellings and a school house
the fires have been in barns and have
been started in the same manner. If one
or two good officers were sent out to
investigate after each incendiary fire
some clues might be found that would
lead to arrests. If no effort is made to
catch the guilty parties it is quite GER
tain that no one will be caught.
The first alarm was turned in at No.
1 fire station in North Topeka for a fire
in the two story building at 1850 o'clock
Sunday morning. The building is at NO.
S24 North Kansas avenue and is occu-
pied by Byron Andrews as a hay and
feed store. Quite a fire had started
but was extinguished with loss of
about $50.
The second alarm was from box 80 at
two o'clock for a fire at 435 Western
avenue. The story and half frame
barn belonging to H. c. Bowman and
occupied by c. c. Gormley had been set
on fire. The hose companies from sta
tions No. 2 and laid a line of hose
each. The fire was extinguished with a
AOe'o F--0 ~-~O~--
diary.
The chemical engine started to return
to headquarters and was part way back,
the hose companies were taking up their
lines of hose and the truck company
from No. 3 was going back to quarters
when the fire bell rang out the alarm
for fire in box No 81 district The
companies turned Immediately and re-
sponded to the alarm. The house at 700
Clay street was burning. The fire was
of incendiary origin. The fire started
have spread quickly over the entire
house. The house was moved there
from Parkdale where it was bought
during the Santa Fe house sale 1t was
rumored that people in the neighbour
hood did not like the building and wish
ed it destroyed.
At 1925 Sunday morning an alarm
from box 10 called the department to
the two story frame house occupied by
Mrs. Belle Ewing was on fire. Some
children playing with matches in an up
stairs bed room started fire which
burned up a bed, wash stand and
about Quilted the room before it was ex-
tinguished. The loss was about 1925
The following is the list of incendiary
fires since the fiscal year, April l. COM
menced. Many other fires with the cause
given as unknown may have also
been incendiary:
April 4, barn at 1015 West Sixth
April II, barn at SIS Tyler street and
another barn caught.
April 12, barn at us Van Buren, street
and three barns caught.
April IA, barn at 706 Fillmore street.
April IA, barn at 713 Lincoln street.
April 81, barn at 1919 West Fifteenth
street.
April o. barn at 1119 Clay street.
May 2, barn at 1921 Quincy.
June 2, vacant dwelling at 1876 Garfield
avenue
June %, barn at 425 Polk street.
July II, barn at Thirteenth and West
ern avenues.
July IS, Lowman Hill school house.
July 49, barn at 80 North Kansas ave-
nue..
August IA, barn 1900 West Tenth
street.
August 10. barn 435 Western avenue.
August 10. vacant dwelling 700 Clay
street.
While Chief Wilmarth was returning
home from the first fire Sunday morning
in North Topeka the alarm for the sec
ond fire was turned in. He was several
blocks from home. BY counting the
strokes on the big fire bell he knew just
where to go to the fire. When the alarm
was turned in Sunday noon from box
10 a fireman from the hose company at