New-York tribune., 1905-08-07
FIREBUGS IN BROOKLYN.
U0ny attempts to Burn Houses
Creating Panic.

During the last three weeks hrebugs have
been busy nearly every DAY in different narts OF
the Eastern District IF BROOKLYN. Human life
is never considered yhea the match is applied
Several weeks aso the police arrested Sam
Levine ana four others. who were in a conspir-
acy with the owner Of house in Union-ave. TO
destroy The building. Tor the purpose Of collect
ing the insurance. Levine is stin in the hospitsl
suffering from the injuries received In leaning
from window at Police HEADQUARTERS while
arrangements were being made To have his
photograph taken. Whethcr or not the numer-
Gus fires in the Eastern District Of late can be
traced - similar conspiracies or whether a gang
Of hrehugs is at work with the purpose of
creating excitement during the fire. and then
entering the adjoining houses and robbing them
is the question the police are now trying TO
solve.
Although the circumstances surrounding most
of the recent outbreaks of fire have been largely
Of the same nature. the police have been work
iug under great difficulty in their efforts to find
the guilty persons. What leads them to believe
that the almost daily fires may eventually he
traced 10 the same source is the fact that in
nearly every instance the blaze was found in
the front hallway. directly under the stairs.
Apparently the object Of this is TO give the
fire good start. The most fearful result Of it.
however. is TO cut of the escape of the ten
ants by way Of the stairs and increase the
chances Of loss Of life In time of panic the fire
escapes are often wholly Inadequate when
dozen or more families and especially women
and children, are endeavoring TO make their
escape ~ the same time.
There cannot be the slightest doubt that the
fires are Of incendiary origin. In fully dozen
cases within the last three weeks the walls
and ceilings were saturated with benzine and
oil and rags saturated with oil had been strewn
around the halls To start the blaze
IN two Of the fires in the last month. started
with criminal intent. FIVE persons perished. and
IN the blaze Of Thursday last, at Jackson and
GEithers SITS i've were hurt and four overcome
fv the smoke. That the results have not been
more disastrous has been due TO the fact that
the flames were discovered before they got a
headwsy-
The fires recently have occurred within few
blocks 81 each other. and i'm all cases where as
many as fifty families live in the one house.
The people are all poor and great many of
then not insured The owners Of the buildings.
however all appear TO be fully protected against
al losses
The police of the precincts in which these
fires occur are. according to their reports 10
the Commissioner. doing all i'm their power to
spprehend he criminals. hut UP to the present
no arrests have heeD made. high police Off
cisl said yesterday if insurance people would he
2 little more careful in giving out policies there
would be less fires II the people were not in
sured there would not be many fires.
Several business men Of that section Of the
city have recently decided 10 form themselves
into 2 vigilance committee 10 protect their lives
and property and 10 hold meetings. with the
hope of collecting enough money TO offer re-
ward for the capture Of the man or men who are
doing this work