The evening world., 1905-10-13
Police Believe H Is Nan
Who )ust Completed a
Ten Year lem.
ONE OF NOTED GANG.
Set Nine Fires Within Twenty.
four Hours and Endan.
gered Many Lives.

Information reached Inspector ~ Po-
lice Murphy. in charge Of the Williams.
burg district Of the city, to-day that
the inccndiary, who Yesterday and las;
ntynt started nine fires throughout
Brooklyn, Was one OF the old gans OF
Brooklvn nrebugs.
The police think they know who this
man is, one Of the men sent to prison
at the time Of the arrest and conviction
o. the old gang was a pyromaniac,
whose love for fires and the destruction
Of HE and property was equal to d
mania. This man was sentenced to
ten years. Il is said his sentence re-
Gently expired and taat ne disappeared
after leaving the penitentiary. There
is reason ID believe he came TO New
York anl hat he il al work again in
the tenement and factory districts O.!
the city.
This mhn was a baker before his con-
victiJn. The police say that while he
was In Sing Sing he was a model pris-
oner and that his sentence was short
ened because Of good behavior,
Fits Ex-conViet's Description.
Policeman John Pagan, Of the Vernon
avenue station, whose beat takes in the
very heart Of the district attacked by
the ~incendiary. has gained a very ac-
curate description Of the irebug. The
man is described to him as being five
feet six inches in height. lie was
smooth shaver, wore dark clothes and
a cap Of a brownish color. This nan
IN many ways fits uae description Of
the eX-cJnvict, the old member of the
firebug gang.
Pagan was able 10 track this man
from the time he started the first fire
In the Eastern District un.il he lighted
his last. The fire at No. IS Sackett
street last night, which caused a dam
age Of $4,000, was the fourrn ATTEMPT
'rqdo to hpro t2.H4 buildings in -ba
past year,
Twice during the day the frebug was
seen entering and leaving tNnements
which were discovered afame within a
few minutes after his disappearance.
The police have a fairly good descrlp-
ton Of hhh, They believe he drove
about in an automobile, as he wore an
automobile Gap OF distinctive make.
Clear trace Of the hreoug's movements
was kept yesterday between 3 A. NJ.
and $3.50 p. NJ, in which time he set
fire to no less than eight tenements
within a distance OF thirteen blocks.
Twice during this time the man with
the automobile cap" for whom the
police are now searching, was seen to
enter and leave tenements just before
the flames were discovered.
Marion Foy, Of No. 26 Nassau street,
has given the police a good description
OF the frebug.
James Cody, a contractor, who owns
the tenemens at No. 1856 Park avenue,
and lives on the second floor, also saw
"tne man in the automobile cap" a few
minutes before his place burst into
flames,
The police believe the man Is a MUIR
derous pyromaniac, as he SHOWS a pre-.
objection for firing tenement-houses. In
every Instance he started his fires by
igniting oil waste at the bottom Of the
dumbwaiter shaft.
The irebug evidently tried to wind up
his carnival Of fire with a spectacular
blaze as the factories he ignited In
sackett street, occupied by the Monarch
Chemical Company and the Hamilton
Pipe Works, were filled with infam-
mable material. Adjoining them in the
rear was a row Of ,enements in Union
street, which caugh, fire repeatedly
from the sparks and on one side was
the lumber year Of he NJ J. Rudolph
Company. which the hremen saved only
after a desperate fight