Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-04-28

Young HAN Who Set Fire to che
Leaves Ont East.

The cases against the young men,
William Smith, %, and John Bahan,
10, for setting fire to the woods on
David S. Porter's property in the east
ern section of the city, last Sunday
afternoon, were heard in the city
court today before Judge Peasley.
The complaints were changed from
arson to the less serious charge of set
ting fire to the public highways, and
those cases were hardly well started
when they were changed again and
charged with setting fire TO private
property belonging to David G. Por-
ter.
The accused were defended by At
torney Russell.
Charles Hennessey, the first witness.
said he lived on the Plank road on Mr.
Porter's property and last Sunday af-
ternoon he saw the accused some two
hundred feet distant. Smith was about
fifteen feet in the rear of Bahan and
he saw him light cigarette or cigar
and then stoop down and set fire to the
leaves on the roadside. The fire
spread rapidly and became SO serious
| looking that witness and his family
became alarmed for the safety of their
home and tried to put out the fire with
water drawn from some distance. The
| fire spread toward the brass mill
property and the ice houses of the
Waterbury Ice corporation, Hamilton
park and witness house. Accused
seemed to be going fishing for Bahan
had fishing pole.
| Both accused got on a large rock
and witness shouted to them to put out
| the fire. Bahan said he knew nothing
about the fire. Smith said nothing,
but crouched behind the rock There
had been two fires in the same vicin-
| 1ty the day before, and witness was
on the lookout for f1rebugs. Witness
| said he did not believe Bahan had any
thing to do with the fire, but Smith
acted like a guilty person because be
| tried to hide behind the rock. Witness
had warned him to keep away from
| his premises, because he was mixed
4 up in the trolley strike and used bad
| language in the presence of his chill
dren. But for the timely presence
and assistance of Alderman Blakeslee
the fire would have reached the Ice
house of the Waterbury Ice corpora
| ton.
| Witness son, Charles. corroborated
the greater part of this testimony.
Officer Kiersted, who arrested Smith
testified Smith said to him 1t was Ba-
han who started, the fire.
| Bahan's STORY was that he lives ut
1 3 Rutledge street and Smith lives at
the corner of Rutledge and East Main
| streets. He and Smith were fishing
on the Ice corporations pond and the
first he knew of the fire was when
Hennessey asked them to put out the
i fire. Both Immediately put up their
rods and started for home They
passed through the scene of the con-
fiagration on their way to the pond
and Smith was in the rear of witness.
They did not help to put out the fire
because they did not start 1t and he
| thought that If they did help put it
out they would have been arrested.
Smith said that he never had had
any trouble with anyone but Hennes-
| sey, and that he was not smoking. He
was about two feet in the rear of Ba-
| han, and he was cutting his fishing
| line by hammering 1T between Il two
stones when Henpessey came upod to
| them. His troubles with Hennessey
originated over boat. Witness owned
the boat and Hennessey ill-used it.
He denied officer Kiersted's evidence
that he said 1t was Bahan who started
the fire. His pipe was in Bahan's
house and he had no matches with
him.
Prosecutor Meigs asked that an ex-
ample be made OF the accused In or
der to stop brush fires. There have
been too many of them lately he said,
and 1t lis about time they should be
stopped.
Balkan was found not guilty and
Smith was sentenced to Brookslde ror
three months with hard labor
William Brederlow, 25, and Joseph
Gedrus, 16 were charged with start
ing brush fires on the highway known
as Todd's road. off the Cheshire road
on April Is. There was quite num-
Der of witnesses against the accused
and the strongest were Detectives
Kennaugh and Dodds They testified
that when the accused were In the po-
lice station locked up, Gedrus admit
ted that the fire was started by Bred
erlow. But Gedrus denied this. Both
were found guilty on the second count
and were sentenced to Jail for thirty
DAYS. An appeal under. bond Of
800 in each case was taken.
James Carney walked into the po-
lice station yesterday and this morn
ing was charged with intoxication.
He requested to be sent to Brookside
home and he was sent there for
thirty days.
John Hayes of Cheshire was found
dreaming happy dreams in hallway
on Jefferson street last night. He was
fined So and put on probation for sixty
days.
William Conden was found near
Pratt place intoxicated. Sentence
was suspended.
|