Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-09
MAY Be ARRESTED.
Call Boy Thinks Men in Buggy
Called Out Firemen.
SUSPICIOUS ACTIONS IN EAST END
Dangerous Work Of Mischief Makers
Openly Condemned by Citizens
Mayor Offers Reward for Capture of
Perpetrators of Practical Joke.

The first bit of information which
may lead to the discovery of the peo-
pie who turned in five false alarms
on Monday night was given to Mayor
Picker today by Chris Ostdiek, call
boy at the Burlington round house.
Young Ostdiek works at night, and
last Monday night he was near the
foot of Birch street in company with
another call boy when he noticed a
man in light buggy drawn by a spir-
tied horse drive east on Main street,
make short stop at the foot of Birch,
where he was joined by second man.
who ran out from the shadow of Hahn
BreSs grocery near the fire alarm box
at that corner, and the two drove off
UP Main street at lively rate of
speed. Young Ostdiek heard the fire
bell at this moment, and though he did
not connect the two occurrences at the
time. he has, since learning that sew
eral false alarms were turned in to the
central station that night, come to the
conclusion that these two men were
the ones who did all the work.
Some person or persons who have
not the slightest respect for the laws
of the state or city but who evidently
possess in abundant quantity the char
acteristlcs of the criminal turned in five
false fire alarms Monday evening i'm
mediately upon the accession to the Of
ficeaof the newly appointed fire de-
partment. The result was that al
though the experience was not dis
tasteful to the new firemen 1t was
very trying upon the horses and had
there been an early morning fire that
needed the attention of the. department
much damage to property might have
been caused by the irresponsible par
ties who, in attempting to play prac-
tical joke, laid the city liable to heavy
loss
Firemen Walk Out.
Monday night at 10 O'Clock almost be-
fore The new members of the Ottumwa
fire department had been appointed,
the members of the outgoing depart
ment left the stations, making it ne
cessary for the new men to take their
places Immediately, Hardly had they
taken possession of the station when a
alarm was wrung from call box No.
GO, in the extreme West End. This
was answered quickly, but when the
wagons reached the vicinity of the
Milwaukee Junction there was no sign
of fire.
Chief Stark and his men returned
to the station, but had littlesmore than
reached it, when another alarm was
received from box No. 10, at the cor
ner of Birch and Main streets. This
was a second hard run for the animals,
and when they reached the goal to find
this alarm had been false the firemen
were alarmed for the safety of the
horses.
This was not enough, however, for
the people who were bent upon max
ing the night uncomfortable for the
new appointees. In few minutes aft
er returning to the station the depart
ment was again called out by an alarm
from box No. 81, at the corner of Wei
Ter ami church streets in South Ottum-
wa. This was answered by the hose
wagons from the North and South
Side departments, but again there was
no sign of fire. Within twenty min.
utes a second alarm sounded from the
same box, but this time, although the
South Side men responded, only the
chiefs wagon was sent from the
North Side. The fifth alarm was turn
ed in from box No. So, at the corner
of Ward and Church streets and was
answered in the same manner, only to
find it false.
The actions of the unknown parties
was openly condemned, and Mayor
Pickler has offered a reward of $25
for the detection of the perpetrators
Chief Stark, in speaking Of it,
-