Arizona republican., 1902-10-07
THE JANIT0R
 AN INCENDIARY
How the First Baptist Church
 Fire Originated
A Letter From Charles Lloyd Lines Who was in Charge Confessing That He Set it With His Own Hand

The mystery of the origin of the First Baptist church fire has been solv- ed. There is a letter in the possession of the the officers of the church from q young man by the name of Charles Lloyd Lines confessing that he fired the building. Lines had been employ ed as the janitOr of the church and was just entering upon his duties when the church was destroyed. l When the congregation moved into the O'Neill building Lines still contin- ued to act as janitor. There was I meeting of the Young Peoples Union in the hall on Saturday afternoon and the letter dated October 3, 1902, was found fastened to the wall It was not opened then nor until late that night. The members of the church were undecided what action to take, but it was determined after the services on Sunday morning to have a meeting of the officers yesterday morn ing. The meeting was held and the letter was made public. It is as fol- lows
 Phoenix Baptist Church.
 
 | My reasons for not living longer with my father and for leaving all that was near and dear to me to go where no one knows me, and where l can make a fresh start, I will try to explain as far as possible in these following lines.
 Eight years ago I made profession of Christianity, but I havn't been Iiv- ing a moral Get alone Christian) life since, and have given up all hopes of heaven. Life has been a failure clear
 through and it would have been better
 for all concerned if l had never been
 born.
 There are two persons on earth
 whom I love more than all else, and for
 their sake and for the sake of my dead
 mother will try and live honestly and
 make all that I can of myself. But my
 chief aim in life will be to pay the debt
 which I owe to you all
 Tt was my own hand which set fire
 to the church and I have sworn before God that I would make 1t right as far as money could.
 "I will leave letters to the two per
 sons I was speaking about, viz: Mrs. J. H. McHugh, Hiawatha, Kans., and
 Miss Jennie Agnes Taylor. Holton,
 Kans.. and wish some one would do me
 the last favor of mailing them.
 And now farewell,
 , Farewell to all I love the best \ To all hold most dear
 Farewell I never more shall rest,
 For sin l shed bitter tear.
 Farewell forever.
 CHARLES l.. LINES.
 "P. s. If there is anything in pray
 CT, people, pray for me. C. L. L."
 The other letters to which he refers e have not been given to the public = There was d supposition that the fire 5 might have been accidental in spite of = the confession; it was possible that the l young man might have meant that it 2 was the result of his carelessness; that - it might have been caused by a cigar
 ette for he is a cigarette smoker. but = there is a statement in one of the let I ters which leaves little doubt that . Lines actually set the building on fire l for he says that if a certain thing had = happened a week before he would have l been saved from his greatest sin. . After the meeting the trustees of the I church informed the adjuster of the I Home Fire and Marine Insurance com Q pany who was still in town. of the re- t ceipt of the confession. The loss had ;. already been adjusted but it wa. thought that the new information - might have something to do with the h case. The adjuster told the officers = that the company could not be interest Q ed in the manner in which the fire oc- l cured. It was a loss any how and O that was what the company had guar e anteed the church against.
 fo al, al ioht oII ,. He is the son of Rev. MT. Lines, who . is doing colporteur work in this terri n tory for the American Baptist Publi- S cation society. The young man has O been in Phoenix for about three months
 and was well liked, though those who : knew him best believed that he was 2 shiftless. During the short time h. - had been in the valley he had been en- ;. gagged in several occupations. At thC n time the naval recruiting was going or n an application for enlistement was $ made by young man by the name ot S Lines and though the initials of the ap- f plicant were not the same as those oi ' the young man he is believed to have y been the same person.
 t The disclosure is painful to the n church on. account of the excellence ot f his fathers character, who stands higf = not only here. but wherever he has = been engaged in church work. He is n not al present in the city.
 The letter was shown to his step S mother who has been in fact a mother :. to him. She said it was the signature . of her son, but she was inclined to be C lieve that the confession was a comics e sion of carelessness rather than of in O cendiarism. On the day the churcf !. burned she said that the keys of tht $ building were at home and that tho l. young man had them at no time during e the day.
 If The general impression is that th' h young man was not responsible for hi = act. He had not been regarded as in V sane but he lacked that mental equil r ibrium which most boys of his ag' e have Last summer he was employed = in Prescott for a short time. While h.
 he thrown from g hicV